Growing

Got storm damage? Here’s 7 cannabis garden first aid tips

Published on September 11, 2023
Powdery mildew produces unhealthy mycotoxins, and ruins taste. (Leafly)
Take action post-storm to avoid crop loss. (Leafly)

It’s that time of year: the weed plants are flowering but the first storms of fall threaten to damage your garden.

Southern California had the Tropical Storm Hilary coincide with an earthquake. Multiple inches of rain fell in the course of day. Winds howled. On the East Coast, hurricane season is warming up, throwing wind and water at East Coast gardens.

We jumped on the phone with master of cannabis horticulture, Ed Rosenthal, for some first aid plant tips. He said a lot of plant first aid is analogous to human first aid. You have to treat and disinfect wound sites, and bind and support broken branches. Tips we cover:

  • Shake your plants out to get water off the flowering buds
  • Give your plants an air dry—especially the buds
  • Wrap stem breaks and support the injured plant—like a limb on a crutch
  • Re-cover exposed roots to keep them wet and covered from the air
  • Cut away any majorly injured parts, and disinfect the cut site with an alcohol pad
  • Spray potassium bicarbonate to deter mold and mildew
  • Reapply bacillus thuringiensis to deter pests

Listen along for details on the actions you can take to save your crop. Good luck to all the growers—may you have a happy, terpy, bountiful harvest.

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David Downs
David Downs
Leafly Senior Editor David Downs is the former Cannabis Editor of the San Francisco Chronicle. He's appeared on The Today Show, and written for Scientific American, The New York Times, WIRED, Rolling Stone, The Onion A/V Club, High Times, and many more outlets. He is a 2023 judge for The Emerald Cup, and has covered weed since 2009.
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