Misting buds is one of the most contentious issues in cannabis growing circles. While others swear by its effectiveness, others warn of the risks it poses to your buds.
Misting during the vegging stage carries a few risks because the plant just has the leaves, and water doesn’t hold on to leaves for longer.
However, misting during flowering can be risky because the water infiltrates deeper into the buds and takes longer to evaporate.
Also, it’s good to note the difference between misting with plain water and foliar spraying the plants with added nutrients.
When nutrients are added, the focus is always on the plant taking in the nutrients. While misting with water clears the stomata and improves the breathability of the plant. Let’s look deeper into the issue.
Should I Mist My Buds?
Misting buds isn’t always the right thing because it increases relative humidity, making your buds more prone to fungal infections. The longer the water lodges into the buds and stay there, the higher the risk of mold, mildew, and, worse, bud rot.
Those huge clusters are very susceptible to mold. Even without misting them, they’re still at risk. And that’s why you keep the RH at a specific range— to deter these stubborn fungal infections.Still, no grower would take risks during flowering if it promises no improvement in buds’ quality.
Pros Of Misting Cannabis Buds During Flowering
Misting your buds might be a risky move, but it can surely benefit your buds.
To begin with, spraying with water cleans the buds and the leaves, opening the stomata for optimum respiration.
Increased respiration improves photosynthetic processes, and that overall can boost the quality and quantity of your buds.
Spraying can help you reduce humidity, and when you grow in a desert, it can give your buds a breeze of life when the sun hits them.
But even indoors, you can mist your cannabis plants for the same reason. It’s like mimicking the morning dew or the cool rains that perk up marijuana plants in warm weather.You have to grow in temperate climates to know the plant thirsts for water. Just like turning up AC cools your house in temperate climates, misting your plants does the same to the plant.
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Cons Of Misting Cannabis Plants During Flowering
Misting cannabis buds might have some positive effects, but you might end up destroying your buds if you don’t do it right.
Misting adds to the humidity in the grow tent and directly inside the buds. During flowering, humidity should be kept between 40-50%.
Exceeding this range can be catastrophic as it invites fungal infections like mold, mildew, and bud rot.
If the lights aren’t intense enough, or when you spray the buds during the dark phase, humidity can rise above 60% because evaporation happens slowly.
With such high humidity, misting your plant feels like feeding them to fungi. And it’s worse if the temperature rises above 80° F.
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How To Mist Your Buds With Minimal Risk
If you’ve never grown cannabis before, then you’re better off not misting the buds. That way, you don’t lose the buds you’ve got trying to make them bigger or potentiating them.
Intermediate and advanced growers can, however, use the technique. The goal is to keep other conditions in check so that the mist doesn’t trigger fungal infections.
Here are a few tips to help keep the buds safe if you decide to mist;
Use an oscillating fan to help disperse the moisture— Most problems arise when the mist takes too long to evaporate.
Let the fan blow the plant in a light breeze to hasten evaporation. This will limit the chances of mold and mildew.
Never mist with lights off— When you’re growing in dry environments, you’d think misting the plants during the dark phase keeps them cool for longer.
That’s not true.
Misting during the dark means there is no light to evaporate the water, and the longer the water stays in the buds, the higher the likelihood of mold.
Consider the lights— Some lights emit heat while others are cooler. HPS lights will make the water evaporate quickly, but the heat they emit can perk up the temperature, making the buds susceptible.
LEDs are great because they don’t increase the ambient temperatures. Hence they are preferable when you intend to mist your plants repeatedly.
Never mist in highly humid climates— Misting should be done when humidity is low, and the plants need a little help. When the humidity is already high, misting the plants is disastrous.
Ensure there’s proper ventilation— The fan could be working right, but if the moist air isn’t replaced by fresh air from the outside, the buds can begin to mold. Proper ventilation ensures the stale air doesn’t stay long in the tent for fungal infections to take root.
In conclusion, you can mist your plants, but there is always a chance of spoiling them. Mold, mildew, and bud rot are serious infections that can mess your buds if misting goes wrong.
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