Fans on Outdoor Plants?

Anybody run fans on their outdoor plants?

My 2023 outdoor crop was devastated by bud rot. Two things made matters worse, tropical storm Hilary brought late season rain, high humidity, and 90 degrees, and my plants grew huge and overcrowded. Total loss.

This year I plan to put down plastic tarps under the plants to keep the spores from being disturbed and spraying fungicide until I see pre flower. I was considering running a 24” oscillatoring fan too. Do you guys think it would help?

Im curious about this as well. In the past, Ive grow on my deck. I too have had many cases of bud rot. Put up a windchime and realized it was my airflow. The way my house is laid out it creates this pocket of stale air. Always a slight breeze, but not enough.

This season ill be moving it towards the back of my property away from the house.

Another thought would be to grow strains that have more resistance towards bud rot etc.

The Humboldt Seed Company said their Blueberry Muffin is resistant to mold, and an earlier finisher which helps, but that no strain is impervious to bud rot if the conditions are right and the spores are there.

I bought 5 feminized seeds for this year.

bigboerboel said:

Anybody run fans on their outdoor plants?

My 2023 outdoor crop was devastated by bud rot. Two things made matters worse, tropical storm Hilary brought late season rain, high humidity, and 90 degrees, and my plants grew huge and overcrowded. Total loss.

This year I plan to put down plastic tarps under the plants to keep the spores from being disturbed and spraying fungicide until I see pre flower. I was considering running a 24” oscillatoring fan too. Do you guys think it would help?

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I know lots of guys that run box fans outdoors on their plants. Look into Dr.zymes, it helps with mold and bud rot.

That is part of my plan for next year's outdoor. I'm gonna install fans in an open end hoop house to move air when heat or humidity passes a certain level. Unprotected plants perform like crap in MA.

bigboerboel said:

Anybody run fans on their outdoor plants?

My 2023 outdoor crop was devastated by bud rot. Two things made matters worse, tropical storm Hilary brought late season rain, high humidity, and 90 degrees, and my plants grew huge and overcrowded. Total loss.

This year I plan to put down plastic tarps under the plants to keep the spores from being disturbed and spraying fungicide until I see pre flower. I was considering running a 24” oscillatoring fan too. Do you guys think it would help?

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I do in a covered hoop house 20x30 when the rot kicks in i shut them off. I see people using leaf blowers when bud rot shows up thinking iam keeping my bud dry!! All they are doing is spreading the spores. An also the spores dont come from good healthy soil

thumper60 said:

An also the spores dont come from good healthy soil

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Unfortunately, I’m growing in an area that used to be an avocado orchard. 40 years of spreading wood chips makes a wonderful breeding ground for botrytis spores.

bigboerboel said:

Anybody run fans on their outdoor plants?

My 2023 outdoor crop was devastated by bud rot. Two things made matters worse, tropical storm Hilary brought late season rain, high humidity, and 90 degrees, and my plants grew huge and overcrowded. Total loss.

This year I plan to put down plastic tarps under the plants to keep the spores from being disturbed and spraying fungicide until I see pre flower. I was considering running a 24” oscillatoring fan too. Do you guys think it would help?

Click to expand...

No I think that’s chasing your tail.
Buy strains that can cope with those conditions.
Trainwreck from my experience is rot resistant. I did that outdoor one year and it rained the last two weeks - zero rot.
I see Jah seeds do a lot of outdoor type plants that are bred for resistance and speed in Canada. He has some wicked old school stuff going on with some new new mixed in.
I wouldn’t bother with the plastic either. Just put down a quality straw type mulch nice and thick. Clean up all your dead leaves and have rubbish bins for waste and have a clean grow.