Smart pots and powdery mildew

[Now1more]

Hey all, hope someone has the answer. I would like to reuse my soil from an indoor grow outdoors. My idea is to use my smart pots to run some autos. The problem is that late in my last grow I developed some pm issues. I managed to keep it in check, but I'm concerned about spores.

My idea is to take 4-5 inches off the top and toss it into the compost bin to cook. I have far too many pots to be able to afford using all new soil. I'll start with new soil mixed in and run if the general consensus is that it shouldn't be an issue. If it is an issue, I'll toss it all in the compost and skip out on the autos this season.

Safe? Not safe? Suggestions?

 

[TheSadVeryBadMadGrower]

You can always bake the soil...

 

[BigBallzWillie]

Probably ok. Soil solarization might help if you have time. Simply spread it thin on a surface, cover with plastic, and let it cook in the sun. When it's powder dry, ammend and use.

 

[Now1more]

Thanks @BigBallzWillie I have let it all dry out by sitting in the basement for the past 4 months. This is why I'd like to just scrape the top few inches.

My thought is... the PM wasn't that bad and after harvest the pots just sat.

 

[BigBallzWillie]

It's gotta get hot to kill the bad stuff. How much dirt we talking about? If it's a small amount..........cookie sheet, plastic and sun, should cook it in an hour or two easy. If it's already dry you want to moisten it before you put on the plastic.

Probably fine though.......better than putting it in the oven, especially if you are married!

 

[Now1more]

I have 18 ten gallon pots. I'm guessing I'd remove about 3 gallons from each to replace. I can live with replacing 54 gallons. The used soil can cook in my compost bin for next year's use.

I'm in a high wind zone, so trying to spread it out and cook it that way doesn't work for me. We had a tornado touch down about 20 miles from here yesterday. Hell, the winds were strong enough here that it flipped my greenhouse. The plastic is weighted down with some good size stones. First time that has happened. I lost my smaller greenhouse about a month ago. I set it up at night and was going to wait till morning to secure it. Well, waited too long (being lazy) and we had some really good gusts... mangled the entire frame. So, off to the dump with it. Ok, I'm rambling.

 

[BigBallzWillie]

That's a bit of dirt.
The weather hasn't been kind to my poly house. Threw a branch thru it one storm. I had just put on a new cover. I had to go and get the old cover out of the recycle bin and put it over. It worked out as a stop gap, but the thing is shot now.

 

[JohnFonda]

If its strong enough to kill the mold I imagine it taking your benies out too. Maybe some 25% hydroxide and dilute it for a soak. Sierra natural science has tester kits too and product that may help.

 

[tyke1973]

I read something other day about mouthwash been used to treat pm,may sound mad .But think about it for a minute it kills bacteria in the mouth ,so can't see why it would not work on pm.The botanist that wrote the paper said it killed the pm when none of the other things worked.I think the mix was 1 part mouth wash 9 parts water,leave it on the effected area for 3/4 hour then rince with water.Google it more info will come up ,I've just lost every mother I had to it.Found this info out after ,if I'm ever unlucky enough to get it again I will definitely be trying it out .Its bad news the genetics I have just lost is heart breaking had some a while,jaffalatto lemon kush ,uk clone cut exodus and livers sugarfactory super lemon haze.Good luck I just suited up in a paint suit ditched the lot bleached everything.I was lucky ,I spend a fair bit of time with plants each day.Spotted it early,but not early enough.Funny enough the only one that was not effected was super lemon haze ,the only one done from seed .Most gutted about that disco biscuit though,getting another pack of them may be hard.Can get cuts but I won't be taking any more cuttings after that last lot .

 

[Now1more]

1 tbsp. of baking soda, 1tsp. dish soap, 1 tsp. oil (we use vegetable, but any carrier oil will do), to 1 gal. of water. Works like a charm.

 

[JohnFonda]

Thanks @BigBallzWillie I have let it all dry out by sitting in the basement for the past 4 months. This is why I'd like to just scrape the top few inches.

My thought is... the PM wasn't that bad and after harvest the pots just sat.

Check out growers ally or sierra natural science. Both have anti fungal free samples you can apply to the soil

 

[JohnFonda]

I read something other day about mouthwash been used to treat pm,may sound mad .But think about it for a minute it kills bacteria in the mouth ,so can't see why it would not work on pm.The botanist that wrote the paper said it killed the pm when none of the other things worked.I think the mix was 1 part mouth wash 9 parts water,leave it on the effected area for 3/4 hour then rince with water.Google it more info will come up ,I've just lost every mother I had to it.Found this info out after ,if I'm ever unlucky enough to get it again I will definitely be trying it out .Its bad news the genetics I have just lost is heart breaking had some a while,jaffalatto lemon kush ,uk clone cut exodus and livers sugarfactory super lemon haze.Good luck I just suited up in a paint suit ditched the lot bleached everything.I was lucky ,I spend a fair bit of time with plants each day.Spotted it early,but not early enough.Funny enough the only one that was not effected was super lemon haze ,the only one done from seed .Most gutted about that disco biscuit though,getting another pack of them may be hard.Can get cuts but I won't be taking any more cuttings after that last lot .

I've never had pm but have gotten mold in my buds and it's the worst. Not packing plants super tight and keeping leaves from laying over eachother is a good place to start. I made my intake vents with ac return vent ducks and stuck hepa filters in them. Once you get got its war against mold.

 

[Now1more]

I've only ever had PM once indoors through multiple grows. Good defoliation helps a ton. When I did get it, it was from a Green Crack that was super bushy that I didn't trim back and humidity got too high. Bottom line... being lazy gets you into trouble. The worst part was that I had Platinum Cake that was the star of the room get it. Saved everything else, but the PC got dumped.

 

[Burned Haze]

Pm is a air Bourne issue and always is in the air , it’s when the plant can’t defend or lack good air combos that it loses its battle with pm or misc molds

Pm is not a soil Bourne or issue

How to Kill Powdery Mildew Spores in the Soil

Neem oil for powdery mildew is one organic fungicide option. You can also use chemical...

homeguides.sfgate.com

 

[Skunkle Justin]

I’m on board with @Burned Haze Powdery Mildew is everywhere, whether we like it or not. It’s on our fingers and Freshly washed smart pots, in our bottles of nutes and mixed in with our dried amendments. Unless we start growing our weed with the same techniques as we grow our mushrooms, there’s absolutely no way of getting rid of PM or it’s spores. Maybe our fellow growmies way way WAY up north or down in the desert don’t see it as much but PM is here and eliminating it completely is an exercise in futility. But, I also understand why one would want to do their due diligence and mitigate as many risks as possible. With that being said, if your garden in any way at all provides you with a source of revenue, I’d make some new soil. We all have new recipes we’ve been wanting to try out, so maybe this could be the excuse you’re looking for. However, if this is a large-scale hobby, I’d let the soil ride after a modest attempt at cleaning it and maybe do a side-by-side comparison with some other soil recipes so you still don’t have to worry about a total loss if your soil is bad. Just my two cents worth of advice.