HELP! Outdoor tent air quality

[Melissinmass]

This is my second post regarding growing in this low tunnel/greenhouse. I have already harvested one auto that was in a container due to development of bud rot. I just super cropped the plants that are in there now:

https://forum.growweedeasy.com/forum...ttle-room-help which turned out better than expected and I only lost a couple branches.

So so I need some advice on what to do next so I can avoid more bud rot/mold/fungus and pests. I def need more air circulation and am wondering if I should cut the other end of the tent and install a zipper or some extra air slits. I am on an extremely low budget but I know I need to add at least one fan. Where to put it/them is the other question. The frame of the tent is very flimsy and I don’t know if it could hold up a wall mount type fan.

I also got some Neem oil and was planning on spraying down all the plants now as prevention. I currently have other companion plants which I’m considering removing and putting landscape fabric covered with straw mulch to keep the weeds and moisture down.

I found the caterpillar below last week and then found another one about 3x it’s size this morning and a few of the leaves have this white residue which could be dried fertilizer from my last feed or something not so nice.

If anyone one could recommend a good resource for either lollipoping or thinning the branches down to allow for more airflow under the plants I could use some help with that too. Still no signs of pre-flower but I’m guessing it will be soon!

Sorry for being such a newbie but I don’t want all of the hard work I put in to be all for not!!

Thank you!
xoxo
-M

[VtGreen1965]

First thing, ditch the Neem oil, there may be a link between it and Cannabinoid Hypermesis Syndrome, so better safe than sorry.
Now, go right ahead and trim out the lower branches and inner growth, it won't amount to much and it will allow more airflow .
You definitely need to have openings at both ends of your tent to allow proper ventilation and that will help with powdery mildew, mold and all that.
This site has a very comprehensive sick plants and problems page, you should check it out, it will help you recognize some of the issues and how to solve them.

[VtGreen1965]

Also! Those white trails are most likely left by caterpillars and it needs to be addressed asap, they can destroy your plants in no time and most of them only feed after dark.

[Toker1]

Oh no, are we talking about that guy in India who ingested neem oil and got poisoned. The CHS link is debatable. The guy drank it, nothing medical marijuana applications should be compared to. No substantial evidence points to neem oil as the culprit.
I believe aza max is a more plausible culprit, if any at all. Aza max came out on the commercial market around the same time as CHS was first being reported (people have been using neem oil years and years prior to the first reported case of CHS).
There is a safe way and an unsafe way to use these products.
Most people use aza max like its neem oil (after all neem oil extract is the main ingredient). What people don’t realize is that neem extract doesn’t wash off as easily as neem does. Aza max is best suited as a root drench, not a foiler spray.
Seems more feasible that a new product on the market was being used wrong and creating CHS in users. If neem oil was causing this then people would have had these types of reactions many many years prior to the first CHS case.
Also issues with diagnosing this were caused by lack of knowledge by the entire medical community. Your stomach ever hurt in 2016? If you admitted to smoking pot in the ER due to stomach complications, you had CHS. That was how this particular diagnosis was handled. The medical data for this particular disease is skewed at best.
There is no convincing supporting evidence that statistically links neem oil and CHS together.
Insufficient evidence is what I would say in short.

[Toker1]

👍 no problem.

[VtGreen1965]

While there may not be 100% positive proof, why take the risk?
There are literally thousands of products that take care of bugs, molds and mildew and you can make most of them right at home.
I used to use Neem oil, it works pretty well but it's not needed, In make my own spray and haven't used Neem in a couple years.
My feelings are why take the risk?
I'm not saying it does or doesn't cause any trouble, I personally don't really believe that CHS is a real thing, just another scare tactic from big pharma, but again, why take the risk?
Good luck.

[Toker1]

Because there is no evidence of any risk. Why risk getting out of bed in the morning? Just doesn’t make sense to worry about a boogie man that doesn’t exist.

[Melissinmass]

So will Neem oil work for caterpillars and mold/fungus?

[Toker1]

Will work on fungus and mold....but you need a bacteria calked BT for the caterpillars.

https://www.amazon.com/Monterey-704596-Caterpillar-Killer-Pesticide/dp/B00ANT611U/ref=asc_df_B00ANT611U/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167116476898&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16804225156120750993&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9032051&hvtargid=pla-309961191261&psc=1

[Colombo]

The answer is yes. Just use as directed as always with products and you should be fine.Get a 1 gal pump sprayer for a fine mist to get under and in around the center to get good coverage. You don't need a lot. The fabric/mulch is a good investment for the ground. I noticed the lower corners of your greenhouse have a square metal frame you can install a vent at one end and a 3 speed box fan exhausting at the other. Adjust the speed as needed. You can reverse the fan and blow air in also. Just a thought. Good luck. Good Growing !!