HELP! Moldy harvest - What are my options?

[Greenish]

Towards the end of my harvest (last 2 weeks) the moisture levels in my tent got too high and created a mold issue. I immediately cut away all the mold I could find and threw it away. I kept an eye on it for about a week, cutting away anything I saw, and then I harvested. Aside from a few spots that I cut away, there wasn't much mold left. Fast forward less than a week, and I'm seeing more spots of mold appearing on my drying buds.

If the answer is to throw the entire crop away, I'll do it. I just want to know if anyone has had any experience on safely using/saving/washing moldy buds. I mostly turn all of my crops into edibles, so the concerns of smoking it wont be an issue. I've been googling this topic, so I realize that eating mold also isn't good.

I've found 3 different methods that may work:

1. Using isopropyl alcohol to soak and remove the oil from buds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13pGXgkSeao
2. Soaking in 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide and 5 gallons of water for 5-15 minutes before re-hanging to dry.
3. Using a UVC light. This method seems more useful for sanitizing my tent for the next grow, and not useful for removing spores from existing buds.

Any suggestions on how to proceed?

[Gingerbeard]

I've had good success with 2tsp vinegar to one quart water.

Maybe I'm in dab-dab land. It occurs to me that not many things can live in a vacuum. Might putting moldy weed into a vacuum slow or stop growth? I have a vac chamber I use to purge my blasting.

[Greenish]

Does the vinegar make the mold safe to consume? Or is this a spray for preventing mold?
PS: I don't have a vacuum chamber.

[Smokesteve]

https://youtu.be/S7jE7qzfgQs

[Greenish]

Sadly, it's not powdery mildew, it's mold. It's likely bud rot (AKA Botrytis) caused by too high of humidity levels.

[PeterMatanzas]

Best to discard it.

Some molds produce aflatoxins that attack the central nervous system and liver. Mold material can be removed by filtration, but filtration won't remove aflatoxins.

We would have to identify what type of mold it is. (The problem *may* be bacteria (Clostridiums) not mold.) It may be Botrytis or Aspergillus mold. Aspergillus is a composting mold living off dead plant material, while Botrytis targets living material. Botrytis does not produce known aflatoxins. Some Aspergillus species produce aflatoxins.

Anaerobic conditions in a curing jar may promote the growth of Clostridiums. This is a bacteria found in poorly cured cannabis. Bacteria under the Clostridiums umbrella include C botulinum, C Perfringens, and C Tetani. For those three: botulism, food poisoning, tetanus.

EDIT: All of us have smoked moldy flowers, it is all around us, but unless you have a compromised immune system or are allergic to the spores, you don't notice it.

[Greenish]

Thank you Peter. I appreciate it. I'll go ahead and destroy the crop and try again keeping a better eye on my humidity.

This is my 8th grow and the first time I've come across this. It's a bummer, but I'd rather be safe than sorry especially when I still have a few ounces from previous grows.

[PeterMatanzas]

Greenish every year I lose plenty in an outdoor grow, one year 8 out of 10 were completely destroyed by mold. It’s inevitable & already showing up now. My indoor grows live in rooms with industrial dehumidifiers.

[GreenAlchemist]

Hate to say, Mold that is visible has been there a while, no telling how many spots will continue to grow after treatment.
Best to toss and start over (make sure to clean your environment heavily! No bleach, but h2o2, alcohol spray, or sulphur).
Mold is a crop killer IMO.

so sorry for your loss of hard work!! We’ve all been there at one point and it sucks :/

[PeterMatanzas]

What mold do you think is poisonous, and if it's poisonous - what are the possible infections, toxicosis, allergies, or disease? EDIT: is it the mold or the mold spores that concern you most?

[GreenAlchemist]

Didn’t say poisonous, but yes it’s not healthy.
It’s true we breath these spores in everyday, but when it’s concentrated and thriving on a bud site, I avoid it like the plague.

Without knowing what kind of mold it is, it’s safest to trash, clean and restart to avoid future issues in the next grow.
If you are immune compromised, then yes it’ll make you pretty sick, I’ve seen it recently actually

[bboyfromwayback]

I had a jar mold a while back. I found a few articles online for treatment. The one that made the most sense logically was to fill the jar full with water then add 2tbsp Hydrogen Peroxide and shake it up. Let it set in the dark 24hrs then the next day pour all the nasty water out and repeat. Do this until the water runs clear (it took me 10 days) Once the water was clear I dried it in a rack. Once dried the buds didn’t look as bad as I thought they would tbh and I cured it like normal. There never was anymore signs of mold but the weed never smelled right and I didn’t need it, I just tried it because I was pissed I let 3oz mold and wanted to see if it would work. I did not consume this bud, I tossed it but by the look I would’ve smoked it without worrying too much if I needed it 😉