HELP! Potential Bud Rot on 3 colas, how would I counter this?

[LunarsDankCage]

Hello all,

My plant of unknown origins is in the 7th week of flowering and everything has been looking good for the most part other than some PM popping up which I have been on top of.

Just yesterday, I noticed one of the colas on a lower branch was half dead and half green. A quick smell, and it smelt almost like sweet wet hay. I removed the dead piece afterward. The following morning in the same area I noticed two more colas with their upper pistils browned early and a couple of the calyxes purple, but they did not smell bad. This is where my questions come in.

I'm pretty sure the first cola I found half dead IS from bud rot. Before it spreads to other parts, how much should I cut out? The cola alone? Cola plus other densely packed buds below? The whole branch?
Also, the other colas, are the only two that show those odd characteristics, I'm puzzled by the purpling, as it doesn't look like it's dying, just the pistils shriveling up. Plus, it's been out on some chilly nights recently, and some leaf tips show signs of purple. So, I don't know if these are also infected or if they could be maturing, even the biggest buds on the plant are NOT doing this.

The images below show both colas of concern, a healthy cola on a higher branch and the infected cola with the dead chunk removed exposing the inside. Please let me know what you would do in my situation! Thank you

[Bluey]

You cannot stop bud rot spreading by removing the infected flowers. It doesn't stop mold developing in other buds.

The only way to reduce the incidence of bud rot is to have low humidity so it keeps the humidity in the flowers lower than the germination point of the mold spores. Excellent air movement of a low RH in your grow space counts a lot towards that.

Also temperature plays a part here. 24⁰C and lower works here.

So the RH you need in your grow space is under 60% for small buds (early flower), under 50% for medium to large buds (mid flower) and closer to 40% for monster buds (late flower). This won't guarantee you won't get it but you should be right 99.9% of the time.

You cannot keep mold spores out of your grow space, that is impossible.

EDIT. Keeping your buds dry and not allowing any additional moisture to get on them is crucial, so don't let it rain on them and do not spray them with anything.

[LunarsDankCage]

You cannot stop bud rot spreading by removing the infected flowers. It doesn't stop mold developing in other buds.

The only way to reduce the incidence of bud rot is to have low humidity so it keeps the humidity in the flowers lower than the germination point of the mold spores. Excellent air movement of a low RH in your grow space counts a lot towards that.

Also temperature plays a part here. 24⁰C and lower works here.

So the RH you need in your grow space is under 60% for small buds (early flower), under 50% for medium to large buds (mid flower) and closer to 40% for monster buds (late flower). This won't guarantee you won't get it but you should be right 99.9% of the time.

You cannot keep mold spores out of your grow space, that is impossible.

EDIT. Keeping your buds dry and not allowing any additional moisture to get on them is crucial, so don't let it rain on them and do not spray them with anything.

Thank you for the pointers as always, Bluey!

Unfortunately for my plant, I am growing her outdoors so many factors are out of my control.
Weeks ago I did set up a clear tarp to shelter her from rain and it has surprisingly been doing great at keeping the plant dry. My new idea now is to set up a stand fan and have it blow on the plant when the air is stagnant like it has been for MANY days now. This is probably why I am seeing this happen before my eyes, including the PM spots that like to appear.
I'm just hoping it doesn't escalate into the colas that are starting to fatten up... especially the main cola. The infected areas weren't the impressive parts of the plant anyhow.

Thank you again, hoping for harvest sooner rather than later before things get real rough.

[LunarsDankCage]

After I am done with this plant, I have plans to build a smallish greenhouse where the cage currently is. I'm looking to get a little more serious for next year. Mold in mind this time

[Bluey]

Best way I know how to avoid it here is indoors with a decent size dehumidifier and AC.

Can't beat the quality of the end product either that way.

[LunarsDankCage]

That's true. Some day I want to try indoors, but I currently have no room to work with. Some day

[homegrown]

LunarsDankCage, do you have a dog or cat by chance? The reason im asking is i'm looking at your pics on a large desktop screen and magnified im seeing odd looking thin white hairs coming from the buds in every pic. The light brown color in the bud is not very encouraging. If all the buds are on the same stalk i would cut it off and do some digging to see if there's any critters or caterpillars. Its so much fun growing outside lol...im dealing with warm temps, high humidity, thrips, leaf hoppers,wpm and no rain in forecast for a week or so.

[LunarsDankCage]

LunarsDankCage, do you have a dog or cat by chance? The reason im asking is i'm looking at your pics on a large desktop screen and magnified im seeing odd looking thin white hairs coming from the buds in every pic. The light brown color in the bud is not very encouraging. If all the buds are on the same stalk i would cut it off and do some digging to see if there's any critters or caterpillars. Its so much fun growing outside lol...im dealing with warm temps, high humidity, thrips, leaf hoppers,wpm and no rain in forecast for a week or so.

Those thin white hairs I found out are from the wind-carried seeds of American Burn Weed, I have a cluster about 20 feet away that's releasing these puff balls from the seedheads. Of course, some get through the cage and the little "parachutes" get stuck to the flower's trichomes, and then fall apart. It's annoying now and will be a pain in the ass to remove them when I'm trimming the buds. At the same time though, I'd feel bad to cut down the burn weed over it lol.

Next year this won't be a problem, I'm planning on building a more sheltered greenhouse for my plants.

The lack of wind and high humidity has been brutal so far for warm and cool temps here.