When you cultivate plants, it's critical to check them for signs of disease to prevent damage and crop loss.
When you grow indoors in a growbox, for example a Bonsanto Growbox, you have the advantage that the risk of diseases and pests is much lower than when growing outdoors. The grow box allows you to grow in a closed, controlled, clean environment protected from weather conditions. This reduces the risk of the development and transmission of diseases and pests.
This article will give you an overview of common plant diseases, their detection and treatment, and how to deal with pest infestations.
Table of contents
Plant diseases
Diseases vary depending on growing conditions. We focus here on the most common ones.
To prevent plant diseases, we recommend you to use the Bonsanto Grow components for your cultivation. Especially the Premium Grow Soil and the Organic Boost Fertilizer support healthy plant growth and protect against disease.
Plants mold
Mold, the formation of fungi on plants, affects the quality and growth of your plant and poses health risks to you. Well-known molds include powdery mildew and blossom blight. Powdery mildew appears as a white powder on leaves and often occurs in high humidity. Blossom rot attacks the buds during flowering, causing the buds to decay.
Look for gray, black, or brown spots on leaves, stems, or buds; a musty odor; damp, discolored spots; or misshapen growth. Powdery mildew shows up as a white coating, and blossom blight manifests itself in brown, soft buds.
Remove moldy plant parts if the infestation is small. If the infestation is large, use appropriate fungicides. If the plant is mostly infested, dispose of it and clean everything that has come into contact with the mold.
To avoid mold growth, you should provide efficient drainage. In addition, adequate watering plays an essential role. For more information, see our blog post on "watering plants". Good ventilation is also crucial, as it helps to reduce humidity in the grow environment. In addition, you should avoid overfertilization to ensure optimal growing conditions.
Root problems
Root problems can significantly affect the health of your plant. Various factors such as soil quality, pot size, watering and temperature can cause problems. Extremely high temperatures can reduce root oxygen uptake, while cold temperatures can shock roots. Excessive watering and inadequate drainage could drown roots, and poor soil will prevent your plant's necessary oxygen exchange.
Root rot, a specific root disease, is often caused by lack of oxygen and excessive watering. It is difficult to detect because the roots are hidden, but it can be noticeable by limp, unhealthy plants.
Leaf Septoria
Leaf septoria is a resistant fungus that causes yellow or brown spots on your favorite plants that spread and cause leaf drop. If you have this problem, remove infected leaves and avoid touching healthy plant parts. Appropriate fungicides and good ventilation can be helpful. To prevent leaf septoria, good air circulation, clean growing equipment, balanced irrigation and careful plant care are important.
Tobacco Mosaic Virus
Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) is a common and persistent disease of plants that is transmitted through infected plants, contaminated objects or aphids. Although it poses no risk to human health, it affects the growth of your plant and reduces harvest. Symptoms include slow growth, deformed leaves and yellow-green mosaic-like spots. Separating infected plants from healthy ones, regular cleaning of growing equipment and using resistant plant varieties will help against TMV. To prevent the virus, you should pay attention to clean cultivation.
Plants pests
Pests can damage your grow and cause disease. A regular inspection of your plants will help to detect them early and take action. There are several pests that can affect plants. Most can be treated with insecticides, soap sprays or the use of natural enemies.
Scale & Aphids
Scale and aphids are insects that feed on the sap of your plants. Scale insects, which camouflage themselves under a waxy shield, and aphids, which are usually found on the underside of leaves, are often difficult to spot. Yellow leaves, slowed growth or deformed leaves can be signs of infestation, as can sticky honeydew. To control these aphids, insecticides or soap sprays can be useful, as well as natural enemies such as ladybugs and wasps.
Mealybugs
The white, fluffy-looking mealybugs can cause significant damage to your cannabis plant by producing a waxy, woolly substance. They can be identified by similar signs to scale and aphids and can be controlled using the same methods.
Broad mites & Rust mites
Broad mites, nearly invisible pests, can slow the growth of your plant and give the leaves a droopy, shiny appearance. They can also infest the flowers, causing leaf drop. If an infestation occurs, it's a good idea to intervene quickly with soap spray or insecticide. Similar to broad mites, rust mites are difficult to detect. Infestation may be manifested by drooping foliage, yellowing leaves, slowed growth and altered bud formation.
Spider mites
Spider mites, usually brown or red, nest on the underside of plant leaves, leaving white bites and fine spider webs. Infestation is indicated by white spots and cobwebs. If you discover spider mites, you should lower the temperature in your grow box and increase humidity, as the pests prefer high temperatures and low humidity. Soap sprays can also be helpful.
White flies
Whiteflies, which usually sit on the underside of leaves, produce a sticky substance that can attract mold, which is harmful to your plant. They rise when you move the leaves. Soap sprays or specific oils can be used to prevent re-colonization of your plant.
Plant slugs
An infestation of slugs on your plant is easy and quick to detect because they eat the leaves of your plant. For the protection of your plant it is necessary to remove them. For this, it is enough to collect the slugs by hand, avoiding the use of sprays.
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