Moldy marijuana is the most frustrating form of buzzkill imaginable. While marijuana has a good safety profile and has never caused a death, smoking moldy cannabis can result in serious health problems. There’s a lot of confusion about the longevity of mold. Mold, like any other perishable product, is vulnerable to fungus infection.
Data collected may cause some individuals to worry, but as long as the proper precautions are taken, there is no need for concern. Knowing how to identify moldy weeds is necessary in order to prevent contact between these molds and your favorite flowers.
How To Spot Moldy Weed?
It’s easy to tell if mold is growing on old bread or cottage cheese–it becomes bald and greenish. With marijuana, however, it may be much more difficult to detect.
Moldy buds are grayish in color, and the covering is nearly indistinguishable from cannabis trichomes, making them difficult to spot. Here’s how to tell if your cannabis has mold:
Know The Types
Like best vape liquids, molds come in many forms. The most common varieties found on cannabis are white fuzzy mold or sclerotinia, botrytis or bud rot, and powdery mildew.
Powdery mildew is the most prevalent plant disease. These obligate biotrophic plant diseases can survive and reproduce on departing host cells, transferring to other plants, including marijuana. Powdery mildew, as the name suggests, has a powdery white or circular appearance.
Botrytis lazily hangs out on plant leaves, often in twos or threes. They appear silvery gray and are covered in grape-like clusters of spores. A fuzzy white mold is a pathogen that commonly results in crown, stem, and root rot.
Appearance
Mold is tiny; you’ll need a microscope to see it. They have a silky mycelium and a gleaming, ethereal look that distinguishes them.
Mold has a finer texture than that of mildew. They are also known to leave black stains on your green buds. Mold may cause a variety of symptoms, including yellow fuss, slime, gray fuss, and cobweb-like material. When you notice any of these apparent indicators on your belongings, they are probably moldy.
Feel
If your greens are suppose to be crisp and dry but feel spongy instead, unfortunately mold has probably already begun to form.
Aroma
The fragrance of cannabis varies considerably, depending on the strain. It might be fruit-like or berry-like, with scents that include diesel fuel and earthy aromas. They should never, however, have a urine or sweat smell. Because of trichomes, it has an aroma; nevertheless, it is not pungent in nature. If you detect an odd odor and think it smells more like mildew than usual in your marijuana –
Take An In-Depth Look
Take a close look at your product. Examine it carefully–and we mean really carefully. You may find it helpful to use a microscope or magnifying glass. This will give you a better view of the cannabis flower or leaves.
Molds have a different structure than other parts of the pot plant, so if anything unusual appears, it might be mold.
Look For Recalls
Although nothing is certain, one way to check if your cannabis has mold is by investigating the grower through research online or different media outlets. There are often unmentioned circumstances of mold, so this option isn’t entirely reliable. Nevertheless, it can give you a better understanding as to whether the crop was large enough or if it had been transported to other places before arriving–both of which raises the possibilities that mold formed at some point along the journey.
Is Smoking Moldy Cannabis Safe?
Moldy weed can cause adverse health effects for both medical patients and recreational smokers. Despite what you may think, mold spores can actually survive being burned, which makes smoking moldy weed extremely dangerous.
They can even endure in damp environments within the human body. As a result, you must seek out reputable marijuana suppliers and lawfully purchase cannabis online from a recognized vendor to ensure high-quality goods.
If your immune system isn’t strong enough to fight this match, you run the danger of developing a life-threatening lung infection. Furthermore, moldy weed’s mycotoxins and endotoxins can also cause illness.
Mycotoxins are chemicals that adhere to mold spores. They can cause long-term adverse health effects, especially for those who are constantly exposed to them.
In contrast, endotoxins are molecules that come from dead bacteria. Molds and endotoxins often occur together, which can be superficially irritating. Furthermore, asthma symptoms can worsen due to exposure to endotoxins. Lastly, they act as a primary cause of lung irritation.
Ingesting endotoxins and mycotoxins at the same time can lead to vigorous inflammation. If you’re constantly exposed to these toxins, it can trigger autoimmune conditions which invite complicated infections. In very rare and severe cases, pneumonia may develop and spread throughout your body, making you severely ill.
Smoking moldy weed can lead to symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and coughing. These symptoms are not dangerous but they can be unpleasant. If you suffer from a mold allergy, smoking moldy weed can leave you with more serious symptoms like drainage, sinus pain, wheezing, and congestion.
It is important to remember that mucor, cryptococcus, and aspergillus can all cause deadly brain infections. They can also induce brain disorders in individuals with weakened immune systems or immunodeficiency diseases.
Symptoms of Mold Exposure
When you inhale moldy cannabis, you can experience the following symptoms:
- Memory difficulties or brain fog
- Changes in mood
- Fatigue
- Allergy and/or asthma attacks
- Nausea
- Weakness
- Light sensitivity
- Fever
What Causes Marijuana Mold?
There are a few things that cause weeds to grow mold. Knowing them might help you avoid getting mold on your crops.
Lack Of Airflow
Molds don’t experience the same reactions to Limited airflow as humans, meaning they aren’t as hindered by it. In fact, enough airflow can be used to keep molds at bay in outdoor operation. However, when growing indoors, fans are instated for flawless air circulation. The issue comes with storage- if you get an airtight container and forget about it mold will form inviting them into your product. That is why, while storing, remember to crack the lid or unzip the bag at least once a day so that fresh oxygen can be replaced with stale.
Oxygen
Mold thrives on an abundance of oxygen. As a result, you should keep your belongings in airtight containers to restrict the amount of oxygen available. It’s nearly impossible to vacuum-seal anything. As a result, rather than focusing on this aspect too much, concentrate on other elements that contribute to mold formation and reduce its development.
Moisture
Moisture is one of the key causes of mold growth. When the humidity in your area rises above 63 percent, mold begins to grow. As a result, store all of your goods in a dry and dark place to reduce the likelihood of mold formation.
Light
Even though mold can grow without light, it’s still best to store your belongings in a dark space. This may sound contradictory, however controlling the temperature inside containers is much easier than trying to regulate the ambient temperature of an entire room.
When light is applied to your marijuana container, it raises the temperature inside, making it a great mold-growing environment. As a result, if your collection isn’t up to date with high-tech temperature control storage, store your greens in a dark area that isn’t exposed to direct sunshine.
Making Cannabis Mold Free – Is Mold Removal Possible?
If you see mold on your weed, it’s best to get rid of it and start over. However, if you really need the plant matter for something, here are some things you can try:
Perform Decarboxylating
The term “decarboxylation” might sound complicated, but it only consists of two parts. The first, “de-,” usually points to taking away. The second part, “carboxy.,” means the COOH acid group which is in nearly all living things.
The third term, “-ation,” is a suffix that adds to an activity. Now you can figure out what you call decarboxylation by combining these terms: “the action of removing the carboxyl group from your things.”
The purpose of decarboxylation is to increase the performance and potency of marijuana. The technique eliminates the acidic component from the THC molecule in cannabis, improving its strength and psychoactive effects.
If molds are a problem for you, bake your stuff in a microwave at 230 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. This should take care of the accumulation. But remember, this also means you won’t be able to smoke your buds afterward. You can use the plant matter to make edibles or concentrates instead.
Turn Your Stuff Into Concentrates
If you’re not entirely convinced about decarboxylation, you may take your mold removal job even further by making concentrates from your veggies. While producing concentrates, you’ll most likely use alcohol or butane, which suffocates the majority of the molds.
Filter The Mold Out With A Water Pipe
This method is especially effective with dabs. You can load your moldy dabs into a dab rig with a water filter. It’s said that the liquid may remove around 20% of the mold. Therefore, after running your greens through decarb and making an extract with it, you should be able to vaporize it without any problem.
Mold can be safely vaped after it has been properly eliminated from your plant. The facts, on the other hand, remain unchanged – there is no completely safe way to get mold out of your belongings; therefore, using moldy marijuana does not constitute a holistically secure method. As a result, you should always avoid mouldy weeds. You may Compost them for future reuse.
How To Save Marijuana From Molds?
Correctly store your cannabis to keep mold away. The truth is that mold spores are practically everywhere. Once upon a time, researchers at NASA attempted growing some plants in space, and even some of them got moldy.
It’s difficult to find a method to remove mold spores from your grow area because it’s so porous. As a result, instead of molds, it’s best to avoid the conditions that encourage mold formation. Mold growth can be prevented if your cannabis is exposed to the wrong degree of humidity, temperature, oxygen level, or light. Here are some helpful methods for avoiding mold on your marijuana:
Store In A Proper Container
Glass jars are the best way to keep your belongings mold-free. Glass containers protect against moisture and oxygen exposure, which inhibits mold growth. You can even find glass jars at dispensaries that are specifically meant for storing things in a way that prevents mold.
Check For The Humidity Factor
The best way to keep your cannabis safe is to store it at a relative humidity of 50 to 60 percent. If the absolute humidity rises above 63%, your marijuana will most certainly mold due to the locking of moisture. You may use a humidity pack in your container to prevent condensation and dampness accumulation.
The term “humidity pack” refers to tiny packets containing a combination of water and salt. This solution effectively controls the humidity in your container. These will not cost you a lot of money. Furthermore, you may use them on a regular basis for several months. If you want something more sophisticated, look into humidors instead. They may be pricey, though.
Choose A Dry And Dark Place For Storing
Molds can grow on your weed no matter how carefully you store it. Sunlight and dampness can harm your cannabis. When your marijuana is exposed to the sun, it may become heated, retaining moisture. A moist environment may also contribute to water accumulation. These two elements cumulatively aid mold growth. As a result, you should always keep your containers in a dry and dark area, such as a drawer or closet, to prevent mold from forming.
Does Moldy Weed Get You High?
The short answer is yes, if the weed is sourced from a THC-dominant cannabis plant. However, if you’re smoking weed that comes from a CBD-dominant cannabis plant, you likely will not experience the same high as you would with something originating from a THC-dominant plant. This is due to the lack of psychedelic effects associated with CBD. There are additional factors that play into whether or not moldy greens will get you high–Keep reading to find out more!
- The response of your body’s endocannabinoid system
- The THC percentage in your stuff
- Your THC tolerance level
- The amount of weed that you use
- Quality of the parent plant
- The method of consuming (eating, vaping, smoking, etc.)
However, if your goal is to get high or reap the benefits of marijuana, you should always avoid moldy weed. Remember, what you can see on the surface is just a fraction of what’s present. The splotches of green, purple, or blue are only noticeable because they’re especially pronounced.
However, because the condition is widespread, it generally goes unnoticed. As a result, merely removing the surface discoloration will not work.
Rather of focusing on the high you may experience from eating bad foods, consider the negative consequences you could encounter.
Keeping Your Stuff Fresh May Help Avoid Mold
If you’re keeping your greens fresh, go for canning them. Keep in mind that when you pay attention to the freshness of the pot and put forth your best efforts to maintain it, you’ll discover a technique to avoid mold. Here are some suggestions for maintaining your greens:
Preserve The Healthy Aroma
Many “experts” will tell you that adding fruit peels or flower petals to your weed while storing it makes the smell more potent. However, this is a terrible idea. Extra moisture from the fruit peel can create mold and mildew, which will ruin your weed.
Protip: If you store your marijuana in fragrant products like aftershaves, polish, shaving cream, cologne, perfume, or deodorants,
Store Them In A Cool Place (NOT Cooler)
You might think that the best place to store your weed is in a cool environment like your fridge, but actually this can be damaging. Refrigerators are usually quite humid inside, which makes them the perfect breeding ground for mold.
Furthermore, opening and shutting the refrigerator door frequently places your weed at risk of moisture exposure. You shouldn’t store your munchies in the freezer, because apart from moisture exposure, ice destroys trichome raising heads, making your marijuana rigid, stale, and flavorless.
Never Store Them In Plastic
You can prevent moldy weed by not storing them in plastic baggies. Contrary to popular belief, plastic bags don’t do anything to keep moisture, air, light, or cold out.
Not only does plastic have a static charge that removes the plant matter’s trichomes, but it also creates a sticky and powdery mess. Even after multiple attempts, you won’t be able to clear this mess. Furthermore, sealable plastic bags will cause both the good and bad smells to become more potent due to their lack of ventilation. Consequently, you probably won’t enjoy this noxious combination of scents.
Store Your Stuff Separately
When it comes to storage, you should maintain different strains of marijuana in separate containers. Not only will this help avoid mold spread from one strain to the next, but it will also help retain the strains’ distinct fragrances. Some mold strains are more resistant than others when it comes to preventing mold growth.
While one can easily accumulate contamination, the other may stay fresh and healthy for a long time. However, storing them together may cause mold to spread throughout all your stuff.
Cover The Pot
When you leave your belongings on surfaces like countertops or tables, they may rot. Because of the humidity, heat, and light exposure, this occurs. Apart from mold formation, leaving your items exposed can have a significant impact on the scent of things, resulting in a stale stoning experience.
How To Prevent Mold When You Are Growing Weed?
Early mold detection while growing weeds is crucial to saving the crop, not just for consumer safety but also for the growers. Although you have to get rid of any and all infected plants, you can save others if you act quickly.
You can consider investing in a microscope to help you spot mold buildup in the early stages of mold growth so that you may prevent it from spreading to your plants. However, getting excellent quality cannabis seeds is also recommended.
When your buds are already coated, you’ll have no choice but to cut them down since the spores have probably been dispersed and the illness has spread throughout the plant. Apart from a visual inspection, you should also be equipped with a basic understanding of humidity, growing conditions, and temperature.
You should be aware that molds can grow and spread during any stage of the weed-growing process, not just during harvesting.
The only way to be certain your weed is mold-free is if you smoke it. However, there are ways to prevent the spread of mold so that your plants stay healthy.
Conclusion
I’ve seen this happen a lot, and there is no reason why it should. Molds can grow in most items, so even the best quality materials might become moldy if you don’t follow the preventive techniques. As a result, be careful so that mold does not ruin your stoning experience.