What does moldy weed look like?

Marijuana is susceptible to microbial growth when improperly planted, dried, cured, or stored. These microbes include mildews, fungi, and of course, molds.

Moldy marijuana is a serious problem, which not only affects the look and smell of cannabis but can also pose health risks when consumed.

In order to truly know if your cannabis is perfectly fine to smoke, you really have to check for signs of mold.

What does moldy weed look and smell like? To the untrained eye, it can be tricky to tell the difference between a Moldy weed and a regular or THC rich trichomes.

For example, Moldy and high-quality buds can both develop a coating of white dots. Luckily, you can spot the difference upon closer visual inspection.

In this article, we'll guide you through the various ways to identify moldy weed, understanding the risks it poses, and learning how to prevent it from ruining your stash.

How to tell if weed is moldy?

Identifying moldy weed is critical to your health, and we can generally tell if green herbs are moldy by appearance, smell, touch and even use a Microscope.

Bad weeds may exhibit visible signs of mold or mildew, such as a powdery coating. It can also appear discolored, touch sticky and damp, or emit a musty odor.

If you were to look at mold under a microscope, you would just see a fuzzy, dirty-looking substance.

What does moldy weed look like?

The easiest and most cost-effective method for spotting mold on weed is the naked eye. When cannabis has been taken over by mold, it’s pretty easy to spot.

Discolored or dark spots and white fuzz are telltale signs of mold, but it can also be gray, green or black.

Mold will look fuzzy and it will be trying to spread over an area and look like cotton, spiders web, or a cloud.

Additionally, the texture of moldy weed can often be mushy, softer, or seem squishy. These sections can be a sign of bud rot that’s progressed to the flower of cannabis.

Here are some common colors and textures of mold on cannabis:

White powdery substance: Powdery mildew, a form of mold, can sometimes look like dusted kief to the untrained eye.

However, closer inspection will reveal the powder isn’t kief at all, but something that resembles sawdust or the dust produced by kicking a puffball mushroom.

This powder is actually spores from the mold and can cause respiratory problems if inhaled.

Grey or yellow fuzzy molds: These can be signs of botrytis cinerea or bud rot, occurring in denser nugs.

Black or green spots: Often a sign of various mold or mildew species, indicating the growth has penetrated more deeply into the flower.

What does moldy weed smell like?

Another way to identify moldy weed is to observe the smell. Green weed usually has a natural aromatic profiles that can range from piney to citrusy, or earthy aroma.

However, if you notice musty moldy, or rotten smells, similar to damp clothes, cat pee, sweat or a basement, it’s time to check if your weed is moldy.

Bud rot is one of the most common types of weed molds. One dead giveaway for bud rot signs is weed nugs giving off a distinctively foul smell.

The same goes for powdery mildew weed, which might have a slightly sweet yet stale scent.

However, The smell test has limitations, though. some molds and mildews don’t produce any smells, especially if the infestation only recently took hold.

Moldy weed vs trichomes: What's the differences?

It can be somewhat tricky to identify mold vs. trichomes, due to the similarities in their appearance. Here are some key differences between them to look out for.

Trichomes are those sticky, shiny crystals on the leaves and buds that give cannabis its aroma. They contain minute hairs that look transparent or milky white with a more bulbous or stalky structure.

Unlike trichomes, which look like little hairs that almost appear to glitter, mold has a gray or white powdery appearance. Again, the growth can be web or cotton-like where it looks like it’s all connected in a hairlike formation.

Trichomes often have a uniform color across your cannabis buds so it’s less likely to develop patches so any patches that are off color are a clear sign of mold.

Additionally, trichomes are attached to cannabis so if you observe a white powdery dust this is more likely to be mildew.

While trichomes can come off as kief they are still attach to cannabis buds and area also likely to be filled with sticky resin so a dry white power could be mildew.

Lastly, Instead of a clean, nature, pure taste from trichomes, moldy weed may have a undesirable damp or stale smell.

How to cure moldy weed?

Mold on your cannabis is every planter’s worst nightmare. Often irreparable, especially when it has spread all throughout the flower.

In the event that mold occurs, sometimes natural or chemical-based fungicides (propolis or bee glue, bordo mix) can be utilized to eliminate mold spores after all visual signs have been removed.

However, If the situation gets out of hand, though, it is best to cut the crop and start again in a clean environment.

If your stored dried cannabis gets moldy, discard it right away! Decarboxylation does not kill mold in weed, and mycotoxins don’t just go away.

Moldy weed might be suitable for extraction into cannabinoid isolates in some situations, but professional equipment is required to avoid further contamination.

Can you smoke moldy weed?

Don't ever smoke any infected plant/bud! You could be very ill.

Mold carries harmful bacteria. When inhaled, this bacteria can cause havoc on your respiratory system, which can result in adverse health problems.

What happens if you smoke moldy weed?

Smoking moldy cannabis could mean inhaling millions of microscopic particles of fungi, which in turn can lead to a range of health issues from mild discomfort like sinus pain to very serious and acute respiratory distress.

Sufferers may experience cause respiratory problems include difficulty breathing, chest tightness, coughing, wheezing, allergies, and even systemic fungal infections, particularly in those with weakened immune systems.

How Mold Develops on Cannabis Plants?

Mold is a kind of fungus that reproduces via airborne spores and can develop on cannabis plants at any stage of cultivation or storage.

The three most common kinds of mold that you'd find on marijuana buds include Botrytis or gray mold, powdery mildew and Aspergillus.

Botrytis (Bud Rot): Botrytis cinerea, better known as bud rot, shows up as a gray or brownish mold creeping into the snug spaces of cannabis buds from the inside out.

The initial hint may be leaves turning yellow seemingly overnight, with the bud inside displaying signs of decay when examined closely.

Powdery Mildew: Powdery mildew presents as a white, powdery coating on the surface of leaves, stems, and sometimes buds.

Unlike bud rot, which destroys the cannabis from within, powdery mildew spreads across the exterior. It almost looks like the plant has been dusted with flour or powdered sugar.

Aspergillus: Aspergillus is a type of mold that can create aflatoxins, known to be highly carcinogenic.

This mold appears as a dense matte of white or yellow spores on cannabis and can quickly spread to cover large areas under the right conditions.

In addition, Cladosporium, Cryptococcus, Mucor, Penicillium, and Rhizopus can affect cannabis plants too.

Moist environments with poor ventilation are especially likely to lead to mold development.

Once developed, mold can throw off your weed flavor profile, reduce the potency, and even let off carcinogenic mycotoxins when smoked.

How to prevent mold when planting and storing weed?

When it comes to mold on cannabis, prevention is often the most critical step.

From control the humidity levels during cultivation to proper storage techniques, Prevention can protect your health and ensure your weed harvest.

1. Maintain Proper Humidity Levels

Growing cannabis indoors allows for better control over the growing environment and helps prevent mold on green herbs.

Use a dehumidifier and a hygrometer to keep the relative humidity (RH) between 40-60% during the vegetative stage, and reduce it to around 30-40% during the flowering stage to minimize the risk of mold growth.

2. Avoid Overwatering

Overwatering can lead to excessive moisture in the soil, creating a breeding ground for mold.

Ensure proper drainage in green herbs using well-draining soil or growing mediums, also maintain adequate spacing between plants.

3. Ensure Good Air Circulation

Use a fan or air conditioning to ensure air circulation throughout the grow room.

Proper ventilation prevents moisture buildup and brings fresh air into the growing area, which is crucial for avoiding mold on weed.

4. Control Temperature

During the day, use LED grow lights to maintain the grow room temperature between 70-85°F (21-29°C), with slightly lower temperatures at night.

Avoid high temperatures and significant temperature fluctuations to effectively prevent mold in cannabis plants.

5. Proper Storage

Mold not only occurs during cultivation but also during storage.

When storing cannabis, it’s essential to store it in a dry, cool, dark environment to reduce the risk of mold as well as other issues.

The ideal temperature for storing cannabis is in between 60℉ and 68℉, while the best target humidity is between 59% and 64%.

Store your flower in an airtight container that is made of glass. Ideally, choose dark glass or cover the outside of the container to prevent light from entering.

Additionally, add in a few desiccants such as silica gel to keep the humidity levels under control over time.

Regularly check your green herbs for signs of mold. Only remove it from its container to consume it. Quickly replace whatever flower you did not use and reseal the container.

Always handle green herbs with clean, dry hands or gloves to avoid introducing contaminants that could lead to mold growth.

Conclusion

Moldy cannabis often has an unpleasant taste and smell, and consuming it can lead to harsh, unenjoyable effects, potentially leading to lung infections or health issues.

Prioritize health by checking for mold before buying or consuming, storing properly, and tossing anything that doesn’t seem quite right. This is especially true if you have a chronic lung condition, like asthma, or a compromised immune system.

Luckily, Moldy weed has a distinct appearance that is easy to recognize. Mold usually looks White, gray, green, or black fuzzy and branchy, you can spot the difference upon closer visual inspection.

It is best to smoke only cannabis that has been sufficiently cured and stored in an appropriate manner in order to minimize the risk of these effects.