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May, 5 2023

Protecting Cannabis Growth

ELIMINATING ASPERGILLUS & POWDERY MILDEW

Aspergillus is a type of saprophytic fungus that plays a role in removing carbon from the atmosphere. However, it can pose severe health risks to immunocompromised individuals. This presents a significant danger to patients who consume medicinal cannabis by smoking and inhaling through combustion, as the spores are not eliminated by the low burning temperatures.

PROJECT SCOPE

Products Used: SteraPak, BIT Solution

Use Site: Pre-harvest cannabis plant stocks

Summary: Aspergillus mold impacted cannabis yields, requiring a spray that directly eliminates the fungus without affecting the quality.

Dark Horse Genetics needed a solution to a mold problem in their grow facility was needed after a failed Aspergillus and powdery mildew test. A solution was required for the cannabis that did not pass the testing stage. The solution needed to be a spray that would not compromise the cannabis’ strength or usability, as it had already undergone the drying and curing process. The research was a two-phase process. It needed to be determined if SteraMist was a solution to remediate the Aspergillus and powdery mildew in the infected plants. The second phase of the research was to determine if iHP technology was a viable solution for the prevention of those two spores in a commercial cannabis cultivation environment.

MEETING THE NEED

Through cooperation with a TOMI-preferred partner, the prevention study spanned four months and was initiated with the treatment of grow rooms, hallways, and common areas using the SteraMist SteraPak. SteraMist was administered to the plant stocks, also referred to as mother plants, and subsequently to new clones after a week. After four weeks, the same clones, now in their teenage phase, were subjected to another round of SteraMist treatment, followed by another round after another four weeks. When the plants had entered the flowering stage, they were treated with SteraMist twice – one spray one month into the flowering phase and another one month before the harvest. The plants were then collected, dried, cured, and forwarded to a third party for testing, which they successfully passed for both powdery mildew and Aspergillus. The other cultivation rooms, used as controls and not treated, failed the lab tests. Subsequently, the affected group was treated with SteraMist and retested, successfully passing the tests.

THE FUTURE OF STERAMIST IN THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY

The cannabis industry has been seeking a consistent solution to prevent spores at every stage of the growing process. This research demonstrates that SteraMist meets this requirement and provides growers with an all-encompassing disinfectant to safeguard their grow, thus fulfilling a long-standing need.

“With testing standards as one of the biggest pitfalls for commercial growing, incorporating SteraMist into our grow practices greatly reduced microbial failure rates.” -Jason Holck, Dark Horse Genetics