Nothing can be more buzz-killing than moldy weed. While marijuana boasts a robust safety profile with no deadly overdoses on record, smoking moldy weed can cause severe risks to human health. There’s a typical misconception that mold can be reserved for infinity. However, the reality is, like any other perishable, weed can also become a victim of fungi attack. 

Though this information may look scary, ideally, there’s nothing to panic about as long as you are adequately careful. It’s just that you need to know how to identify moldy weeds so that you can save your favorite flowers from those toxic fungi. 

When it’s about spotting mold on ancient cottage cheese or a loaf of bread, the job is indeed pretty much straightforward. You know that when your food looks wigged and turns greenish, it has accumulated mold. However, the job may become much more complex when it comes to weed. 

Moldy buds typically boast a grayish-white coating; the challenge is that the coating is pretty much identical to the vital trichomes – the sticky and crystalline glands found on cannabis leaves and buds. This is where you need to be a little more observant. Here are a few realistic ways to detect moldy weed:

Just like best vape juices, even molds have different categories, and when it’s cannabis, the most common categories are white fuzzy mold or sclerotinia, botrytis or bud rot, and powdery mildew. 

The powdery mildew fungi are the most widespread plant diseases. These obligate biotrophic plant pathogens can thrive and reproduce on leaving host cells and infect different plants, including marijuana. As the name suggests, powdery mildew looks like circular and powdery white spots. 

Botrytis, on the other hand, maintains a confident contact with plant leaves as their spores float in the air. They look silvery gray with a fussy covering made of innumerable grape-like clusters of spores.  A fuzzy white mold or white mold is a pathogen responsible for crown, stem, and root rot. 

Mold is macroscopic; hence you can see them with your naked eyes. You can easily identify them by their cotton-like mycelium. Each of the three types of mold mentioned above shares a common area of difference with trichomes. None of them is as shimmery as trichomes. Besides, they lack the ethereal effect of trichomes. 

Weed mold is typically more powdery. Besides, they leave dark spots on your green buds. Furthermore, mold can include a few common signs that include yellow fuss, slime, gray fuss, and cobweb-like material. When you notice any of these visual signs on your stuff, you should consider it moldy. 

Healthy and properly cured greens are crispy and dry. If you suddenly feel that your stuff has turned spongy and wet, there is a high chance that it has caught mold. 

Typically, weed exhibits an array of aromas, including berry fruit, skunk, diesel fuel, earthy, etc. However, they never smell like urine or sweat. Because of trichomes, they get their aroma; however, that natural aroma is not pungent. So, if you feel that your greens are smelling unusual, they have probably turned mold. 

If you are not convinced with the abovementioned checks, you can take the inspection further and look closely at your stuff. It’s worth keeping note of the fact that here ‘closely’ should be taken literally. Get a microscope or a magnifying glass to look deeper at the surface of your cannabis flowers or leaves. 

The structure of molds is noteworthily different from any other part of the pot plant. If anything extraordinary emerges, it may be mold. 

Finally, for the ultimate confirmation, you can consider checking the grower’s website or media outlets for recalls regarding cannabis mold. While this check is inaccurate because of several unreported issues, it can still help you know if the crop was large enough or has been shipped to different locations. The larger the crop is and the more location it has traveled before reaching you, the higher the chances of mold accumulation. 

Moldy weeds cannot kill you; smoking them is not safe, though. Moldy weed can cause negative health effects for just about anyone – medical consumers or aficionados. It may sound surprising, but mold spores can thrive in adverse environmental conditions, including being burned. 

They can even survive in the damp environment inside the human body. Therefore, you must look for legit weed suppliers, you can also buy weed online legally from a reputable vendor to ensure premium quality product. 

You can develop a serious lung infection when your immune system doesn’t respond well to this match. In addition, the mycotoxins and endotoxins compound of moldy weed can also make you sick. 

Mycotoxins are compounds that stick to the outside of mold spores. They can damage your health severely, and the risk elevates for those who expose themselves consistently to these toxins. 

Endotoxins, on the other hand, are molecules released from dead bacteria. Usually, endotoxins and molds go hand-in-hand. This makes the entire exposure superficially agitating. Endotoxins can worsen the symptoms of asthma. Besides, they act as the primary contributors to lung irritation. 

If you accidentally inhale a batch of endotoxins and mycotoxins together, you can suffer vigorous inflammation. Chronic exposures trigger autoimmune conditions, creating room for complicated infections. In the rarest yet worst scenarios, these infections can turn into pneumonia and spread to the other parts of the body, making you severely sick. 

When you smoke moldy weed, you can experience symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and coughing, which are not dangerous but unpleasant. On the other hand, if you suffer from a mold allergy, smoking moldy weed can leave you with symptoms like drainage, sinus pain, wheezing, and congestion. 

You should also be aware of the fact that fungi like mucor, cryptococcus, and aspergillus may result in deadly infections in the central nervous system. They can even cause brain infections in people suffering from compromised immune systems or immunodeficiency disorders. 

When you inhale moldy cannabis, you can experience the following symptoms: 

There are a few factors that ignite mold growth in weeds. Knowing them may help you avoid the scopes of mold growth. 

Molds are different; they don’t feel exhausted or suffocated when the airflow is limited. Due to this reason, in outdoor grow operations, with enough airflow, molds can be kept at bay. 

On the other hand, while growing them indoors, growers install fans for flawless air circulation. However, the challenge emerges when it comes to storing. You may get an airtight container, lock your stuff, and then simply forget it; this is what invites molds. 

Therefore, while storing, make sure you crack the lid or open the bag at least once daily so that you can replace the stale oxygen with new. 

Molds need oxygen to thrive. Therefore, you should always keep your stuff in airtight containers to limit the oxygen flow. It’s impossible to vacuum-seal your stuff. Thus, instead of paying too much attention to this factor, take care of other factors contributing to mold growth to minimize the accumulation. 

Moisture works as one of the primary contributors to mold growth. Whenever the humidity around your pot goes over 63%, it starts to accumulate mold. Therefore, always store your stuff in a dry and dark location to minimize the chances of mold growth. 

While light is not essential for mold growth, storing your stuff in a dark place is still recommended. Sounds contradictory? Well – while you can easily control the ambient temperature of the space where you store your stuff, you can hardly control the temperature inside the containers. 

When you expose your weed container to light, it eventually raises the temperature inside the container by several degrees and turns it into an ideal mold-growing zone. Therefore, if your collection is not extraordinarily updated with high-tech temperature control storage, always store your greens in a dark place that is not exposed to direct sunlight.

Ideally, when you spot mold on your stuff, you should get rid of it immediately. It’s always a wise idea to avoid smoking moldy weed. However, if you are desperate to recover the plant matter for medicinal or recreational use, you can do the following:

You can understand the process of decarboxylation by breaking the term into its constituent parts. The first part, “de-,” typically refers to removal. The second term, “carboxy.” refers to the acid radical group COOH, which is found in almost every living substance. 

The third term, “-ation,” is a suffix that enhances an action. Now, by putting this together, you can get your answer – “the action of removing the carboxyl group” from your stuff is what you call decarboxylation. 

Decarboxylation is typically used for enhancing the efficiency and potency of pot. The process removes the acidic content from the THC molecule of cannabis, which in turn enhances its potency and psychoactive effects. 

Since molds can’t withstand temperatures above 140 degrees Fahrenheit, you can bake your stuff in a microwave (at 230 degrees Fahrenheit) for half an hour. This may inactivate the accumulation. However, it’s worth remembering that you won’t be able to smoke your buds after decarboxylating. You can use plant matter by making edibles or concentrates. 

If you are not very much convinced about decarboxylation, you may take your mold removal venture further by turning your greens into concentrates. While making concentrates, you will probably add alcohol or butane, which kills most of the molds. 

This works particularly with dabs. You can load your moldy dabs in a dab rig with a water filter. It’s said that liquid may filter out around 20% of the mold. Therefore, after running your moldy greens through decarb and then making an extract with it, you can probably inhale its vapor through a water filter. 

This should typically remove mold from your plant, helping you vape safely. However, the facts still remain the same – there is no 100% full-proof way to remove mold from your stuff; hence, there is no holistically safe way to use moldy weed. Therefore, you should always avoid moldy weeds. You can use them as compost for sustainable recycling.

You should always store cannabis appropriately to save it from molds. The hard fact is that mold spores are almost everywhere. Once, researchers at NASA tried growing some plants in space, and guess what – even some of them got molding. 

This makes it pretty hard to detect a way to avoid the presence of mold spores. Therefore, instead of molds, it’s always wise to avoid the environments that are ideal for mold growth. When you expose your cannabis to the wrong humidity, temperature, oxygen, or light, it can lead to mold accumulation. Following are some efficient tricks that can help you save your greens from mold:

When it comes to keeping your stuff mold-free, you should always use glass jars that come with airtight seals. Glass containers typically prevent exposure to moisture and oxygen, which keeps molds at bay. You can even find glass jars at dispensaries specifically meant for storing things in a mold preventive way. 

You can store your cannabis the best at a relative humidity of 50 to 60%. If it goes higher than 63%, chances are high that your pot will grow mold by locking moisture. You can add a humidity pack to your container to prevent humidity and moisture accumulation. 

Humidity pack refers to the little packets that contain a blend of water and salt. This mixture efficiently helps control the humidity in your container. These won’t cost you a lot. Moreover, you can use them consistently for a few months. If you are looking for something classy, you can turn to humidors. However, they may be a little costly. 

Both moisture and direct sunlight can turn your weed moldy. Your pot can heat up when it comes to sun exposure and may hold moisture. In addition, a damp environment may also contribute to moisture accumulation. These two factors eventually contribute to mold growth. Therefore, you should always keep your containers in a dry and dark place, like a cabinet or closet, to minimize the chances of mold growth. 

Yes, probably if it comes from a THC-dominant cannabis plant. When you smoke weed sourced from CBD-dominant cannabis plants, you won’t get the expected high (like taking to the moon thing) because it won’t create as psychedelic effects as THC. Apart from that, there are a few more factors that determine if you will get high from moldy greens or not. They include the following:

However, be it getting high or reaping the therapeutic benefits of marijuana, you should always avoid moldy weed. Remember, the volume of mold you see is just a glance. You can just notice the green, purple, or blue splotches. 

However, the extensive spread throughout the loaf typically goes unnoticed. Therefore, just cutting off the surface discoloration is also not a viable alternative. 

Thus, forget about the high and focus more on the inconveniences you may experience after inhaling or consuming unhealthy stuff. 

When you get your greens delivered, and its freshness spellbound you, go for preserving it. Remember, when you pay extra attention to the freshness of the pot and invest your best efforts to keep that freshness intact, you naturally find a way to prevent mold. Here are a few tips that you can follow:

You may come across suggestions asking you to add fruit peels to your weed while storing it, as it will add to its aroma. It’s always wise to avoid such suggestions. Adding fruit peels or flower petals to your stuff may add additional moisture, creating room for mold and mildew. 

Protip: Keeping your weed in aromatic substances like aftershaves, polish, shaving cream, cologne, perfume, deodorants, etc., will lead to a tainted aroma. 

Whenever you come across a recommendation like – “store in a cool place,” you may probably rush to keep it in your refrigerator. Avoid doing this with weed. A refrigerator may be cool, but the environment inside is humid.

 Besides, opening and closing the fridge door frequently also enhances the chances of moisture exposure. Similarly, you shouldn’t keep your munchies in the freezer as apart from moisture exposure, the ice breaks trichome raising heads, making your weed stiff, stale, and flavorless. 

If you really want to prevent moldy weed, don’t store them in plastic baggies. Contrary to popular belief, plastic bags don’t play any role when it comes to keeping the moisture, air, light, or cold at bay. 

Moreover, plastic has a static charge that removes the plant matter’s trichomes. This eventually creates a sticky and powdery mess that you won’t be able to clear even after a hundred trials. 

When it comes to sealable plastic bags, things may turn even more daunting. Due to their sealability, such bags will pack both the good and bad smells together, and it’s a sure thing that you won’t like this unusual blend much. 

When it comes to storing, you should always keep different strains of marijuana separately. This will not only help prevent mold spread from one strain to another, but it will effectively preserve the strains’ unique aromas. It’s also worth knowing that some mold strains are more preventive than others. 

While one can easily accumulate the contamination, the other may stay fresh and healthy for a long time. However, storing them together may induce mold spread in all your stuff. 

When you leave your stuff in open spaces like countertops or tables, they may turn moldy. This happens because of the humidity, heat, and light exposure. Apart from mold accumulation, leaving your stuff uncovered may severely affect its aroma, resulting in a stale stoning experience. 

Mold doesn’t only bother the consumers, but it also affects the growers. Detecting mold early while growing weeds is extremely important to save the crop. While you have to terminate the infected plants, you can save others by taking rapid action.

 To prevent mold spread in your plants, you can consider getting a microscope, as it can effectively help you spot mold accumulation in the early stage. However, it’s also recommended to consider the best seed banks to get good quality weed seeds.  

When your buds are already covered, you will probably have no other alternative than uprooting the plant because the spores have probably been released, and the infection has spread throughout the plant. Apart from inspection, you should also equip yourself with a rudimentary understanding of humidity, growing conditions, and temperature. 

Finally, you should also remember that it’s not only the harvesting stage that requires you to be alert to molds. Weed is susceptible to these organisms through the cutting, drying, and trimming process. 

When it comes to weed, the only time that lets you be sure of the fact that your stuff is mold-free is when you smoke it. Therefore, keep an eye on and follow the preemptive measures to minimize the chances of mold spreading in your beloved plants. 

Hope this helps! Remember that even the highest quality stuff can turn moldy when you miss following the preventive measures. Therefore, be mindful so that mold doesn’t obstruct your stoning experience.