Tobacco Mosaic Virus ain’t messing with my green – Keep yo’ cannabis plants safe

Yo, what’s good growers? It’s Dan here and today we’re talking about Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) and how to protect your cannabis plants.

First things first, let’s break it down. TMV is a virus that affects tobacco plants, but it can also mess with other plants, including our beloved cannabis. Now, it won’t hurt you, but it can totally wreck your crop by deforming your plants and lowering your yields. And listen up, there ain’t no cure for this bad boy. So, let me give you the lowdown on how to spot TMV and what to do if you find out your plants are infected.

Alright, so TMV ain’t nothing new. It’s been around for a minute and was the first plant virus ever discovered. The virus leaves splotchy and twisted leaves behind that create a weird mosaic pattern. It can also slow the growth of your plants and lower your yields. Not cool, right? But here’s the real kicker – TMV has spread to other plants like tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, spinach, and even marigolds. Oh yeah, and did I mention that cannabis is susceptible too? That’s why we need to be vigilant.

So how do you know if your plants have been infected with TMV? Well, there are some pretty obvious visual cues. Leaves will be twisted in ways that aren’t natural to the plant and they’ll have yellow stripes, spots, or a weird mottled pattern. These symptoms can be observed on several leaves or just a few. Some plants are just carriers and never display symptoms themselves. If the affected plant is partly in the shade it’s easier to see the leaf mottling.

Other symptoms include:

– Strange leaf colour: Brown leaves with “burnt” edges, pale or yellow stripes in old and new growth, and dark purple or black patches are one sign. So is the yellowing of the leaves between the veins.

– Stagnation in growth: Both old and new growth can be affected by TMV. If your plant appears not to be growing as it should be, it could be that TMV is slowing it down. Wilting is another possible sign of TMV infection, as is slowed root spread.

– Abnormal growth: Leaves grow in a strange, twisted pattern. They also appear webbed, curling under or upwards in odd ways.

– Strange stems: The stems can be either significantly weakened or appear in strange colours like red or purple.

– Anaemic buds: Your buds will not get nice and fat but will stay small.

Now for the bad news – there is no cure for TMV. Once your plant is infected it’s infected for life. That means your main goal is to find the infected plants and remove them from your grow ASAP. TMV appears to spread via contact and can live for a long time in a grow room on pollen and seeds, grow room equipment, carpets, soil, and dead plant matter. That’s why it’s essential to immediately quarantine and remove any plant you suspect is infected pronto! Be sure to fully sanitize all grow room surfaces of any TMV traces before starting your next grow cycle.

Listen up smokers! If you smoke cannabis or tobacco there’s a chance you could be carrying the virus on your hands which could infect your plants. Always wash your hands before coming into contact with any plants!

So there you go fam – keep an eye out for those visual cues of TMV and if you spot something off with your plants remove them from the grow room immediately! Ain’t nobody got time for a messed up crop! Peace!