Dealing with Botrytis

Botrytis is the bane of all outdoor gardeners! Often unseen, it tends to form close to the stem inside of the flowers and goes unnoticed until it’s too late. Signs of the Fungus include browning of the flower, calyx or small leaves located within the fruit. At this point you need to cut and remove the infected areas, being careful not to release the spores onto the rest of the garden. Covering the flower in a zip-lock bag before cutting can help contain the spores. It’s important to understand that the Fungal spores may still be present without any visual indication, so when harvesting include dehumidifiers and any other air purifiers that you can. This will limit spreading during the drying process. As a final measure, some customers mix a Hydrogen peroxide bath and sterilize their product during harvest. There is plenty of information online about this method but Monster Gardens does not recommend going the route.