Solutions for mold mitigation.
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Using a zero residual disinfectant is key. I prefer h2o2 and paa(zerotol 2.0)because it’s a very high level sanitizer that breaks down into oxygen and water. Mixing a non ionic surfactant like coco wet is also advised so you can “touch” the stem. Increasing airflow will prevent it from coming back, utilizing straws works great to help hold open colas.
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From what I’m hearing/seeing, growers are making use of BioSulphur by Koppert and organic growers are using Labs. If I can, I try and avoid any ipm, I honestly dont like spraying foliars. I only tend to make use of foliars for nutrient imbalances.
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I typically just air out the potential problems. I sometimes remove a few nugs from the part of the kola that doesn’t breath. I also use popsicle sticks to open up areas.
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I’ve always been interested in your use of the stake method with the plastic ribbon that you normally rotate to spread and manoeuvre the branches, where did you pick that up? So you also don’t really foliar ipm etc? If I do find a suspect nug/cola I will also just remove that area to prevent further spread deterioration. It happens to the best of them, density and moisture can sometimes work against you!
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Some flowers in some environments are simply going to get it. It’s about developing an eye and good feel. That’s why I remove nugs. I know they have very little chance to make it. Especially outdoor. We’re doing massive pheno hunts in Massachusetts, where we test every plant for spore count. That’ll help us know which varieties are more prone as well as select more resistant cuts in the hunt. I find Lemon terps are often associated with higher likelihood of mold/fungus.
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Yeah exactly that, like you say, some are more prone to get it than others, as long as you have a sharp eye and act fast when it’s detected. Very interesting on the spore testing, keen to see the results of that! Must be honest growing outdoor here back in the day I can’t recall seeing pm/mold that often, but in fairness majority were all local bag seed and probably already acclimatised to growing in this region/climate. I might not even have known I had it as I was still learning, who knows? 
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Apparently pm doesn’t like ph above 8 so high alkalinity. I’ve also seen growers just foliar with high alkaline water, not to sure on the results though? 
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I’ve seen a lot of South American growers do foliar sprays of bacillus subtilis for botrytis. I remember reading a study from UVM a few years ago that said it was the most effective biocontrol for botrytis. I am also personally curious if salicylic acid is viable for large scale, I’ve seen it suggested for tissue culture endophytes including botrytis.
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For indoor growers, keeping humidity low during late flower with dehumidification is a great way to curb worry about bud rot before it becomes a factor in the first place. Dense, thick buds are the first to fall victim due to the fact that they contain so much localized moisture. If that moisture isn’t wicked away via low humidity conditions, it just sits there due to lack of airflow capabilities through thick, dense buds…and that forms the perfect conditions for mold to start.
Keeping your grow area free of debris that can rot and add mold spores to your local air is another good tip. Add on top of that air purification to catch any potential molds, mildews, and other nasty air impurities in the area, and you will have a pretty healthy environment for your big bud plants.
As an added bonus, buds tend to frost up and get more colorful when they are met with low humidity conditions during late flower, as they think winter is coming and that death is imminent. This causes them to attempt to protect themselves by way of producing extra oils to help ensure that they can make it through seed production before winter kills it (seeds that it doesn’t know won’t be coming lol).
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