Weed Grow Guide by Royal Queen Seeds

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Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

[email protected]


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

  • First and last name
  • Home and billing address
  • Telephone number
  • Gender
  • IP address
  • Email address
  • Date of birth

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

  • First & last name
  • Gender

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

  • Email address

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: [email protected].

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to [email protected].

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO:

  • Revoke the consent you have granted;
  • Access personal data;
  • Rectify personal data;
  • Delete personal data;
  • File a complaint or a writ for the protection of your rights before the Spanish Data Protection Agency;
  • Be notified of any security incident that may affect your rights;
  • Limitation of processing;
  • Portability.
By Luke Sumpter

Pythium species are a big threat to cannabis plant health. When conditions are right, these strange parasitic organisms strike the roots of plants, causing rotting in this key anatomical location.

Sometimes, raising a strong and healthy flowering cannabis plant from a seedling seems effortless. Other times, things don’t go to plan. A range of factors can cause challenges to arise, including biotic stressors such as pest infestations and pathogens. The latter are particularly threatening, especially those that go undetected in the subterranean domain of the rhizosphere.

Despite having a two-branched innate immune system capable of neutralising some pathogens, and an entourage of beneficial microbes to help fight off the bad guys, cannabis plants still often fall prey to diseases. Among these microbial foes, Pythium species rank as some of the most destructive root pathogens. Neither a fungus nor a bacterium, members of this genus belong to the phylum Oomycota—fungi-like organisms that differ in their sexual reproduction, cell well composition, and genetic components.

These pathogens cause a range of symptoms, including “damping off”, which affects seedlings and can end a grow before it even gets started. Below, you'll learn everything you need to know about Pythium, how to deal with it when it strikes, and how to prevent it from infecting plants in the first place.


What Is Pythium (Root Rot)?

Members of the Pythium genus are plant pathogens that wreak havoc in agricultural settings, from large field operations to small home setups. Researchers have identified over 100 species within the genus. Originally considered fungal pathogens, scientists eventually categorised Pythium as parasitic Oomycetes due to genetic, sexual, and structural differences.

Pythium species exist in the soil as fungi-like mycelial networks that possess both sexual and asexual structures. From here, they produce two types of spores that go on to affect plants: zoospores and oospores. Sexual reproduction leads to the creation of oospores. These thick-walled spores can directly infect plants, or form a vesicle that they flood with cytoplasm. Eventually, the vesicle fills with zoospores equipped with flagellum—small tails that they use to propel themselves through standing water and saturated soil. Zoospores are created asexually in structures called sporangium.

What is Pythium

Upon release, swimming zoospores are attracted to the sugary exudates that plant roots release into the soil to attract beneficial microbes. After following the trail, they attach themselves near the tip of the roots and form a hard cell wall. From here, they release a thread-like structure known as a hypha, which uses enzymes to bust through the cell walls of epidermal root cells.

The hyphae start to branch out and colonise the cells of the root cortex (the outer layer of cells), eventually causing this structure to become unstable and collapse. The root cortex holds the vital root hairs that plants use to uptake water and nutrients, which means Pythium-infected plants are cut off from the resources they need to survive. Pythium species also cause lesions that other root pathogens use as a point of entry.

What Causes Pythium Infection?

As opportunistic water molds, Pythium species cause root rot when environmental factors allow them to gain a foothold. They strike when plants are weakened or damaged, which also means plant immunity and vitality are compromised.

Overwatering creates an ideal anaerobic environment for Pythium species to thrive. Saturated soil allows zoospores to easily move around and trace exudates to plant roots. A lack of oxygen in the root zone can also suffocate roots, causing cell death and easier entry for zoospores. Excess water can also attract pests, such as fungus gnats, that will attack and weaken the root cortex.

The ultimate cause of root rot from Pythium is the introduction of the pathogen into a growing space. Outdoors, plants are much more likely to encounter this pathogen. Indoors, growers can take steps to keep plants isolated. Pythium species can make their way into a growing space via infected plants, contaminated equipment, or clothes.

Can Root Rot Spread to Other Cannabis Plants?

Yes. Pythium species have several effective means of ensuring their survival as parasites. First, after conquering the root cortex of one plant, they will continue to obtain resources and reproduce both sexually and asexually. The continued release of increasing amounts of zoospores sees progeny venture out into the soil in search of other exudate sources.

The sexual production of oospores also leaves long-term genetic deposits in the soil; these structures lay dormant in the winter, ready to strike young seedlings the following spring. Pythium zoospores and oospores can spread through several vectors, including hydroponic solutions and contaminated soil.

What Pythium (Root Rot) Looks Like

Rot induced by Pythium manifests in several obvious ways. Keep an eye out for these key root rot symptoms:

🟡 Root color: Roots appear darker in color. Rather than the usual white, they’ll take on shades of beige, yellow, and brown.

🌫️ Root texture: Plant roots are relatively firm. Following root rot, they’ll become soft, mushy, and sticky due to the structural changes resulting from root cortex damage.

🦨 Root smell: Pythium infections often take place in anaerobic conditions. Because of this, both the rotten roots and growing medium will emit an unpleasant odour.

🥀 Damping off: Young seedlings will rapidly lose vitality and completely collapse not long after shoots emerge from the soil.

📉 Stunting: You’ll notice older, more established plants start to underperform. Their rate of growth will slow down considerably.

🕸️ Crown rot: You’ll notice browning at the top of the roots and the lower portion of the main stem as the pathogen starts to infect cells higher up the plant.

🍂 Chlorosis: Due to compromised nitrogen uptake following root cortex damage, fan leaves will start to become yellow.

Pythium Affected Plants

Can Root Rot Be Reversed?

No cure for Pythium root rot exists at this time. However, you shouldn’t just let your plant die and give up without investigating further. Securing a diagnosis will help you plan ahead in more ways than one.

If you grow outdoors directly in the ground, you’ll need to make sure you avoid the same patch next year. Growing in the same soil shortly afterward will result in the same outcome.

If you breed cannabis, look out for plants that display resistance to the infection. Taking a cutting and growing it in an isolated spot could mean securing some highly resistant genetics.

How to Treat Pythium (Root Rot)

You can’t treat weed plants infected with Pythium. Unfortunately, you’ll need to cull any affected specimens immediately to minimise pathogenic spread to other areas of your garden or growing space. If you can, throw them onto a fire; placing them into your compost bin could contaminate your crop with oospores next season.

Though you can’t treat your plants, you can treat your growing medium. There are several chemical options growers can use to get the job done. If, however, you prefer to keep things organic, below are some steps you can take.

  1. First, remove any plants from the area and burn them. Avoid planting anything in the area for a couple of seasons; you don’t want to provide latent oospores with a food source.
  2. Next, brew up a strong batch of compost tea. Early research suggests that both aerated and non-aerated compost tea can help to inhibit the mycelial growth of certain Pythium species. These preparations use inoculants to rapidly produce large numbers of beneficial microbes, including fungi, bacteria, protozoa, and nematodes. Upon application, these organisms increase the biodiversity in the soil and compete with pathogens.
  3. Apply liberally during spring and fall over the next couple of seasons to rebalance the soil microbiome in affected cultivation areas.

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Root Rot and Hydroponic Systems

Fortunately, hydroponic systems are much easier to clean than patches of soil out in the garden. If your hydro plants exhibit signs of cannabis stem rot and unhealthy root browning, you can simply scrub everything down and start from square one. Pour all of the nutrient solution in your system directly down a drain; avoid pouring it into your garden.

Whip up a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution, and wipe down the inside of your grow tent and your entire hydroponics system with a soft sponge. Cover every square inch of your reservoir and any external grow trays. Dunk smaller pipes into buckets containing the solution, and replace any components that are too small or tricky to clean thoroughly.

How to Prevent Pythium (Root Rot)

There are several ways growers can go about preventing Pythium from gaining a foothold in the garden or grow room. None of these are magic bullets, but they can significantly minimise the chances of an infestation. These strategies include:

  • Symbiotic fungi: Species of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi fuse to cannabis plant roots and form a symbiotic relationship. They help to obtain nutrients and water for plants, and receive exudates in return. These organisms may also help to defend against certain Pythium species[1]. Apply spores or propagules when sowing seeds or transplanting seedlings.
  • Trichoderma: Members of this genus of soil fungi can help to fight off Pythium species in the root zone. Apply Trichoderma to seeds and as a soil amendment to reduce the chances of infection.
  • Proper watering: To reduce the chances of root rot, you need to learn how to water cannabis plants properly. Wait until the top inch of the growing medium becomes completely dry before watering again. Maintaining a proper wet–dry cycle will help to avoid the anaerobic conditions that drive infection.
  • Optimal dissolved oxygen (hydroponics): Reduced dissolved oxygen in a hydroponics system can increase the chances of cannabis root rot. To increase dissolved oxygen content, use techniques such as fluming and electrolysis.
  • General hygiene: Don’t help Pythium species get established in the first place. To avoid acting as a transmission vector, clean your equipment and change out dirty clothes before entering your growing space. Dedicate growing gear specifically to indoor or outdoor plants; never bring dirty containers and watering cans into your grow tent, or vice versa.
  • Restructure your soil: Create a growing medium with adequate drainage and aeration by adding organic matter, high-quality compost, perlite, and small amounts of sand.

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Will Pythium Go Away on Its Own?

No. You should take an active approach to purge Pythium and prevent root rot in the future. Indoor hydroponic growers have the advantage here, as they can simply clean and disinfect their grow space and cultivation gear.

Outdoors, you’ll need to play the long game. These steps should help to remediate your soil over time:

  1. Burn all infected plant material.
  2. Do not plant in the affected spot next season.
  3. Dig organic matter, sand, and perlite into the medium to increase aeration.
  4. Apply liberal quantities of aerated and non-aerated compost tea to the site.
  5. After 1–2 seasons, apply Trichoderma and arbuscular mycorrhizal spores to seedlings before transplanting.

Even if you find yourself facing cannabis pathogens, you should still look on the bright side! Dealing with Pythium once will force you to learn more about soil biology and ultimately become a wiser and more prepared cannabis grower in the long run.

External Resources:
  1. Effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on Pythium aphanidermatum causing foot rot disease on pawpaw (Carica papaya L.) seedlings https://www.tandfonline.com
Disclaimer:
This content is for educational purposes only. The information provided is derived from research gathered from external sources.

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