# Brown, mushy or grey tissue inside buds: likely causes and fixes

> Brown, mushy or grey tissue inside buds on cannabis is most often Botrytis bud rot (grey mould) or Caterpillars and budworms. How to tell them apart, the fix for each and what recovery looks like.

Also called: bud rot, rotten buds, mushy bud, grey inside bud, brown inside the cola.

Run the checker with this sign: https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/diagnose/?at=buds&s=bud-brown-inside

## Likely causes, most likely first

### Botrytis bud rot (grey mould) (Possible)

- Kind: Disease; urgency: Act now
- Fix: Act now. Bag infected buds before cutting them out, 3-5 cm (1-2 in) past visible rot, and clean tools; never shake them. Drop RH to about 40-50% in late flower, control the lights-off dew point, move air through dense colas. There is no cure in flower; consider harvesting early if it keeps spreading.
- Recovery: No new rot on weekly cola checks for 2 weeks.
- Confirm: Open the densest colas: In flower, gently spread the largest, densest colas at the base and look for brown, mushy or grey tissue around the stem, a single wilted sugar leaf that pulls out easily, frass or caterpillars. Check 5-10 colas per plant each week from mid-flower, more when RH is high. Bag any rot before removing it.
- Confirm: Check temperature and RH at canopy height with a calibrated sensor: Put a calibrated sensor (salt test: a sealed bag with damp table salt reads 75% RH after 8-12 hours) at canopy height, out of direct light, and log for 24 hours including lights-off. Look for lights-off RH spikes and dew point.
- Article: [Botrytis (bud rot / grey mould) in cannabis](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/diseases/botrytis-bud-rot.md)

### Caterpillars and budworms (Possible)

- Kind: Pest; urgency: Act within a day or two
- Fix: Hand-pick; exclude moths with netting; use Bt (kurstaki or aizawai) while larvae are small, since it must be eaten and breaks down in sunlight in days. Remove bored buds: frass starts bud rot.
- Recovery: No fresh frass or holes after 1 week.
- Confirm: Open the densest colas: In flower, gently spread the largest, densest colas at the base and look for brown, mushy or grey tissue around the stem, a single wilted sugar leaf that pulls out easily, frass or caterpillars. Check 5-10 colas per plant each week from mid-flower, more when RH is high. Bag any rot before removing it.
- Article: [Caterpillars on cannabis: species, degree-days and control](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/pests/caterpillars.md)

## Note

Guidance, not a guarantee. The checker weighs common causes against what you tell it; confirm with the tests before you treat, change one thing at a time and watch the new growth.