How to Protect Your Plants from Pests & Bugs Dealing with an insect or pest infestation in your garden is a real pain in the a. Seriously – no one likes dealing with this stuff. But unfortunately, anytime a live thing is involved, there is always a chance for infection or infestation. When you choose to grow cannabis, you are also willing to accept the potential risks that may be involved with this process, which includes crop wipeout due to unwanted crawly visitors. Believe it or not, prevention is actually the easiest way to keep your crops pest-free, and much of keeping bugs away from your precious plants has to do with the set up and upkeep long before your crops have even reached the flowering stage. With that being said, if you have taken the proper preventative measures and are still experiencing an unwanted outbreak, there are some methods that can be used to get rid of the most common bugs and pests that affect weed plants.
PREPARE A CLEAN GROW OP
Indoor and outdoor growers should use sterile growing medium and containers. This means buying soil and/or coco and perlite out of a bag from the local grow store. Your pots don’t necessarily have to be brand new but they must be clean before you sow your precious cannabis seeds. Reusing growing medium is a bad idea and unnecessary.
Sowing directly into the ground is fine provided you know for a fact the pH and drainage are both optimal for cannabis cultivation. If not spare a few Euros and get some plastic pots and a few bags of medium. Don’t leave the success of your marijuana crop to chance. Indoor grow tent cultivators must also thoroughly sterilise the interior lining and floor area of the grow show after every crop. Warm soapy water and a cloth will suffice. This is especially important for hydro growers. Make sure to cleanse reservoirs and pipes with a cleaning solution to prevent the grow op becoming a habitat for fungus and microbial nasties. Clones vs. Seeds Growing cannabis from seed provides the best chance of keeping pests out of your garden because you are raising the plants from birth. With clones, you may not know the environment they came from. With large scale production, pests can make their way into clones and turn up in your grow room later on. If working with clones, make sure you can trust that their source is clean and pest-free. Grow Medium Sometimes the growing mediums available for purchase can host a number of insects, pests, and other unwelcome visitors. The best mediums for avoiding pests, are those of hydroponic varieties, so if you intend to grow your plants hydroponically, you’re in luck! Materials like clay pellets, rock wool, and gravel will essentially never have a way to host any insect-related issues, but for those who intend to grow their crops in a soil medium, this is where things can get a little trickier. Some soils can be the perfect breeding ground for unwelcome bugs, so it is important to know the source of your soil and read any reviews from other customers prior to making a purchase. It is likely that if others had issues with a specific soil type leading to a bug problem, it could be that you might end up having the same issue. Only use sterilized soil or fertilizer The problem with unsterilized soil is that it can contain the eggs or even larvae of some common marijuana pests. If you grow your marijuana in that soil, you will be in for a rude surprise when those eggs hatch or those larvae start to grow up. This is particularly bad for indoor growers because there are no natural predators inside your house. It’s very easy to sterilize your own soil. The only thing you have to do is cook your soil in the oven to reach an internal temperature of around 160-180F. This will kill all molds, pests, weeds and seeds. Depending on the amount of soil you’re sterilizing it will take 30 to 45 minutes to reach 180F. Do not exceed temperatures of 190F because nothing good can come of this.For large amounts of soil use 2,5 tbl sp of 3%
peroxide per gallon of soil. Don’t forget to use fertilizers when you’ve sterilized your soil. Tools for Early Detection of Pests One of the best ways to notice an infestation or the appearance of pests relatively early is through the use of fly strips. This helpful tool can be placed nearby your crops and used as a method of monitoring if or when any bugs arise. Daily monitoring of these strips will help you notice if there are any bugs present, because you’ll see them sticking to the strips. Using this helpful tool can allow you to exterminate any insects before they even transform into a full-blown infestation, which means a lot less work for you in the long run. KEEP TWO LEGGED PESTS AWAY WITH COVERT OPS The most dangerous pests are bandits, stick-up men and thieves that walk on two legs until they get caught at least. Loose lips sink ships, so “keep schtum!” concerning your grow op. An entirely unnoticed clandestine grow show is far less likely to be disturbed by third parties than an openly advertised marijuana plantation. Access to the grow space, regardless of whether it’s located indoors or outdoors, must be restricted to the grower exclusively. Outdoors, poison ivy and nettles are excellent natural deterrents that help discourage curious countryside walkers and hikers. Indoors, cellars and bedrooms can be secured by keeping doors locked and using carbon filters to eliminate odours that might give away the grow. Now you’re armed to the teeth with the 7 simple preventative measures to stop pests penetrating your cannabis garden. Pest control is the kind of war you don’t want to be fighting close to harvest. Deny pests access from the moment your cannabis seeds germinate and you’ll make it to harvest without ever having to engage the enemy.