With the private production and use of cannabis becoming legal in more and more states, you might be looking into the best, most efficient, and cost-effective ways to grow your own plants, particularly indoors for year-round harvesting. One pitfall in the process, however, is that nature is replete with nasty little critters that seek to enjoy the cannabis crop before the owners get the chance to. Foremost among these little intruders are spider mites, aphids, fungus gnats and thrips.
Fortunately, nature has also recruited an army of beneficial insects to wage the battle against the invaders. Several species of these tiny soldiers include beneficial nematodes, ladybugs, and lacewings. With their help, and under the advice and guidance of the dedicated experts at Simple Soil, you can achieve maximum yield with bigger plants and more potent buds, as a reward for your efforts in cultivating your own garden.
Once given a foothold, the harmful bugs can proliferate exponentially, quickly devastating a cannabis crop or vegetable garden. Therefore, it behooves every gardener to find the enemy sooner rather than later.
First, thoroughly inspect the plants and soil with a fine-toothed comb for the purpose of identifying the intruders, using a 30x handheld magnifying lens (think Sherlock Holmes) and a comprehensive pest ID book or other reference. Only in making such identifications can you know which predator squads to purchase from Simple Soil. Plants should be checked daily, with emphasis on the underside of the leaves, where the pernicious little devils like to congregate.
Some of the destroyers you are looking for:
- Spider mites, whose sole purpose is to destroy your crop. They are only about a millimeter in size and can vary in color. They exist in colonies and can be identified by their web. Females lay several hundred eggs, which hatch in three days, with the progeny reaching maturity in only a week.
- Aphids, a light-colored pest somewhat larger than spider mites, which can appear in either wingless or winged form. They feed on plant fluids, dehydrating and yellowing the crop. A diagnostic sign of their presence are the small shiny droplets of “honeydew” sticky secretion they leave behind.
- Fungus gnats, smaller than the width of a coin, appear as tiny flies buzzing above the soil, where larvae proliferate if the topsoil is left too damp.
- Thrips, which can appear as stationary pale worms or golden-winged, fast-moving insects, depending on their age.
Simple Soil and its team of expert gardeners, with decades of expertise, offer many remedies in its arsenal of pest-control products, including foliar sprays, root drenches and the following information on beneficial insects:
- Ladybugs are among the most effective predatory insects, and their favorite meal is spider mites, to whom they are insatiable killing machines. Attracted by the spider mite’s scent, they do their own hunting, and one ladybug can eat up to 100 mites a day.
- Beneficial nematodes are microscopic, but can quickly and efficiently dispatch a swarm of fungus gnats by infecting them with blood poisoning within 24 to 48 hours of initial contact. They can replace pesticides in achieving their purpose.
- Lacewings, small insects with membranous wings, are predators of aphids, thrips, and a host of other insidious cannabis pests.
Simple Soil Offers Additional Weapons of Defense Against Predators
Non-insect weapons in the battle against cannabis predators, all available through Simple Soil, include:
- Mammoth Canncontrol, an all-in-one product with all-natural thyme extracts that leave no toxic residue on the plants.
- The Amazing Doctor Zymes Eliminator, a revolutionary green solution that eliminates soft-bodied insects, molds, and mildews to help achieve maximum yield. It is approved for organic gardening and works by disrupting pests’ ability to breathe.
- Flying Skull Nuke Em, an insecticide and fungicide using all food-grade ingredients. Flying Skull also offers a hydroponic water conditioner.
- Cultured Biologix Mercenary, an all-natural insecticide that prevents soft-bodied insects at all stages. Its active ingredients include sesame, rosemary, cinnamon, clove, and peppermint oils.
- T-Drops, is a highly concentrated, highly effective fungus gnat control for any type of plant in any system!
Simple Soil Hydroponics is a leading hydroponic grow store serving the Chicagoland area. We offer high-quality equipment, supplies, seeds, and support to ensure your total success and enjoyment with hydroponic growing. Contact us with any questions and to learn more about controlling harmful pests.