Cannabis, like any other crop, is susceptible to voracious animals looking for a field feast. Knowing your plant’s enemies is the first step in protecting them, whether you’re growing indoors or outside. This article discusses cannabis’ main predators, their tell-tale indications, and how to best eliminate them, from crickets to caterpillars, moles to mites.
Here we mention some of the most common Pests you could have on your Cannabis Plants:
Here we mention some of the most common Pests you could have on your Cannabis Plants:
First step: Prevention
Regardless of what kind of plants you aim to cultivate outdoors, you’ll need to take precautions; if you want the finest potential results, you’ll need to take it seriously. If you don’t take steps to prevent pest infestations, you may find yourself with a problem that you can’t solve.
When it comes to insect infestation prevention, you’ll need to do more than just use products. You’ll need to carefully organize your grow, employ high-quality products, and sanitize the area beforehand. Let’s take a look at what you should be doing right now.
- Plan your grow (space, quantity of plants, where, etc.)
- Use quality materials (substrate, flowerpots, stakes etc.)
- Use organic products (solid fertilizers, substrates, etc.)
- Disinfect the growing area and tools (flowerpots, scissors etc.)
Cannabis pests | Organic or chemical pest control?
It’s not difficult to see why organic products are superior to those made using chemical components. Chemical products may appear to be more effective at first, but they are not efficient. It’s impossible to predict how your plants will react, and it also degrades the quality of the soil you’re growing in. Insect infestations develop a natural tolerance to chemical treatments over time, and if you apply them incorrectly, you’ll wind up ingesting part of the substance when you eat whatever you’ve grown with them. When you use organic preventive solutions on your plants, you’ll be providing them with a formidable defense system, as well as encouraging plant development and improving your plants’ natural defenses, all while enhancing soil quality.
When should you take steps to keep cannabis pests at bay?
Plant-protection products usually come with a set of instructions detailing how to use them, how much to use, and how long to use them for. Because most organic products don’t leave any chemical residue on your plants, you can theoretically ingest cannabis that has been treated with organic products without flushing. However, we do not advocate doing so because the flavor and consistency of the plucked buds may be affected.
To avoid this, we recommend avoiding using preventive products (even if they are organic) within 15-20 days of harvesting, regardless of the manufacturer’s instructions. Also, while your plant has bloomed, we don’t recommend using chemical treatments because it’s easy for the product to attach to the resin and stay on your plants indefinitely.
The optimal time to use anti-pesticides for cannabis is during the growing and pre-flowering stages. If at all feasible, do it first thing in the morning or shortly before the sun sets in the evening. Spraying after it has rained or before it is about to rain is likewise not recommended.
To avoid this, we recommend avoiding using preventive products (even if they are organic) within 15-20 days of harvesting, regardless of the manufacturer’s instructions. Also, while your plant has bloomed, we don’t recommend using chemical treatments because it’s easy for the product to attach to the resin and stay on your plants indefinitely.
The optimal time to use anti-pesticides for cannabis is during the growing and pre-flowering stages. If at all feasible, do it first thing in the morning or shortly before the sun sets in the evening. Spraying after it has rained or before it is about to rain is likewise not recommended.
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Cannabis Pests | Prevention Products
There are a plethora of high-quality items on the market to assist in the removal of undesirable pests. It can be difficult to choose which one is ideal for your requirements. We’ll go over some of the most effective products for keeping your plants safe.
Neem Cake
Neem Cakes are one of the most straightforward ways to keep pests away from your plants’ roots and foliage. It feeds your plants and increases the soil’s condition. Neem has been used in gardening for ages. Benefits:- Inhibits insect growth
- Stops insects from feeding
- Gives your plants nutrients
- Improves the soils chemical properties
- Improves the quality of the growing medium
- Decreases insect fertility and egg production
- Stops termites from getting into the substrate
- Makes it impossible for nematodes to get near your plant
Propolis
Propolis, often known as pollen, is a substance produced by bees in nature. It is used by bees at the entrance to their hives to prevent germs, fungi, and even other bees from entering. Ingesting particular portions of plants and trees produces propolis. It’s also used to keep colds and flu at bay during the winter. Cannabis producers know it for its incredible antifungal and anti-insect capabilities, which are used to keep fungi and insects at bay. Keep in mind that this is a combative and systemic product rather than a preventive one. It’s commonly used to prevent fungus ingress, and despite the fact that it’s not exactly a preventive product, we nonetheless prescribe it. Benefits:- Antiviral
- Fungicide
- Bactericide
- Disinfectant
- Cell regeneration
- Growth stimulant
- Increases your plants’ natural defenses
Pruning Sealer
Pruning Sealer is typically utilized when topping, trimming, and handling huge plants. This treatment essentially seals or closes any cuts made in your plants for pruning purposes, preventing fungi or bacteria from entering your plants. Depending on the type of pruning sealer you use, a tiny amount of fungicide may be included. They usually comprise vegetal oils, resin, and softening agents, with some pH altering chemicals thrown in for good measure. These treatments are ideal for repairing any open wounds on your plants. Benefits:- Keeps fungi and bacteria out
- Increases plant grafting success
- Helps to keep your plants healthy
- It fully seals open wounds and any sort of cut on your plants
Biological pest control
Biological pest control is a highly effective method of controlling cannabis pests; it is more effective at eliminating pests than at preventing them. Because they can only thrive if they have other insects to feed on, you’ll need to introduce new insects into your cannabis grow after the infestation has already begun. They’re not a good choice as a preventive measure. If you have a lot of plants and can afford it, we recommend introducing fresh preventive insects into your grow every 20 days — it’s a terrific way to keep bugs at bay while also being environmentally conscious. Benefits:- Does not contaminate
- Can fight specific pests
- Avoids the need for insecticides
- Most natural, organic way to fight cannabis pests
- Your final yield will have no residues whatsoever
Plant-protection products
If you wish to cultivate cannabis or any other form of plant outside, you’ll need to take precautions to ensure the greatest possible outcomes.You may need to obtain a plant-protection product handling authorization, which allows you to purchase and handle any plant-protection product without being punished – in order to obtain this authorization, you must also complete a course, which allows you to operate safely with any product.
We hope you found this post helpful; browse our insecticides and preventive products to find the best one for you. Always read the instructions before using any chemical or organic substance; otherwise, you may not achieve the desired result.
Some items can be combined to achieve more comprehensive and effective results, however, we only recommend this method for growers who have some experience with cannabis and handling these types of goods. Keep a watch out for a future article on unique pest control methods.
Always remember that it’s better to be safe than sorry, so look after your plants.
