7 Ways To Keep Pests Away From Cannabis Plants

Cannabis plants are industrious and resilient but even the toughest strains can be infested by a plethora of pests if the grower fails to take precautions.

Fortunately, we are battle hardened exterminators and with these 7 steps to pest control, your cannabis garden will be hardened too.

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.

BLOW THE BUGS AWAY

Indoors, a simple trick to make it as difficult as possible for bugs and insects to turn the grow tent into a habitat is to install some strategically positioned fans.

Good air flow is essential to cannabis cultivation success and a light breeze will swiftly dislodge any winged creepy crawlies attempting a leaf landing. Flies can’t colonise what they can’t touch so blow them away.

Outdoors, this is more challenging to accomplish but as well as the hours of sunlight, growers should also factor in the prevailing winds and try to capitalise on the breeze as a natural pest defence. Moreover, a light breeze helps to strengthen cannabis plants and makes them more ridged.

FEED PLANTS LIQUID SILICON

Adding some liquid silicon to your feeding schedule is a great way to protect cannabis plants cultivated in virtually any style or environment. You can never feed weed enough silica so you won’t have to worry about overdosing plants just keep an eye on the pH and apply liberally.

Liquid silicon helps to thicken cell walls and generally beefs up cannabis plants. Healthy hardy vigorous growing marijuana is less vulnerable to pests and diseases and has a greater chance of recovering if afflicted.

INTRODUCE BENEFICIAL FUNGI

The most difficult pest invasion to combat is the one you cannot see and by the time you even realise your cannabis garden is under attack the enemy is already planning an occupation. Fungi are the usual suspects when it comes to all kinds of problems from root rot to bud rot.

Introducing mycorrhizae and other beneficial microbes will not only keep the root zone healthy, but they will also be strong competition for any invaders.

SPRAY NEEM OIL

Neem oil is a really effective organic insecticide that can be mixed into a solution and sprayed on cannabis plants during vegetative growth as a foliar feed. Unlike most chemical insecticides, neem oil does not kill bugs on contact. Rather, it interferes with their ability to reproduce and colonise your crop.

Applying neem oil is a preventative measure that doesn’t cost much and gives the grower peace of mind. A few doses of neem oil solution are great infestation insurance coverage.

BUILD FENCES TO KEEP THE CRITTERS AWAY

Indoors, a grow op can easily be quarantined to a spare bedroom. Outdoor ganja farmers and guerrilla growers need to worry about all the tiny pests and all kinds of furry four-legged pests too. Chicken wire can be easily fashioned into all kinds of simple fence barriers and plant cages.

Rodents, deer, and whatever else is lurking in the woods must be prevented from contacting cannabis plants. Construct defences to scale. Use stronger fence materials for larger potential plant munchers.

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.