BUGS & PEST CONTROL FOR HEMP-CULTIVATION

• Because the environment for indoor growing is perfectly suited for a rapid reproduction of bugs, it is important that you have some descent knowledge about them. This way you can recognize a plague in an early stage, and can prevent a lot of damage. Fast response is very important!! Preventive intervene with natural predators is the best, if not the only way to protect your sweeties.

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• There are a lot of chemical products on the market, but this is for indoor use NOT advisable, because you mostly also live and sleep in the same house!
• These chemical products are only for use outdoor, they have a long lifetime and certainly not for use on our smoking-weed!!! We can't warn you enough that unsafe use of any of these products can be dangerous to your, our your relatives health.
• An alternative is using home made brews from soap, garlic etc. this may slow down sometimes the plagues, but mostly the bugs will be resistant.
• We sell some product that are far more efficient but still are 100% biologic, non-toxic to human or plants and have a short lifetime. These products are:

  1. Bio-best spray. available in concentrate or ready to use spray can. This originally was developed for consumer products like fruits and vegetables.
  2. Sticky plates. These are your alarm system for detecting the presence of damaging insects. Almost any insects are attracted to the yellow color of the sticky plates, and the glue on it will keep them stuck on the plates. The plates not only warn you for the presence of harmful insects, but also catch a considerable amount of the population. In this way you can control the plague more.
  3. Plantprotector. This stuff leaves an sorta natural acid on the leaves when you spray it. Bugs hate it and will go away.
  4. Neem-oil. Probably the best one.It is made from the "neem-tree" It works against more than 200 different insects. It destroys the central nerve system off the buggs. When you spray it, it will leave a sorta "wax-layer" on the leaves, this will stay for about 2-3 weeks.

You can also use beneficials.
Beneficials are small animals which eat and live from the crop damaging insects. Beneficials are completely harmless for mankind, other animals or cultures and can not become plague. Beneficials are introduced in your room when the first damaging insects or the first damage are observed.(yellow leaves, webs, wilted leaves) BIOBEST benificials have a double action because they control both the adult pest insects as their eggs and larvae.

A few bugs and their natural predators are:

1. Greenhouse Spidermite:  These are yellow-brown colored mites with two dark spots on both sides. They measure approximately 0,5 mm. The mites feed by sucking sap from the under surface on the leaf. This induces groups of small white speckles which are clearly seen from the upper surface of the leaf. It will ruin your harvest completely when you don't take countermeasures in time. A nightmare for all growers. In a later stage the leaves will become grey-yellow because all the green has been eaten by the spidermites. Also they will produce a silky spinning which can be noticed on the leaves, and later around the budds. In this stage your harvest will almost be ruined. (make sure to also take a look in our photo section, we have some clear pictures there. Natural predator : Predatory mite

2. Sciarid Fly:Approximately 6mm long black colored "fly". It is usually found in large numbers. The 5mm white and transparent larva damages the soil and the root system of the plant. When this happens, the absorbing of micro-nutrients will stop, and growth will stagnate. In case of severe root damage, the leafs of the plant will wilt and the whole plant can even fade. The flies themselves are not that harmful, only thing is that they lay their new eggs offcourse, and that they can stick to the buds. (smells like a bbq when you a lot of them in your joint ;=)) .Natural predator: NEMATODES

3. Vine weevil: are 8-12 mm long, have a grooved, dull black shell with patches of tiny yellow bristles. They will do their damage at night (when the lamps are off) by eating the leaves from the outside to the center. The larvae are 1cm thick and have a creamy white color with a shiny brown head. They live in the oil, and damage the roots. The absorbing of nutrients will come in danger, and as a result the plant wilts and dies off. Natural predator: NEMATODES

4. Aphids:  Aphids measure around 3mm. They come in many different sorts, and their color varies from light yellow to dark-green, sometimes almost black. Most common are the leaf-aphids and the root-aphids. Both travel by air and spread diseases and infections. They have a thick oval body, no head front knobs and antennae shorter than the body. On their sticky residue which they produce on the leaves (honeydew) appear fungus and mould. Root-aphids destroy the roots with earlier mentioned results. Natural predator : Lace wing or Gallmidge

5. Thrips:Adult thrips are small, elongated insects with typical fringed wings. They measure about 1mm, and have a greyish or yellow to brown color. The female thrips deposits eggs in the leaf tissue. The eggs hatch within a few days into very mobile larvae which immediately begin to feed, Thrips damage the crop by withdrawing the plant cell fluids. Empty cells are filled with air, causing a silvery appearance, on which dark spots (the excrements) are visible. Damage through discoloration or deformation can occur. Moreover, thrips are important vectors of several viruses. Thrips populations can develop very rapidly. Natural predator : Predatory bug

6. White fly:Adult whiteflies measure about 1,5 mm and are typically covered with a white waxy powder. The female whitefly deposits its oval shaped eggs on the underside of young leaves at the top of the plant. They occur in large numbers and multiply rapidly. As well larvae as adults suck plant juices. Secretion of honeydew fouls the leaves and the buds, which become not consumable. Often moulds grow on the honeydew, which stunts photosynthesis and respiration of the plant. Moreover, whiteflies can transmit several viruses. When not intervened in time, the odds are that the plant will not survive the damage. Natural predator : Parasitic wasp
 

You may notice some bugs who are not mentioned here, these bugs are mostly friendly bugs, as long as you don't see any clear damage you can spare their live ;=)

Like normal spiders and ladybugs are good natural predators against some bugs.

BE WISE, DON'T USE ANY CHEMICALS!!!
 
 

Watch your plants for diseases every time you give them water.
When you see any insects that may attack your plant, handle immediately.
Don't use any chemicals, or you may poison yourself!! Especially when spraying close to the harvest.

Fusarium stem rot
Pathogen - Fusarium solani or F. oxysporum

Symptoms -

Fusarium stem rot appears as a soft, mushy rot at the base of a cutting or rooted plant. The rotten area frequently has a purplish or reddish edge. Fusarium spp. sometimes form tiny, bright red, globular structures (fruiting bodies) at the stem base.

Control -

Thiophanate methyl compounds (Domain, Cleary's 3336, Systec, Fungo, Topsin M) are labelled and should control Fusarium stem rot. Treat cuttings with a dip or a post-sticking drench to control losses. Remove infected plants from stock areas as soon as they are detected. Since Fusarium stem rot appears similar to Erwinia blight, accurate disease diagnosis is very important prior to applications of pesticides.

Botrytis (Grey mould)

Botrytis is a fungus that spreads fast in humid conditions. Cut of and remove infected parts immediately. Cut out a little more around it, there may be fungus close to the infected part, which cannot be spotted instantly. Do it slow and carefully, otherwise you may spread the fungus around your whole room.

Stop any moving fan in your room also. This will slowdown the spreading in the room also.

If possible, turn on the air-extractor as much as you can. This will reduce the humidity in the room.

Watch the buds every day now. And keep removing new infected parts when shown.

When you don't handle in time, botrytis will ruin your complete harvest!!!!

Nutrient Deficiency Table

Use this chart to help you determine the possible causes for whatever strange problem you seem to be having. Don't forget that your problem may not necessarily be a lack of any particular nutrient, the issue is often availability. High pH can prevent plants from absorbing vital nutrients. Extreme humidity may cause leaves to remain tissue paper thin.

Take small steps in your attempts to balance your nutrient solution. It is better to under-feed your plants than to overdose them. Try adding about half of a recommended concentration as you experiment. You can always add more later.