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Tag: insect

Thrips: Cannabis Garden Pests

Thrips: Cannabis Garden Pests

Thrips are tiny, (typically) winged, fast-moving insects that are about only 1-2 millimeters long; their bodies narrow in shape and their wings fringed. These tiny pests can be dark colored, yellow, transparent, or even a golden color. While they appear in various species, the most common ones found on cannabis plants are the Western Flower Thrips or Onion Thrips.

These pests won’t completely destroy cannabis plants, like Russet Mites or Powdery Mildew, but they will reduce the quality and quantity produced from your plant. Luckily they can be pretty easy to identify as the lack other characteristics pests may have.

Signs of Thrips

A solid sign thrips may be invading your garden are white/yellowish bite marks and black dots known as excrements. Bite marks can cause the leaves to look smooth and shiny or even “slimy” looking. These bite marks will not be uniform and typically near the edges of the leaves. Thrips also do not leave behind honeydew, unlike many other biting insects.

Easily enough, a quick shake to your plant can also uncover these pests as they hop from branch to branch. They can be primarily located at the top of the plant under leaves and stems. Spring is the beginning of the thrip season and it is best to stay vigilant and always observe your plants as the season progresses.

Prevention Tips and Tricks

  • Avoid an excess presents of nitrogen, as this attracts common pests like Thrips.
  • Strategically place adhesive traps in your garden. This is an effective method at preventing adult thrips from moving into your garden. We recommend placing the traps somewhere another animal won’t get stuck on the adhesive.
  • Examine your plants whenever possible to ensure no pests are present.
  • If indoor growing, we recommend changing clothes before entering your plant space to avoid pest travel.
  • Natural, noninvasive, Thrip predators for your area are a great option for those knowledgeable in garden care.
  • Shop with our “pest resistance” tag online or instore for an additional layer of defense.
OTHER HELPFUL RESOURCES:
reddit.com (they have amazing threads for cultivating cannabis)
https://www.growweedeasy.com/cannabis-plant-problems/thrips

Spider Mites: Cannabis Garden Pests

Spider Mites: Cannabis Garden Pests

Spider Mites are small, annoying pests that find their way to new areas every year. These mites have been a growing problem for cannabis growers for decades, with their range and resilience increasing every year. These problematic pests can appear and rapidly being reproducing thousands of mites, even as many as a million, in a single month. Unresolved conditions associated with these pests can quickly lead to devastating results in the garden.

Spider mites, like many mite varieties, favor stressed plants and hot, dry conditions. As more climates around the country shift warmer as the years pass, more areas are experiencing these pests when previously, they haven’t been a problem.

Spider Mite Infestation

Signs of Spider Mites

It’s typical to notice damage to plants before seeing these pests on them. Spider Mites feed on the contents of the epidermal cells of the plant. The feeding process removes chlorophyll and causes small white spots to appear on the surface of the leaf. Once real damage has been made, the leaf will not recover nor regain its green color.

Spider Mites received their name based on the webbing they form when infesting garden plants. This is an easy way to help specifically identify these mites. Visually, these mites can appear tan, green, or red and typically have two spots on their backs. These marks on their backs are another easy way to identify these mites from other variants. Spotting adult females are easier than males as they are larger and rounder.

Eggs are often laid in groups underneath leaves or within their webbing. These eggs are often round and straightforward, usually only 0.1mm in diameter. This variant of mite hatches with only six legs, eventually growing and obtaining an additional two legs in adulthood.

Prevention Tips and Tricks

  • Closely monitor your garden and treat or destroy any infested plant areas.
  • It is okay to lose a little of your garden to pests if you are growing outdoors, nature happens.
  • Experiment with safe sprays and treatments to prevent devastating damage. Spider mites are very resilient and have a high chance of adapting to treatments used.
  • If you think you’ve eradicated your problem, keep a close eye anyways. These mites are known to come back full throttle.
  • Shop with our “pest resistance” tag online or instore for an additional layer of defense.
OTHER HELPFUL RESOURCES
https://www.advancednutrients.com/articles/get-rid-spider-mites-cannabis