Ladybugs To The Rescue!!! Cannabis Veggin update
Today I bring you a cup full of 1500 ladybugs that will happily eat up some fungus knats that have been trying to squat in my small plants pots.
Fungus knats can really mess up your roots quick if left untreated. In my big soil beds I already have nematodes & predatory mite populations established so I don’t get any knat problems, but my small pots don’t have the same biological defenders working for them & the knats are trying to set up shop. I will be transplanting my plants in pots soon into beds with more protection but I wanted a little extra defense.
Ladybugs are cheap at $9 per 1500 & they are effective against a lot of bugs I don’t want. Plus the house spiders love to eat them & I love seeing them crawling around my plants!
Little game of tag in their new home
Pretty sure this is the bad boy of the bunch. He went straight for the razor blade
& unfortunately some ladybugs were doa but something will eat them up & poop them out to feed my plants so still organic food
A little side view action, these are ayahuasca purples & a couple blueberry cbds in this bed.
Delhi friends in the foreground here
Purple & blueberry cbd scrog canopy looking much healthier after organic amendment top dressing & a few compost teas. Gonna drop about 6 more cups of worm castings on top tomorrow
& I wanted to include this last photo to show the crazy kind of fractal growth u get from monster cropping (cloning during flower)
I topped this plant zero times. Last time I grew her I topped her once & had 2% of the shoots. Monster cropping can be very useful if u want a ton of tops, but you have to really manage the bush!
That’s it for now, enjoy your weekend & smoke some good weed for me!
I've used Lady bugs myself. This was a method that I found to work very well.
Spray if you are going to spray the plants. Then wait 2 or 3 days and spray again. If you use a safer organic bug killer there might be some of the baddies left over because they aren't always as efficient as other products on the market. This is where the lady bugs come in. After I spray the second time, I usually wait another 24 to 48 hours... And then I release at least 15 to 20 lady bugs per plant.
Ideally you want these thing to survive as long as possible because the larvae eat more than the adults.
Good luck, happy growing! From here on out, hopefully no pests!
Thanks for your comments! The only thing I ever foliar spray with is compost teas & an occasional mild fresh aloe/essential oil solution if needed. No chemicals!!!!! & most everything is managed via predators I have in my dirt.
Yah back in 2002 I had a smallish crop of tobacco in my backyard in Renton. The flea beetles were pinholing the lower leaves until an army of tree frogs moved in and cleaned them out. then dragonflies went on patrol to catch caterpillar laying moths.
Circle of life makes for the happiest plants :)
That's the best way to go if you can. Currently I am growing indoors and stick mostly to Neem myself. Although it's definitely not the most efficient thing to use... It helps if used regularly.
I also am a huge fan of Mantids, but most of the problem pests for cannabis are too small for most mantids to be interested in. Still very cool pets. :)
Manage the bush!! 🍀😉😆
Very important for airflow to get in there.... you don’t want the funky bush!!!😂😂
Bt bits, Mosquito Bits, any of the bacterial gnat control methods work wonders. They also lay quietly on the top of your soil, without leaving anything behind on your leaves/flowers. ;)
Haven’t heard of them I’ll check them out. Nematodes do the trick in my beds
Great blog man! I am loving the content you are putting out! Keep it coming, us weed-heads cant get enough!
If you get the chance, go check out my most recent post about my summer 2016 grow! I would love to get your feedback!
Thanks for showin' some love!
One time when I worked at a hydro shop, I knocked over a box that had 8 of those containers in them. 10,000 ladybugs released in a relatively small store. My boss was pissed, but if made for a fun day of work catching ladybugs, and trying big to step in them.
Great freaking idea thanks mate
That is dope , wish i was there . Upvoted dude , keep posting mate .
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