When it comes to failed cannabis crops, one of the biggest factors is pests insects. Pests used to strip leaves bare, eat the roots of cannabis, and even go after the buds. Yan can simply take the assistance of predatory insects for hunting them down & for the reduction of their populations rather than picking away at your plants & cooking up homemade remedies.
Most often growers of cannabis tremble at the sight of insects, by imagining the poor yields, stressed plants, and damaged crops. Beneficial insects are known for assisting in keeping the bad guys away.
Predatory species usually hunt down the pests and they keep your marijuana plants away from harm, & pollinators used to do the fertilization of your crops. These life forms used to add to the biodiversity of a garden. It is a term that used to describe the wealth of life within a particular area.
Why should you care about biodiversity? The reason is the more life, the better. If you have set out for the removal of everything in your garden & you have only spared your prized plants, they would soon perish.
Each insect, microbe, worm, & weed used to make up the soil food web. This network of life is known for moving the nutrients from one life form to the next. Until they got end up in an available form to your marijuana plant in the soil.
The addition & attraction of beneficial insects to your garden assists in the protection of weed plants, boosting biodiversity, and in the improvement of the quality of your flowers.
Why Use Insects For Outdoor Cannabis Growing?
Beneficial insects assist in the creation of a better environment for your cannabis plants. By the removal of nurturing companion plants & pests, they facilitate cannabis with a better shot in reaching the complete potential it.
The major benefits of using insects in your cannabis garden are inclusive of:
- Pest control
- Pollination of edible plants
- Boosting biodiversity
- Prevention from the spread of disease
Most Common Cannabis Pests With Which Insects Can Help
When it comes to insects that are loving to feast on cannabis plants there are a few usual suspects. Thankfully, beneficial insects are doing a great job at lowering their populations. Common cannabis pests are inclusive of:
- Aphids
- Fungus gnats
- Thrips
- Green flies
- Black flies
- Spider mites
- Caterpillars
- Whiteflies
How To Use Companion Plants For Attracting Beneficial Insects
After learning about beneficial insects, you might be desired of starting to introduce them into your garden. But how exactly do you get those insects there in your garden?
By raising plants that are loved by beneficial insects, you can attract those into your garden with only a little effort.
known as companion plants, those species are eligible in drawing in the good guys which in turn improve the health of the soil, assists in capturing nitrogen, and facilitate a harvest of their own. Common companion plants are inclusive of:
Thyme: This tasty culinary herb is known for attracting bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insect to your plants. The maintenance of these is low and these do the production of compounds that assists in the protection of the good guys.
Dill: This herb usually does the protection against caterpillars & spider mites and is known for attracting ladybugs which is the ultimate aphid hunter!
Borage: Bees lover borage! The herb is widely known for drawing in hoverflies. The larvae of these species love eating aphids.
Lavender: Lavender is known for doing the production of a pleasant aroma & it also assists in adding color to your garden. The flower used to repel pests & it usually attracts beneficial species for the protection of cannabis plants.
Dandelion: Most often these are regarded as a weed. Dandelion is basically a superfood. It does the addition of a nutritional kick to salads & it is known for attracting beetles & hoverflies.
Insects That Can Assist in the Protection of Cannabis Plants
Given below are the insects that are having a place in each cannabis garden. While some of these might not live in your own climate, there are higher chances that you would be able in getting benefit from at least a couple of these species.
Green Lacewings
Green lacewings are those predators which chow down on a huge variety of pest species. These insects usually get their name from their extremely delicate flying apparatus.
Over the winter adult, green lacewings used to hibernate and they are generally laying their eggs in early summer & late springs. The adults are usually taking a vegetarian approach and feed on honey, pollen, and nectar. It is the larvae that come with a penchant for bloodshed.
These ferocious critters patrol plants after hatching for soft-bodied insects, for instance, whiteflies, leafhoppers, spider mites, thrips, and aphids. They usually feast for up to two weeks before spinning a cocoon & transitioning into adulthood.
How to use Green Lacewings in growing cannabis
Growers are having the option of purchasing green lacewings larvae for guaranteeing their presence in the garden. Bottles of larvae are available in numerous sizes & are containing anywhere from 250-10,000 specimens.
Growers should apply them as it is required, the reason is that they are having such a very short life cycle. You are required to pour the contents of a bottle directly onto aphid-affected plants for taking care of the complexities.
Companion Plants for attracting Green Lacewings
By making use of these companion plants, you can attract adult green lacewings to your garden:
- Dill
- Caraway
- Fennel
- Coriander
Ladybugs
Ladybugs are an extremely powerful pest management tool. Both these adult and larval forms are making aphids a staple of their diet. Adult ladybugs are having a lifespan of 2-3 years and eating up to 25 aphids every single day. However, their late-stage larvae do the consumption up to 250 aphids each day for fueling their growth spurts.
Ladybugs usually rely on aphids for their survival and raising their young. They are known for laying their eggs strategically among aphid colonies. Upon hatching, the larvae usually get to work for feeding on these plant pests. Larvae and adults also hunting down & devour the eggs of beetles, mites, moths, and thrips.
How to use Ladybugs in growing cannabis
Cannabis growers can buy live ladybugs from garden centers & nurseries. Of course, these critters are also eligible in flying away after being deployed. However, they are in constant search of nectar & water. You are required to make a plant colorful flowers & a small DIY pond and they would likely stick around.
Companion Plants for attracting ladybugs
For attracting and keeping these aphid hunters in your garden, you are required to plant these companion species:
- Cilantro
- Chives
- Calendula
- Marigold
- Dill
- Yarrow
