Freakbro's Pest and Plant pit stop

OK, here goes...
Ive been given so much good info from y'all for the past while, so I think Im gonna
give some back.
PESTS...its that time of year again. Actually, its always that time of year for us indoor
growers. Each day, I am going to hilite a different pest of MJ. I will give a description,
pics if I can, and a treatment. I am starting this thread in this forum because we are
the ones that deal with this constantly, year round.
I back up my info, as I am a University educated Biologist.
Now I dont do that gig anymore - I am a restaurant owner in downtown Vancouver.
My hobby now is growin weed and studying my love of Biology.
Enough of me, now lets get it on...

Plant pests will always be a problem for us Indoor Growers. An infestation or infection can kill all of your plants very quickly. Minor pest attacks can stunt plant development, which prevents them from achieving optimal growth, or even cause Hermies.
Of course, some strains can cope with pest attacks better than others. Some experts might even tell u that a little pest attack only serves to "harden the plant a little bit".
Although stress brought on by pest attacks can cause the plant to produce its budz and foliage more vigorously - there is a fine line between "hardening" up a plant and causing
the hermie condition to rear its ugly head, along with stunted growth.
You should really keep in mind that, outdoors, pests have to contend with the forces of nature and predators - but pests will THRIVE in a clean, healthy indoor environment and spread very quickly.
*** As a result, we, as indoor growers, can expect pest attacks to be more frequent and damaging indoors than outdoors. Indoors, any pest attacks must be dealt with swiftly and decisively. Please feel free to PM me anytime with a question or request.
Good growin y'all.
Freakbro.

Edited by Freakbro1, 07 May 2010 - 07:38 PM.

ANTS

Ants are small insects from the family Formicidae. They are usually wingless exept during mating season. Ants are colony pests, are well known for their cooperativeness and industriousness and can destroy weed quickly. Ants eat weed and carry bits of the plant back to the colony for food storage and construction. Ants are easy to spot because of their size, speed of movement and numbers. Along with leaf discoloration, an ant-attacked plant may show bite marks along the edges of leaves, Ants also "farm" APHIDS,
another type of pest you will want to get rid of (eradicate). Ants can be removed by using Boric Acid or any popular colony killer pesticide.

On the menu for tomorrow...APHIDS.
Freakbro

great thread.2 thumbs up

So glad there is a thread on pests now cause I just so happen to have a question on the subject. Recently I went out to my spot and was tending to the garden, I have 2 buckets with a little bit of left over dirt in them that I use to top off the other buckets with the ladies in them once they get big enough. Well as I was getting a handful my buddy pointed out there were alot of ants in the dirt, it was covered in citranella ants now I put some dirt in the 2 of the buckets with plants, I didn't put a lot in just a few handfuls and that inturn put maybe 10 to 15 ants in the buckets from what I could see. Am I endanger of the ants spreading to those buckets or will they just go back to their original area (the buckets with dirt were bout 20 ft from the other buckets with plants)?

So glad there is a thread on pests now cause I just so happen to have a question on the subject. Recently I went out to my spot and was tending to the garden, I have 2 buckets with a little bit of left over dirt in them that I use to top off the other buckets with the ladies in them once they get big enough. Well as I was getting a handful my buddy pointed out there were alot of ants in the dirt, it was covered in citranella ants now I put some dirt in the 2 of the buckets with plants, I didn't put a lot in just a few handfuls and that inturn put maybe 10 to 15 ants in the buckets from what I could see. Am I endanger of the ants spreading to those buckets or will they just go back to their original area (the buckets with dirt were bout 20 ft from the other buckets with plants)?

@Chunk85 :

Ya, chances are that u got a few ants in there. The good thing is this:
Ants are colonizers, just like the Borg - resistance is futile.
BUT...
Ants will only colonize, to follow their Queen.
She can only be moved by other ants. She is big and fat
and looks like a juicy grub that Bear Grils would eat on that
cool show - Man vs Wild on Discovery.
Just keep an eye out man. The real problem is when u have ants
that are "farming" Aphids. Twofold problem.
Thats tomorrows topic.
Easy fix right now, just squish the fuckers u see. Only use chems as
a last resort.
Hope this helps.
Freakbro.

APHIDS

Sorry GC, Im a bit late with this.
Please remember this particular tutorial. We are ALL going to experience this sooner or later.
Aphids are small soft-bodied insects of the family Aphididae. Aphids are the single most common pest attackers experienced by us growers, both indoors and out. They mainly live on plant juices by sucking sap from stems, branches and leaves. They are about 1/8" long and can be any color, but yellow/green is most common. Some aphids have wings.Aphids secrete a foamy waste material called honeydew, around their feeding areas on the plant. You can find them attacking new growth or the undersides of leaves, near a
node region, but they can be found anywhere. They are surrounded by their young and they reproduce at a very rapid rate. In addition, some aphids transmit viral diseases.
** This pest must be eradicated from your grow ASAP !!! ** Aphid attacks look like underwatering, resulting in leaf-wilt. You may also find some plant stunting and signs of leaf-curl during attack. Ants "farm" the aphids by gathering the honeydew they secrete, so u must remove any ants before u try to treat an aphid problem. Aphids can be removed by using any Pyrethrum-based insecticide. Try to solve your aphid problems before flower at all costs. I am currently in the process of helping out a fellow member here at GC who has run into this problem. With proper vigilance, we can all grow aphid free, and save those juicy, prized budz we have all come to love. We are also showing good care for one of Gods most beautiful plants he created for us to enjoy.

On tomorrows menu.........CUTWORMS, CATERPILLARS and deadly LARVAE.
Good growin y'all.
Freakbro

great info. a buddy of mine is a couple weeks out and he has been controlling the aphids using 4x6 sticky paper hung around the garden, they seem to be attracted to the color yellow. right on with the last sentence inthe aphid post.

Great info...Thanks. I would really appreciate a breakdown on Spider Mite eradication...Just a small issue but don't want it to get out of hand. I have been using a foiliar application of Neem and seems to work fine.

Great info...Thanks. I would really appreciate a breakdown on Spider Mite eradication...Just a small issue but don't want it to get out of hand. I have been using a foiliar application of Neem and seems to work fine.

OK, instead of doing a daily pest, alphabetically, as planned, I will do them whenever I can. This will go faster cause theres a myriad of pests to cover.
Just for u XFactor69...actually, theres alot of growers experiencing the blight of Spidey mites at this time of year already (earlier than usual). Believe it or not, its all because of fuckin global warming. Your request will be covered on next post asap.
Good growin y'all.
Freakbro1

alas, the dreaded SPIDER MITE

Always keep a bottle of pesticide that kills Spider Mites, cause weed is extremely vulnerable to mite attacks. Spider mites can reduce your plants to garbage within a couple of days - so NEVER bring a plant inside that has been outside. SMs are tiny, about half the size of this period (.) Sms cannot be seen without magnification but are normally spotted cuz they gather in large numbers and form clusters. Sms feed off the juices from plant leaves and leaf-wilt is a common symptom of attack. If the attack continues, the poor plant will surely die . Sms also have the ability to spin webs on the affected areas of the plant.
Specialized SM pesticides like "Avid" or "Natria" will curb attacks. Sulphur also deters SMs, but, if used during flower, it will make the budz taste like shit. Proper cleansing methods must be employed during flower. Thats a whole different headache.
During veg, SMs can be exterminated using soap and water solutions. Sticky pest traps are not effective. After Aphids, Spider Mites are the second most common pest attackers experienced by us growers, indoors and out.
Hope this helps.
Good growin y'all.
Freakbro1

Edited by Freakbro1, 09 May 2010 - 01:10 PM.
forgot pic.

Bump

CUTWORMS, CATERPILLARS & LARVAE

Insects that are in their early stages of development are problem pests cuz they are insatiable and will eat anything they can get their tiny mouths around. Hmmm, sounds like an ex of mine. lol. Their appetite is SURREAL when u actually discover how much a caterpillar can consume in a single day. One caterpillar can reduce an ounce cola to stalk
and stem in less than 4 days !!! These pests pose a huge threat to your crop and must be stopped right away. Caterpillars especially like to eat seedlings and new growth. Cutworms are the Larvae of the Cutworm moth. They are large grubs, up to an inch long.
They have beaks, which are actually a small pair of garden shears. They eat roots and can easily shear thru a thick stalk in less than an hour. This attack occurs mostly outdoors. For this reason alone, us indoorsy types, as a rule, should NEVER use soil from outdoors in our grows. The only sure way to get rid of Cutworms, Caterpillar or Larvae is to use a Cutworm, Caterpillar and Larvae repellant. Usually the same product will take care of all 3. Cutworms can also be hand picked from your grow. At night, they sleep in a "C" shape under the soil or under something else like a rock, piece of wood or even under a larger piece of perlite or vermiculite.
Personally, I love the feel of the crunch and squirt method under my big boot.
Hope this helps.
Good growin y'all.
Freakbro1

good job bro..

GNATS
Family name: Culicidae

Gnats are insects with long, thin fragile legs. They can eat leaves but mostly suck sap from the **Phloem** (see note). The damage from a gnat attack is similar to that of an aphid attack and can be treated in the same way - using a Pyrethrum based insecticide. Gnats cause less damage than aphids but need to be treated quickly, nonetheless.
I highly doubt the urban legends about growers buying bags of soil, opening them up
and a wall of gnats come flying out at their face.

Note: Phloem is the living tissue that carries organic nutes (known as Photosynthate), particularly sucrose, a sugar, to all parts of the plant where needed. The phloem is concerned mainly with the transport of soluble organic material made during Photosynthesis. This is called "Translocation".

Hope this helps.
Good growin y'all.
Freakbro1

PEST PREDATORS

There are many predators of pests, that, at first glance, may appear to be pests but will not damage your grow. U should keep these "Friendly Pests" around, since they are natures way of eliminating many of the pests in this tutorial. Beneficial insects can even be bred or bought so that u have a constant supply. Ladybugs or Ladybirds as some call them, will breed on their own if they have a constant supply of aphids and other insects to feed on. Many garden centres now stock pest predators. Contact your local garden centres to see if theyre available. There are companies out there that provide this service and will even send some predators to u by mail order !!!
Some excellent, common pest predators are: Ladybugs, Spiders, Wasps (outdoors please), Ant Lions, Daddy Longlegs and Craneflies. I take full advantage of this, and currently have at least 100 Ladybugs hanging around my grow. They are clean and efficient and the most excellent pest killer I have ever come across. No BS.
Hope this helps.
Good growin y'all.
Freakbro1

Edited by Freakbro1, 07 May 2010 - 07:41 PM.

MEALY BUGS
Family name: Pseudococcidae

Mealy bugs are insects often desribed as "hard aphids" because of a waxy powder that makes their backs look shell-like under a microscope. They attack plant tissue and suck sap from the phloem. If u dont know what the phloem is, go back in my tutorial and read what it is. Mealy bugs are treated the same way as aphid attacks, by using a pyrethrum-based insecticide.
Hope this helps
Good growin y'all.
Freakbro1

alas, the dreaded SPIDER MITE

Always keep a bottle of pesticide that kills Spider Mites, cause weed is extremely vulnerable to mite attacks. Spider mites can reduce your plants to garbage within a couple of days - so NEVER bring a plant inside that has been outside. SMs are tiny, about half the size of this period (.) Sms cannot be seen without magnification but are normally spotted cuz they gather in large numbers and form clusters. Sms feed off the juices from plant leaves and leaf-wilt is a common symptom of attack. If the attack continues, the poor plant will surely die . Sms also have the ability to spin webs on the affected areas of the plant, even though they are not even closely related to Spiders (Arachnid).
Specialized SM pesticides like "Avid" or "Natria" will curb attacks. Sulphur also deters SMs, but, if used during flower, it will make the budz taste like shit. Proper cleansing methods must be employed during flower. Thats a whole different headache.
During veg, SMs can be exterminated using soap and water solutions. Sticky pest traps are not effective. After Aphids, Spider Mites are the second most common pest attackers experienced by us growers, indoors and out.
Hope this helps.
Good growin y'all.
Freakbro1

Forgot these



Took care of both my spider mite and fungus gnat problems and I didn't have to do anything 'cept hang these strips up.

Thanx for your input zpyro.
I havent seen them yet, but Im always keepin my eyes open
for this kinda thing.
Cheers.
Freakbro1

Well, holy fuck.
Here I am on a Friday nite, all alone, writing about bugz.
I just had a good idea for outdoor grows...

A Bird bath !!!

We all know that birds are always on the prowl for juicy bugs.
However, your stealth level might be compromised.

Time for a couple a rips.
Later.
Freakbro1

ATTENTION: READ THIS !!!

Use only repellants and pesticides that are clearly marked "for Food Product Use" on the label. If a repellant or pesticide is not safe for food - dont use it. You could be smoking or cooking with your plants later and dont want to end up in a hospital cuz of poisoned bud. Read the product instructions clearly and carefully. Dont take shortcuts. Follow the
instructions !!! If youre unclear, ask sales staff who are qualified. Failing this, you are welcome to PM me anytime and I'll do my best for ya.
Hope this helps.
Good growin y'all.
Freakbro1