Hey guys, for the first time since i started my grow is going great! 100 watts of clfs on each plant and steady growth however today i put a bulb close to the ground and saw little black things it appears flying into the bulb... there are also brownish spots on the bottom of many leaves that can be wiped off... Climate is pretty good... 27 degress constant and 30% humidity this is a box grow... What do I do please help a freaking out newb!
Sounds like aphids maybe, which are very common this time of year. they suck the resin from the plant leaving the leaves looking a yellow or rust color and usually they break up easily. very hard to diagnose a bug problem though without pictures.
Thing is I cant get pictures because i have a broken camera but just to try and help you understand... they are TINY and i see them flying around sometimes when im checking my plants out and they go into the soil and onto the lights... and the leaves have like brown eggs on the bottom... does a mixture of garlic onion and cayene paper like ive read help or is it useless?
Sounds like aphids to me but all the same you fight most flying insects the same. I recommend using Dont Bug Me from FoxFarm. Its a pyrethrin based pesticide that is very effective and kills on contact but can be used up to the day of harvest(though i dont recommend this.) I would do an initial spray over of your plants with this and then youll want to spray with Neem Oil and Water everyday for a week. Make sure you give your plants a healthy watering when you apply a pesticide. THis will make sure all of the mature bugs are killed but also that any eggs are killed as they hatch. I would then recommend hanging fly paper of somekind in your grow space to monitor whether the pests return or not. Usually this is manageable if youll devote the time to spraying your plants. Hope this helps but any more Q's let me know!
Thank you very much! Deffinately helped. I dug out today an organic pesticide that covered many of these pests so i applied a generous quantity on the plants and on the top of the soil and now i will put up the fly paper to see if it happens again...
One thing I'd just like to stress again is Neem Oil. This is the greatest thing in pest preventative care. Essentially its oil that coats the leaves and many pests cant move through it and will die if they attempt to invade your garden. It also helps with general leaf health and gives your plants a good polished look. I dont recommend spraying your plants once flowering is underway as this will reduce trichome production and also the plants natural resins essentially do the same thing.