Always Grow As Cleanly As Possible
If you’ve read anything that I’ve written, I talk extensively about not using toxic pesticides on your cannabis grows. Oftentimes, these pesticides that are implemented at the state level in commercial grows are actually illegal to use on crops at the federal level because they are on a list of banned pesticides—sadly a list with fewer and fewer banned toxins under the current administration seemingly everyday.
Now here is the funny thing about pests and cannabis: even indoor-grown cannabis can (and generally does) get pests. When growing cannabis, I feel like getting pests is just part of the process. If you have met a grower that has been growing for a while that says they have never had pests, they might be full of shit. I think almost every grower has probably had aphids. They seem to come with the plants. There are organic pesticides that you can implement in your grow, like diatomaceous earth, which I always recommend, but organic pesticides can only go so far because, ya know, they’re organic. Considering organic anything is pretty innocuous—which is kind of the point—they can only be so effective. So what do you do to eliminate pests before they become an infestation? You have to get proactive.
Bomb Your Cannabis Grow
Do you know what bombing is? Well, it’s a pretty simple way to start with a clean slate with your cannabis grow, and it’s something I always recommend when people are building out a grow for the first time. I like to use a product called Hot Shot Fogger. You want to set this up before ever popping your first seeds. I’m not going to get into how to use the product—consult the instructions for that—but I will explain how it works.
Once you set off the bomb, you will want to leave the house, come back, open up the doors and windows of your house, and let it air out for a couple of hours. When you come back, any and all pests should be dead. According to the label, this product remains effective even months after the application. If you bomb correctly, you should have no remaining pests.
Why You Should Not Bomb After You Have Plants
A bomb should only be used before you plant your first seeds or clones—another pro tip to avoid pests is to always start with seeds and not clones unless you cloned the plants yourself, as oftentimes store-bought clones will come with pests standard; it’s a bug, not a feature. The reason you start with a bomb is you do not want pesticides on your plants from a bomb, nor in the soil, as cannabis is a very effective phytoremediator, meaning it will absorb toxins from your soil, and those toxins will then reside in the plant itself. In fact, I won’t even plant my plants until the next day after bombing to ensure that the toxins have dissipated before popping the first beans.
If You Do This Correctly
If you do this correctly and then make sure your grow is well sealed, and you take steps to keep from bringing in additional pests into your grow by having dedicated clean clothing and shoes in your grow, you will eliminate about 90% of the frustration you would normally deal with concerning cannabis grow pests.
Not a Panacea
Just because you take the precautions I mentioned already with the bomb, it’s not going to ensure you will never again get pests in the future, because pests are just a part of farming—you really can never truly eliminate them forever. But if you do bomb your grow early on, it can save you a great deal of time, energy, and frustration. Which is the entire ethos of my consultancy. One love
Related Articles:
Beginner Growers Don’t Need More Information—They Need Better Direction (Indoor Cannabis Guide)
Where to Source Your Seeds / Genetics From
Commercial Cannabis Grows Vs. Craft Home Grows
Why You Should Grow From Seed and Never Buy Clones
Why You Should Grow Your Own Cannabis? Your Health.
