I’m going to try a few grows outdoors this summer, a few in hempy coco buckets and a few in soil. Outdoor is new to me, here in east Oklahoma we have moths and spiders and other insects to deal with so thought I’d get something to help me potentially be successful. Figured I could use it in the garden to. What do you guys recommend. Are you using any of these @Tracker?
Can we use systemic insecticides with cannabis? I’m planning on hempy buckets so I’d just add to the feed solution?
Or if just a foliage spray I found these two with spinosad. There’s some controversy with spinosad, it’s banned commercially in several states. Is there any country that has been using it successfully without any known issues health wise at this point? Monterey also has a BT version but I’m seeing people say that spinosad is significantly better.
Neem is good, I have used it outside with success on caterpillars, grass hoppers and a variety of chewing and sucking insects. You need to apply it in the afternoon after the sun is gone or it can burn them.
I have also used spintoram, basically a synthetic version of Spinosad, it works on spider mites, and knocks back but doesn’t stop russet mites or broad mites. I use lime sulphur for mite control and it’s pretty effective.
I’m pretty sure spinosad is banned in some countries not because of its toxicity to humans, but because it’s highly lethal to bees and other pollinators.
Interesting, I read on some site…think the 420 magazine it was because they didn’t have any long term studies on it yet. It’s banned here in Oklahoma for commercial growers.
I don’t know what all the things are that you listed. I’ve used this mix for a few years now and my plants seem to do okay with it.
Azamax or Neem
-Azamax is concentrated active ingredient derived from neem.
Monterey BT for caterpillars.
Southern AG Garden Friendly Fungicide for mildew control.
Monterey garden insect spray with spinosad
-this is an indiscriminate bug killer, so be warned that it will kill good bugs like spiders, praying mantis, wheel bugs, lady bugs, etc in addition to bad bugs. It also kills bees, which is of course bad. Bees go back to the hive after dark, like end of twilight. If you include this in your mix, don’t apply it until bees are gone. Spinosad is effective while it’s wet and the bug gets wet with it, or ingests it. By the next morning after application, it’s not going to kill the bees.
I believe your in or close to OKC? Curious what do you deal with mostly outdoors? Do you start treating before flower and stop about two weeks before harvest? I happened on a thread about bug worms and it opened my eyes to how difficult outdoor can be.
do not use spinosad outside, it’s toxic to bees and other beneficial bugs, bacteria, microbes
It is very effective on thrips indoors however and that is all I use it for.
That sucks. I hear bud worms and spider mites along with the other usual are horrible here in Oklahoma. Some people like the BT and others were saying to just use the spinosad cause BT didn’t do much for them.
I apply weekly (weather permitting) from early veg until flower formation starts. Then I don’t spray anything after that. I always get some bug damage, but not too bad. I’ll find a few budworms here and there when I’m trimming or a little patch or two where spider mites are starting to show up, but when you grow big outdoor, you can afford to loose a few tops to bug damage.
You can still apply the BT and GFF in flower, but I dont.
Biggest bug problems for me are budworms and spider mites. I’ve heard some people around here say they’ve had stem boring worms, but I haven’t had that problem. That’s probably because i’ve been applying these sprays in OK grows always from early veg to first week or so of bud formation.
The biggest damage that I get growing outdoor is from mold due to late season precip and humidity. Based on what i’ve seen in my grows, the dense, tight colas on tight structured plants suffer the most. I think that’s because they trap water inside like a sponge, and it doesn’t evaporate fast enough. If we have a dry September and early October, then no problem, but if there are rainy days during the 2 or 3 weeks before harvest, you can end up trashing a significant portion of the harvest. I try to blow off the water as much as possible with a leaf blower, but don’t blast the plants from too close. You might damage them that way.
I have to say, this outdoor stuff seems really daunting right now. I figured I might get some bird shit or battle the deer but then happened to cross the bud worm thread here …and shit people have to go to battle with all sorts of crap. I figured I’d just put a few autos in buckets and let it ride out but it seems much more challenging than I anticipated with all the bugs and mold. I see why folks like greenhouses so much now.
If you pop autos now, they should be ready to harvest while we’re in the hot/dry part of summer, so mold is not as big of a problem then. But bugs are an issue.
Indoor has its challenges too for sure. If your indoor is dialed in well, the buds will look pristine compared to outdoor which always has some blemishes, but I love my sungrown weed.
I put the auto seeds in water to soak today …so should be rolling soon. But, I also put a few photos in there and now wished I hadn’t. Guess I can take a cut of them and run them in a tent in winter should they fail.
I have a few indoor grows under my belt and did fairly well, I grow in the winter indoors so I don’t have to run the AC and the heat is welcomed. I guess it also helps with the bugs to.
Budworms are not as big of an issue indoors, but if you see moths flying in your indoor garden, then you better apply something to prevent worms. Also, spider mites can mess up your indoor bad. They can take over real quick. Mold/rot can mess up your indoor if you run cool and humid. I always run indoor warm like 80F to 83F under LED lights, and when it’s in the latter half of flower I want RH<50%. I apply the same sprays through veg indoors, just not as frequently. When there’s a nice evening, I take them to the back porch, spray them down, let them dry for an hour or so, them put them back inside.
Don’t get bright light or sunlight on the plants when they are wet with the spray. This is very important! It will burn the leaves badly!
I guess I got lucky, I never used anything indoors. The only issue I ever had was I did get mold for the exact reason you stated and I let the plant go for too long which I should have harvested when my gut told me to…but I got greedy. I try to run 85-90F indoors now that I’m running leds vs cmh. A tent makes that easier to do. I went the led route as I thought I could grow in the summer and keep the temps down vs the cmh but found out that’s not how it works with leds…they like it hot. How do you lower your RH with a AC or simple dehumidifier? I’m hoping a simple dehumidifier will work in the winter.
I ran one of these in the room that had the tent and it seemed to help with the room feeling fresh and clean…just a small dose of ozone for 15 minutes every day or two.
I use neem before flower, and BT in flower to keep the moths/budworms at bay. I keep spinosad on hand in the event of some kind of outbreak that I can’t manage any other way.
It’s not as daunting as it sounds. If it sounds overwhelming, start with just one - BT. The Monterey BT is at Walmart/Home Depot/any garden store and will deal with the most problematic issue for most people.
I always wash my harvest to get any residual BT off.
For the past few years, I’ve been running indoor in the winter only. It’s in a shed that’s not well insulated, so I have to keep a heater in there to maintain temps warm enough. That keeps it dry.
Be careful with the ozone generator. Too much is dangerous for people and pets, and it can damage the plants.
interesting to see your recommendation of dragonsflame! I’ve planted some of their beans in the past and I’m currently doing a hunt with their Blackberry moonshine. Have you ever found anything interesting in any strain?
