when should one start introducing beneficial/predatory insects to an indoor garden?
- Thread starter Pparker88
- Start date
PadawanWarrior
Well-Known Member
All I did was top dress with EWC for my beneficial predators. I'm using the Build a Soil stuff now, but I started with Wiggle Worm. Even Wiggle Worm had hypoaspis miles. If you decide to order from BAS let me know, because I can give you a link for $5 off. Too bad you didn't ask sooner. The EWC were almost half price on Black Friday.
kratos015
Well-Known Member
Seconded.
Though personally, top dressing with Neem and/or Karanja usually keeps things in check. For everything else, there's Habanero spray
Pparker88
Well-Known Member
i just foliar sprayed my plants with some compost tea. i was reading that the microbes help strengthen the plant and help it be more resistant to disease/pests. Next i want to foliar spray some aloe. how often, or how seldom should i foliar spray? can i combine things together like compost tea and aloe? do i ph before spraying? i have ben ph-ing with vinegar so far.
also, i fermented some ohn. i am currently fermenting some fpj. was going to combine those three and use to foliar spray instead of compost tea.
also, i fermented some ohn. i am currently fermenting some fpj. was going to combine those three and use to foliar spray instead of compost tea.
Mr_X
Well-Known Member
ive used nematoads for my soil and ladybugs whenever needed. lady bugs during flower phase or if there is any indication of an infestation, otherwise the ladybugs are just going to escape to look for food if they kill all the aphids. i use them during flower because thats when the plant is using its nutrients to flower, and when bugs eat the plant for those nutrients.
Fresh living EWC does so much for your grow. It not only introduces worms, but also those mites and even the springtails that they feed on, and the springtails eat the fungi. I suggest establishing a good population of both detritivores and predators ASAP in your grow medium before spouting the first seeds to go in there.
Just make sure to feed the lower trophic levels first - in other words feed the fungi in this case for it to grow and flourish. Higher carbon material, but even alfalfa pellets are a great way to grow fungi to feed the springtails whose larvae in-turn will feed your predatory mites.
PadawanWarrior
Well-Known Member
Ya, I have springtails now too. They came from the vermicompost from BAS. And some rove beetles.
MustangStudFarm
Well-Known Member
I'm pretty sure that most beneficial insects are pollinators. My low effort post...Seconded.
Though personally, top dressing with Neem and/or Karanja usually keeps things in check. For everything else, there's Habanero spray
kratos015
Well-Known Member
Ladybugs, yes I believe. I could be wrong. But mantids and nemotoads?
I've only ever used beneficial insects once, I usually don't have the need for them fortunately.
If the bugs are in a sealed room, pollination shouldn't be an issue. Unless of course your room has plants with nanners/etc. And if that's the case, unfortunately you'll have issues with or without pollinating insects.
On that note, I've always thought it'd be cool to incorporate bee keeping with cannabis plants. I know some people do it successfully, cannabis infused honey would be incredible!
PadawanWarrior
Well-Known Member
My wife would love it to have bees flying around my bedroom and house, lol. She already doesn't like hearing about the bugs I have in my pots.
I did buy ladybugs a couple times and released them on my houseplants. They were all over the house for a couple days. I kept bringing them back to the plants, but they got bored with them pretty quick. I even had aphids on a couple houseplants but they still wanted to fly and roam around.
I think they might have stayed around more if I had a cover crop of clover or something. I don't know.
kratos015
Well-Known Member
I had the same issue with ladybugs. The ones that didn't run away somehow managed to get caught in my light hoods. Was kind of sad taking the hoods down and seeing tons of ladybug carcasses in them.
PadawanWarrior
Well-Known Member
I thought about adding some to my grow room, but then I would need to screen all the fans. They would be great in a greenhouse though I think.
MustangStudFarm
Well-Known Member
Nope, your off track here. Why BUY the insects???
kratos015
Well-Known Member
Some people may not have the IPM that others do, for one reason or another. They may need the assistance of insects. Ideally, your room is always sterile and you're keeping up with neem top dress.
MustangStudFarm
Well-Known Member
I only spray micronutrients on my plants. I also grow flowers that attract beneficial insects. That's why I'm saying that all of the important predatory insects are pollinators. If you control the insects outdoor, then they have a much less chance of coming indoors. I focus on green lacewings and predatory wasps but I end up with a HUGE variety of predatory insects. I have asthma, so breathing is a BIG deal to me now. I want my smoke to be as clean as possible.
MustangStudFarm
Well-Known Member
Mantids are "tits on a boar" when it comes to controlling aphids, spider mites, worms, and thrips. I would take an assassin bug over a mantis any day of the week. I get several different types of assassin bugs too, not just one size. My outdoor problem this year was caterpillars, or more specifically corn earworms. However, I had another outdoor grower out here tell me that he was impressed with how little worm damage that I received this year. Growing flowers to attract beneficial insects is called "insectary". If someone is having indoor insect problems, they are not taking precautions before entering their room. I've talked about this at length in other threads.
kratos015
Well-Known Member
Totally get what you're saying. Prevention is always the best cure.
I'm fortunate enough to have predator wasps native here, absolute Godsend for my outdoor grows. Haven't seen a single caterpillar on any of my outdoor plants for a few years now.
Good lord do I hate those fuckers.
I'm fortunate enough to have predator wasps native here, absolute Godsend for my outdoor grows. Haven't seen a single caterpillar on any of my outdoor plants for a few years now.
Good lord do I hate those fuckers.