Example IPM Programs:
Simple, Cheap, Preventative:
- Veg: Weekly application of neem oil product or sulfur product or essential oil product. If using neem or essential oils, can be combined with predatory mite release. Azadirachtin products may also replace neem oil or be mixed with neem/essential oils.
- Flower: Weekly application of citric acid product such as Nuke Em or Plant Therapy or monthly release of predatory mites
More Complex
- Veg:Weekly application of neem oil or essential oil product (such as Trifecta or Zero Tolerance). These may be rotated on a biweekly basis and may be mixed with an azadirachtin product such as Azamax.
- Monthly release of predatory mites
- You can include a citric acid product in rotation, but only before mite release and it must be allowed to dry. You can increase time in between neem oil sprays under low pressure up to 14 days.
- Day 1: spray citric acid product such as plant therapy
- Day 2: release predatory mites
- Day 8: Spray Neem or essential oils (avoid purified azadirachtin)
- Day 15: Spray neem/essential oils or phosphorous acid
- Day 22: Spray neem/essential oils
- Day 29: Spray citric acid product
- Day 30: Release predatory mites
- Flip to Flower: Potassium salts of phosphorous acid spray
- Flower: Weekly application citric acid product such as Plant Therapy or Nuke Em or rotation of citric acid product and phosphorous acid product.
- Example of using predators, citric acid, and phosphorous acid:
- Day 1: spray citric acid product. Allow to dry.
- Day 2: release predatory mites
- Day 15: Spray phosphorous acid product (time between application may be decreased to 7-10 days if pressure is high)
- Day 29: spray citric acid product. Allow to dry.
- Day 30: Release predatory mites
( Just use ONE of the daily options below, not all )
The following program is aggressive for if an infestation occurs. It requires a diverse range of products but will be highly effective assuming proper environmental conditions for biologicals:
Day 1: Citric acid product knockdown (optional but recommended)
Nuke Em: citric acid, also contains insecticidal soap
Plant Therapy: citric acid, isopropyl alcohol, oils
Day 2 or 3 (when dry) second knockdown:
Veg options: All are good choices
- Azera (pyrethrins+azadirachtin)
- Mighty (pyrethrins+ canola oil)
- Ortho tree & shrub fruit tree spray (pyrethrins+neem oil+piperonyl butoxide)
- Garden safe 3-in-1 (sulfur+insecticidal soaps)
- Safer brand pyrethrins & insecticidal soap concentrate
- Pyganic gardening (pyrethrins)
- Bonide tomato and vegetable conc. (sulfur+pyrethrins)
- Sulfur may be tank mixed with pyrethrins & insecticidal soaps,
- Botanigard Maxx (Pyrethrins & B. bassiana)
Flower Options– Only use pyrethrins if you are still early in flowering. Otherwise, it is best to stick to food grade contact killer such as citric acid.
- Safer brand pyrethrins & insecticidal soap concentrate
- Pyganic gardening (pyrethrins)
- Botanigard Maxx
Day 5 or 6: Second pyrethrin application, begin biological control with
B. bassiana or I
. fumosorosea and mites
- Botanigard Maxx
- Pyganic + Botanigard/Mycotrol
- Pyganic+ PFR-97
Day 6 or 7: Release predator mites when previous spray is dry
Day 10: Grandevo or Venerate spray
Day 15: PFR-97 or Mycotrol/Botanigard spray (diversifying from last living fungus spray is recommended, but requires multiple products).
Assuming the infestation is severe, I would rotate between day 1 and day 2 applications for a longer period of time (1-2 weeks) before implementing more persistent biological control methods.
*If ambient humidity is low (<40% RH), I would rotate between Grandevo,
Venerate, and Citric Acid (Nuke Em or Plant Therapy) instead of using living fungi*
Day 20: Grandevo or Venerate spray (Diversifying from last heat-killed bacteria is recommended)
Day 27: PFR-97 or Mycotrol/Botanigard
Day 35: Grandevo or Venerate
Day 36: Release predatory mites
Mites are probably the most feared arthropod pests of Cannabis. There are three types of mites that are of particular concern for Cannabis growers: broad mites, russet mites, and spider mites. Spid…
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