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How Do You Know You Have Fungus Gnats?

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Fungus Gnats

Nebula Haze — Thu, 19 Oct 2017 18:21:31 +0000

Cannabis Fungus Gnat Cheat Sheet

Fungus gnats look like tiny flies buzzing around cannabis plants, especially around the soil. Their larva grows in wet soil, and they often appear when the topsoil stays wet for too long between waterings.

How to Get Rid of Fungus Gnats:

A fungus gnat is so small it’s thinner than the width of a quarter. They commonly appear when cannabis plants are watered too often. If you let the top inch of your soil dry out before watering your plants each time, fungus gnats often naturally go away on their own. However, if you have a really bad infestation, it can take weeks of good watering practices before you get rid of all of them unless you also do something to directly kill the bugs and bring down their numbers. Read on to learn how to get rid of fungus gnats on your cannabis plants for good.

Important! Let the topsoil dry out between waterings. Fungus gnats usually result from over-watering.
Yellow Sticky Cards – cut down on their numbers
A Fungus gnat-killing product – Either a wide spectrum insect killer or something with BT like crushed-up mosquito bits mixed with water in a mister or used to water your plant.
Diatomaceous earth – this white powder is harmless to people and animals but is sharp at a microscopic level and will kill gnats. Sprinkle it around the grow room and on your topsoil.

Table of Contents

Introduction

What Causes Fungus Gnats To Attack Your Cannabis Plants? Wet topsoil!

Pictures of Fungus Gnat Damage to Cannabis Leaves

How To Get Rid of Fungus Gnats in Your Soil

Prevention: Safeguard Your Next Grow

For Composters: Get Rid of Fungus Gnats In Your Compost Pile

Get the Stuff to Fight off a Fungus Gnat Invasion

by Nebula Haze

Introduction

Fungus gnats – how do you get rid of these tiny flying pests that lay eggs in your soil? This article will teach cannabis growers (like you) exactly that: how to completely eradicate fungus gnats and ensure they never come back!

Fungus gnats are a common problem for soil cannabis growers (especially those who overwater their plants!), but they’re actually easy to get rid of once you know what to do!

Fungus gnats (also known as “sciarid flies”) are black or dark brown flies which look like tiny mosquitoes with dark wings.

How Big Is a Fungus Gnat?

Fungus gnats are small, only about 2 mm long. To give you an idea of how big that is, 2mm is about the thickness of a quarter.

Despite their small size, fungus gnats can be a big nuisance in your soil cannabis grow, mostly because their tiny maggot/larvae offspring will hurt your plant’s roots (which will cause problems for your plants).

What Causes Fungus Gnats to Attack Cannabis Plants?

Fungus gnat larvae eat fungus or decaying matter and need wet conditions to thrive. It is common for soil growers to overwater their cannabis plants, and wet soil is the perfect home for fungus and decaying organic matter. After fungus has grown (often invisible to the naked eye) or overwatered matter has begun to decay in the topsoil, fungus gnat lays their eggs in the top layer of wet soil.

Warm + wet topsoil = fungus gnats (and other problems or pests in soil)

These eggs hatch into larvae that look like tiny maggots which only live in the top 2-3 inches (5-8 cm) of soil. The fungus gnat larvae are the culprits which cause damage to cannabis roots.

Cannabis roots are not the main source of food for fungus gnat larvae, but roots get caught in the crossfire. Although the main diet of fungus gnats is fungus and decaying matter, the larvae happily gnaw on root hairs and young tender roots of cannabis plants.

The damage to the roots from these little suckers causes problems in the leaves and slowed growth. A bad fungus gnat infestation can even kill cannabis plants, especially young seedlings.

While the main problem is that fungus gnat larvae attack the roots of your cannabis plants, the adult fungus gnats can also spread diseases (such as pythium – a common cause of root rot) via their feet.

Because of these problems, it is important to get rid of a fungus gnat infestation right away.

If fungus gnats need fungus and decaying matter to survive, where is the fungus coming from? Fungus grows in wet conditions and is an essential part of the environment (where it breaks down organic matter like dead leaves). Fungus spores are around us everywhere pretty much all the time, but these spores will never start growing without moisture. Warm and wet conditions in the soil of a cannabis grow are what cause fungus to grow and matter to decay. Sometimes you won’t even be able to see the fungus or decaying matter with the naked eye. But once the conditions are right, fungus gnats thrive in the top layer of your soil whether you can see fungus or not.

Check To Make Sure You Have Fungus Gnats

1.) Tiny flying black bugs around your plants & crawling on your soil

Even if your plant or leaves aren’t showing symptoms or distress yet, if you see fungus gnats it means that you have a problem with fungus and moisture in your soil. Don’t let the infestation get out of hand. It’s always recommended to get rid of any pests in the grow room as soon as you know they’re there!

This video shows you what fungus gnats look like, and also go over how to get rid of them (or just read the rest of the article!)

The adult fungus gnat flies are just annoying (and gross); they don’t bite you and don’t do much to hurt your plants directly besides spreading disease. But even though the mature fungus gnats aren’t a huge threat to your plants, the presence of adult gnats lets you know that your cannabis soil has been infested with their maggot offspring which causes the real problems.

2.) Tiny white or translucent larvae with black heads in the soil

Note: this picture is really big so you can see what you’re looking for, but the actual larvae/maggots are TINY. If you spot them, you’ll just see tiny white spots wriggling around in the topsoil.

It’s the fungus gnat larvae in the soil that damage your plant roots and cause growing problems, especially to seedlings or young plants.

How Fungus Gnat Larvae Cause Damage to Cannabis Plants

Larvae attack tender new plant roots and root hairs, which cause these problems:

“Damping off” – seeds or seedlings are weak for no apparent reason; sometimes stems weaken and seedlings can even just fall over and die
If the fungus gnat infestation gets out of hand, even adult cannabis plants start looking unhealthy, showing many symptoms such as wilting, yellowing, drooping, spots
Cannabis leaves may show signs of nutrient deficiency (or deficiencies) which seem to be unrelated to pH, nutrients, or any other identifiable nutrient problem
Plants will start growing slowly and may even stop growing altogether
If the infestation hits in the flowering stage, yields can be reduced

Fungus Gnats vs Fruit Flies

Quick Check! Make sure you have fungus gnats and not fruit flies.

Fruit flies are brown/yellow/orange while fungus gnats are dark brown or black. Fruit flies tend to be bigger/fatter and easier to see than tiny fungus gnats. You need to take a slightly different approach with fruit flies.

Thanks to Ilona L. and Richard Leung for the closeup Fungus Gnat pics!

Fruit flies will keep coming back if there’s ripe or rotting fruit to eat. If you’ve ever left a banana or other fruit on your counter too long, you’ve probably noticed how fruit flies seem to be able to appear out of thin air if there’s ripe fruit around.

Fruit flies can start buzzing around poorly composted soil which contains kitchen scraps, but otherwise, fruit flies are uncommon in the grow room unless there’s ripe/rotting fruit or other tasty bits for them to eat.

So once you get rid of their food, the fruit flies will disappear.

Pics of Damage to Cannabis Plants From Fungus Gnats

A fungus gnat infestation on your cannabis plants can cause all sorts of strange problems – often they look like overwatering, pH problems or nutrient deficiencies. The more fungus gnats you have, the more likely you’ll see damaged leaves and reduced growth rates.

Since fungus gnats are almost always caused by overwatering and too-wet topsoil conditions, some of these symptoms may actually be caused by too-wet soil. In any case, when you see fungus gnats, it means there’s a problem in your setup that needs to be addressed.

Here’s some pictures of cannabis plants affected by a gnat infestation. Notice how the leaves don’t look healthy (there’s yellowing, spots, curling, etc). It’s almost impossible to tell that you have fungus gnats just by looking at the leaves of the plant because it can cause all sorts of different symptoms.

Here’s a flowering cannabis plant affected by fungus gnats

What To Do If You Have Fungus Gnats in Your Soil

Most importantly, don’t overwater your plants! Never water cannabis plants grown in soil until the top inch of soil feels dry (up to your first knuckle). Fungus gnats need wet topsoil conditions to grow and thrive. The most common reason growers get fungus gnats is overwatering their plants.

Without Wet Topsoil, Fungus Gnats Naturally Disappear!

While the steps below will help you get rid of your fungus gnats quickly and effectively, the gnats will almost always go away on their own if you simply stop overwatering your cannabis plants. When there’s no fungus, there’s no fungus gnats, and both need wet conditions to grow. But if you already have them, here’s how to kick them out of your grow area…

Get Rid Of Fungus Gnats Quickly: What You Need

Yellow Sticky Cards
A Fungus gnat-killing product – Either a wide spectrum insect killer or something with BT like crushed-up mosquito bits mixed with water in a mister.
Diatomaceous earth
A fan to blow air over the top of your soil

1.) Place yellow sticky cards in the grow area – fungus gnats love the color yellow and will fly toward it. These yellow sticky cards (found at most gardening stores) are covered with glue that will trap adult fungus gnats, bringing down their numbers.

But the most important reason to use yellow sticky cards is to help you keep track of how bad the current fungus gnat infestation is. As the infestation is reduced, there will be fewer adults caught in the yellow sticky traps. That’s how you know that your approach is working.

Get Yellow Sticky Cards on Amazon

2.) Get a fan blowing air over the top of the growing medium. This helps dry out the top layer of your soil, and also helps prevent the fungus gnats from being able to fly around and lay more eggs.

Get a Tabletop Fan on Amazon

3.) Don’t water your plants for a few days. You want to begin drying out the soil to kill as many larvae as you can before you apply a treatment (which will involve watering). Fungus gnat larvae need a warm, wet environment near the surface of your soil to grow. Even after you’ve gone through all these steps and believe fungus gnats are gone, make sure to avoid overwatering plants, as this is the most common reason growers get fungus gnats in the first place. Don’t do the next step until the top few inches of soil has dried out

4.) Kill the Larvae in The Soil

Treat top layer of soil with wide-spectrum insect killer (follow the directions).

Use a powder duster to spread food-grade diatomaceous earth overexposed parts of soil. This will help kill the fungus gnat larvae and will also help prevent infestations in the future. While not completely necessary, adding diatomaceous earth is a great step to take to help get rid of the fungus gnats and their larvae as fast as possibleDiatomaceous earth is an organic insect killer made of fossilized shells. It is sharp on the microscopic level and works by puncturing the exoskeleton of insects (draining them of their body fluids), but poses no harm to humans or pets and can even be eaten.

Get Diatomaceous Earth On Amazon (this particular bag comes with a powder duster which makes it easier to apply)

If you still have fungus gnats after doing that for a few days, try to mix it up because they will start getting resistant to your chosen treatment. Try one of these alternative cures:

Essentria IC3 Insecticide is a mix of various horticultural oils that is organic and safe for humans. It is often marketed as a “bed bug killer” but is also very effective against fungus gnats when the plants are treated regularly. You want to apply this every other days or possibly combine with other options. You will need a mister (also called a “One-Hand Pressure Sprayer”) to spray the soil evenly, and make sure to follow the directions! Like all the options, it’s safe to use until a few days before harvest.

BT Bacteria – Another thing you can water your plants with is something that contains “BT” bacteria (specifically, Bacillus thuringiensis var israelensis – there is another type of BT that’s meant for caterpillars), for example Mosquito Bits. However, they need to be crushed up into a powder so it will mix in the water for the best results when watering your plants. Just like any other time, always pH your water right before giving it to your plants!

Hydrogen Peroxide (food grade if possible) – If you don’t have access to any of the products, you can start getting creative at home. Usually, these types of remedies aren’t as effective as the “real” stuff, but they will definitely still kill a lot of bugs! Use 1 part hydrogen peroxide to 4 parts water (for 3% pure H2O2) – another type of brute force attack to kill larvae directly.

Learn about “good bugs” that kill Fungus Gnat larvae below

5.) Avoid overwatering your cannabis plants from now on. Never water your cannabis plants in soil until the top inch or two of soil has dried out. From now on, you don’t want to ever let the top part of soil stay wet to create a breeding ground for fungus and fungus gnats. How often do I water my cannabis plants? Until the fungus gnats are gone, let your plant dry out a lot more than normal between waterings, and then you can go back to a normal watering schedule.

6.) Keep your sticky yellow cards up until Fungus Gnats are completely gone. These yellow sticky cards will continue killing adult gnats. They’re also helpful because they will alert you to whether fungus gnat numbers are rising or falling. Even after killing all the larvae, it may take a few days to a few weeks before the adult fungus gnats are completely gone and you stop seeing new gnats caught on your sticky cards.

What is bacillus thuringiensis var israelensis?

This type of bacteria produces a toxin that hurts the larvae of fungus gnats and prevents them from being able to eat (it also kills mosquito larvae), but doesn’t affect your plants or roots. Products that contain this bacteria are sometimes listed as “BT” or “BTi” (to indicate the subspecies israelensis – which is particularly effective against fungus gnats). It is also safe for fish, pets, humans and pretty much everything besides larvae. It is safe for organic grows, even in the middle of the flowering/budding stage, and won’t hurt other microbes living in the soil.

When using pellet-type formulations of bacillus thuringiensis, you will get better results if you crush it up before sprinkling on soil, or mix it with water. Always make sure to get Bacillus thuringiensis var israelensis (other types of BT are better at caterpillars). Powder and dry formulations of bacillus thuringiensis seem to work better than liquid ones.

Other Ways to Kill Fungus Gnat Larvae

While bacillus thuringiensis is probably the best way to naturally kill fungus gnat larvae, you can use other biological control methods to kill these maggots. The following options will help control fungus gnat infestations but will likely not completely get rid of them unless you stop overwatering your plants.

pathogenic nematodes (Steinernema feltiae)
predatory mites (Hypoaspis miles) (Hypoaspis aculeifer)

Growing Organic? The “brute force” methods above like Hydrogen Peroxide will kill the fungus gnat larvae, but will also kill many beneficial microbes in the soil. You can add beneficial microbes back, but it will take a while for them to repopulate your soil. This problem only really affects organic soil growers. If you’re providing nutrients to your plants with bottled nutrients, you’re already providing nutrients in a way that your plants will be able to use even if the microbe populations are down. In any case, if growing organically, an organic version of bacillus thuringiensis (subspecies israelensis) is the best option for getting rid of fungus gnats.

Prepare For Your Next Grow: Prevention

Before your next grow, make sure you thoroughly clean your growing area if you’ve been attacked by fungus gnats or other pests. Get rid of any houseplants that have any bugs flying around them. Never buy soil that has already been infested with fungus gnats or show any signs of flying bugs or larvae/maggots.

Some growers will even cook new soil to make sure any fungus gnat larvae are dead before letting their cannabis plants or clones near it.

If you’re getting cannabis clones, make sure you get them from a trusted source and inspect closely for fungus gnats (as well as spider mites or other pests). You may want to start with seeds if you’re growing in soil and worried about bugs, as clones are the most common way to introduce pests to the grow room.

Speaking of cannabis clones… I know this article is about fungus gnats, but I want to mention something else that’s very important about cannabis clones. While fungus gnats are a big nuisance, they are not the worst pests a grower can get from cannabis clones. Fungus gnat problems pale in comparison to the horrible affliction of getting cannabis-specific spidermites (aka “the borg”).

Once a grow room gets infected by the borg, it is incredibly difficult to get rid of these resilient pests which kill your plants, eat your leaves, and cover your plants (and buds) with horrible webbing. Always check new cannabis clones thoroughly (including under leaves for bugs or eggs) before letting new clones anywhere near your grow area! You may want to dip new clones in spider mite killer to make sure they are free of spider mites. Learn more about spider mites.

Some growers will start with cannabis seeds (as opposed to clones) to reduce the chance they ever have to deal with spider mites or fungus gnats!

What To Do with Fungus Gnats in Your Compost Pile

What do you do if fungus gnats attack your compost pile, where you are trying to build up beneficial microbe populations in the soil?

Here’s a list of ways to control a fungus gnat infestation in your compost pile:

1.) Make Sure Compost Pile Isn’t Too Wet

If you’ve got a fungus gnat problem, you should probably allow the compost to dry out somewhat. The most common reason for fungus gnats in a compost pile is wet conditions. Too-wet conditions also prevent proper composting, so this is something you need to address before you do anything else. Compost piles should be about as dry as a wrung-out sponge, and should not seem wet.

2.) Kill Larvae

Sprinkle food-grade Diatomaceous Earth over exposed parts of compost pile – this kills some of the gnats and larvae, but is completely harmless to humans. Diatomaceous Earth is very sharp on a micro level, and will pierce the outside of tiny bugs or larvae, killing them. Yet to macro creatures like dogs, cats and humans, Diatomaceous Earth is completely harmless and can even be eaten

If you have an extreme fungus gnat problem, use a Pest treatment with “bacillus thuringiensis” (subspecies “israelensis” is best), for example Mosquito Bits, Mosquito Dunks, etc. Sometimes known as “BT.” Dry or powder formulations work best for fungus gnats. Break it up and sprinkle over top of compost, add water to “activate” the bacteria so it starts killing fungus gnat larvae.

After you’ve made sure the compost pile isn’t too wet, cover pile with tarp or plastic sheeting. This helps disrupt the life cycle of fungus gnats.

You also might want to consider keeping your compost in a bin with a lid so bugs can’t get in or out. In some places, this is actually a requirement due to local regulations.

3.) Compost Pile Maintenance

Generally, it’s not recommended to add kitchen scraps to a compost pile for cannabis, since cannabis requires specific ratios of nutrients to provide the best growth which can’t be achieved easily with kitchen scraps. However, if you are adding new kitchen waste to your compost pile, bury it in the middle of the pile so it’s not on top for the fungus gnats (or fruit flies) to feed on. Learn about how to compost your own organic super soil (using this method, it’s very unlikely you will be hit by fungus gnats or fruit flies).

Some growers will cover their compost pile with items that have a lot of carbon, such as cardboard, shredded paper, or brown leaves. This also disrupts the fungus gnat life cycle, but tarp or plastic sheeting is easier. If you’ve mixed your compost pile properly using a proven cannabis composting recipe, it is unlikely that you will need to add extra carbon to prevent fungus gnats.

Turn over the compost heap regularly if fungus gnats are a constant problem because compost pile is too wet – this helps mix everything well so compost dries out quickly, and also prevents pockets of fungus gnat larvae from taking hold

Well-maintained compost piles typically become very hot during the composting process, so with all the steps above, and with no way for the larvae to escape through the plastic sheeting, the composting process should cook any remaining larvae and kill them.

Get the Stuff to Fight off a Fungus Gnat Invasion!

Yellow Sticky Cards – Kills adult fungus gnats and gives you a good idea of their current population.

Table Fan – They can’t lay eggs if they can’t fly or land!

Diatomaceous Earth – Kills larvae faster than I can correctly spell ‘diatomaceous’!

Mosquito Bits – Once crushed and watered, they release a bacteria that doesn’t like larvae. Totally safe for plants, though!

Jump to…

7-Step Remedy to 99% of Cannabis Growing Problems

P ictures of Marijuana Problems

How to Water Plants Perfectly Every Time

Overwatering Explained

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Broad Mites

Nebula Haze — Thu, 19 Oct 2017 16:29:11 +0000

by Nebula Haze

Broad mites (Polyphagotarsonemus latus) on your cannabis plants are so tiny they are practically impossible to spot with the naked eye. They are about 1/3 the size of a spider mite, and therefore broad mites are even difficult to see under a microscope. Most growers notice the symptoms of broad mites on their cannabis plants long before they ever see a broad mite or broad mite eggs.

With broad mites, the new growth may be twisted, blistered and “wet” looking. If your marijuana plant is flowering, the buds may turn brown and die.

These cannabis broad mite damage pics were taken by Hosttrevor (thank you!)

Dark-colored broad mite under 100x magnification by David B. Langston (University of Georgia)

Broad Mite Symptoms:

Bugs are so small they are difficult to see without magnification
Under a microscope, you can see that they have 6 legs when young (as larvae), and 8 legs as adults
Symptoms are often confused for heat stress, overwatering, a pH imbalance, or root problems
New growth may be twisted or drooping
Leaves may be, blistered or “wet” looking
Leaves may be turned up at the edges
Broad mites don’t attack all parts of the plant evenly; symptoms are worse in certain spots where the infestation is concentrated
In the flowering stage, buds may become sickly and die

One of the main symptoms of broad mites on cannabis is that the newest growth is coming in twisted.

Edges may turn up as if the plant is suffering from heat stress, but with broad the leaves take on a glossy, almost plastic-like appearance. Eventually affected leaves turn yellow or bronze and die.

The main way to spot an infestation is the damage they leave behind because usually the mites themselves are too small to see. They like to hang out inside inside your plants, where they can live and lay eggs without you seeing them.

Some broad mites appear white or yellow colored. Picture by Bruce Watt from the University of Maine.

Sometimes the symptoms can be confused for tobacco mosaic virus. Leaf symptoms from broad mites are also commonly misdiagnosed as overwatering, a nutrient deficiency or heat damage.

One of the biggest reasons broad mites can be so difficult to diagnose is you rarely see any signs of bugs, and you don’t see bites on the leaves. For many people, they don’t even realize a bug infestation is happening.

Sometimes top leaves droop. In this pic you can see that part of the droopy leaves are getting that blistered, wet appearance from broad mites.

The following marijuana plant has been treated for broad mites and is starting to recover. You can see the newest growth looks matte and healthy, while the damaged leaves from before still look glossy and blistered.

It’s great if your plant is starting to look healthy again, but even if your plant appears to be recovering, don’t stop on weekly treatments for at least a few weeks. The broad mites could still be there waiting to take over the plant again! They are the masters of hiding and waiting.

Unfortunately, broad mites are probably one of the hardest marijuana pests to get rid of. They lay their eggs inside the plant which makes it very difficult to kill their eggs!

Broad mite under 100x magnification, by Chazz Hesselein

Solution: How to Get Rid of Broad Mites On Cannabis

Once you’ve actually identified that you have broad mites, it’s time to get rid of them! When it comes to broad mites, a lot of the “standard” miticides are not as effective and you’ll notice these particular mites aren’t listed on the labels.

Broad mites can be one of the toughest marijuana pests to get rid of, but it can be done if you stay vigilant.

Immediately and carefully remove infected parts of the plant – if there’s already an infestation in the tissue, you likely won’t be able to save those particular leaves/buds. Your main goal is to stop the infestation from spreading.
Treat often – You may have to treat several times a week or even daily if you have a terrible infestation that won’t go away. This can be very difficult on your plants.
Spray Before Lights Go Out – Whenever treating plants with a spray, do it before the lights go off so that your plant is less likely to get burned.
Read Instructions – Make sure to read the full instructions of each bottle and follow them when treating your plants. You will save yourself a lot of big headaches.
Repeat treatments weekly for 5 more weeks after mites are gone – After you think broad mites are completely gone, don’t stop. Treat your plant with a different treatment at least once a week for 5 additional weeks. If you don’t completely eradicate them they’ll come back with a vengeance and can be even more resistant to whatever you throw at them.

Here’s a Detailed Step-by-Step:

1.) Dispose of known infected plant matter

The parts of the plant that are already infested should be carefully removed and discarded of if possible. This will dramatically reduce the bug numbers, and help save the rest of your plant.

2.) Neem Oil

Neem Oil will leave an unpleasant taste/smell on buds when used to treat flowering plants, so don’t let this stuff get near your buds. There’s also some evidence Neem oil may be harmful to humans so use it with care. That being said, Neem oil is an all-natural remedy (it’s actually the most popular natural pesticide in the world) that is very effective against many different types of bugs and mold, including broad mites.

Neem oil can be rough on your plants so you don’t want to use it more often than you have to because your plants may suffer. However, if you get desperate treating plants daily with Neem oil can be effective at killing broad mites when nothing seems to be working.

3.) Mite-B-Gone

Insecticidal soap-like products that contain fatty acid salts or sulfate esters weaken the outer shell of mites but are safe for humans and don’t leave much of a residue. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) is a sulfate ester that’s particularly good against mites.

With soaps and similar products, coverage is very important as it does not stay on your plant for long, so follow-up applications may be necessary. Although this is considered safe, avoid getting any on your buds so it doesn’t affect the taste/smell!

Mite Killer Spray by Mite-B-Gone

4.) Standard insecticidal soap

Fatty acid salts or insecticidal soaps can help against broad mites. They weaken the outer shell of broad mites but are safe to use on your plants and they don’t leave much of a residue which could kill beneficial bugs in your garden.

Follow the directions and avoid getting any on your buds because it can affect the taste or smell.

This probably won’t get rid of broad mites on its own, but it is less harsh on your plants than some of the other options and so it can be a great way to supplement the other treatments you’re doing by bringing down their numbers.

Natria Insecticidal Soap Insect Killer

5.) Earth’s Ally 3-in-1 Plant Spray (organic)

Earth’s Ally 3-in-1 Plant Spray is a mix of various horticultural oils which are organic and safe for humans. It is effective against many soft-bodied bugs, including broad mites to some extent, when the cannabis plants are treated regularly. Unfortunately, it only stays effective on the plant for about 24 hours so you will want to either apply this daily or (better idea) combine with other options and rotate between them. You will need a mister (also called a “One-Hand Pressure Sprayer”) to spray all the leaves evenly.

Earth’s Ally 3-in-1 Plant Spray + Mister

6.) Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous Earth is basically fossil dust that can be sprinkled on the top of your soil, and anywhere else in your room (window sills, doorways, etc). This powder-like substance is harmless to mammals and plants but is incredibly sharp at the microscopic level. Therefore it will tear and dehydrate broad mites on physical contact. This will not get rid of an infestation but can help prevent, control, and slow things down when used effectively. When it comes to broad mites, you want to use every tool you can.

7.) Heat

Broad mites don’t like the heat above 90°F (32°C). Some growers will try to get rid of them by on small plants or clones by dunking the plants in hot water (105°F / 40°C) for 10-20 minutes. I’ve also heard of growers try to reduce their number by overheating the grow space to 115°F (46°C) for an hour. Be careful as this can be dangerous if you don’t take safety precautions, and any heat method strong enough to kill the mites will likely hurt your plants.

8.) Predatory Mites

Some types of predatory mites, like Neoseiulus type mites, love to eat broad mites. Supplementing your garden with extra predators can help bring down broad mite numbers. However, it’s not enough to fix the problem on their own and unfortunately, a lot of the other remedies on this page will also kill predatory mites.

If you don’t want to use pesticides, or want some extra help, get predatory mites to help eat all your broad mites.

9.) AgroMagen GrowSafe (Organic)

GrowSafe by AgroMagen is a natural miticide that claims to be effective against broad mites. I am not very familiar with this product, but have heard good things about it. Given how tough this pest can be to get rid of, I wanted to make sure I included every possible option. From what I understand you will need to spray more than once and this is best combined with at least one other treatment. You will need a mister (also called a “One-Hand Pressure Sprayer”) to spray all the leaves evenly.

GrowSafe (plus a mister) kills broad mites and almost any mite (including hemp russet mites and spider mites)

More Cannabis Pests, Bugs & Viruses

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Crickets

Nebula Haze — Sun, 14 Aug 2016 02:13:00 +0000

by Nebula Haze

Crickets will happily eat your cannabis plants and leave small holes in your leaves. Mole crickets may be found digging around your plant roots. If you see this pest, it’s a good idea to get rid of them before they build up in numbers! That being said, crickets aren’t a common problem when it comes to cannabis plants, especially compared to grasshoppers.

Tree crickets have been known to chew on cannabis leaves

Young Cricket on Cannabis Leaf

This is a common tree cricket (Genus Oecanthus), also known as an adult snowy tree cricket, sunning itself on a hemp leaf.

Melissa Schreiner, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org

Mole Cricket – these can tunnel under your cannabis plants like moles

Solution: How to Get Rid of Crickets on Cannabis

Crickets will eat holes out of your cannabis leaves (or tunnel under your plants in the case of mole crickets), and you don’t want that! If it’s just one or two crickets you may not notice any symptoms but if your plants start getting infested with them you’ll noticed tons of spots where they have been munching on your leaves.

1.) Check regularly for signs of crickets, especially at night

The best way to prevent a cricket infestation (or any bug infestation really) is to catch them as soon as possible! They come out at night so it’s a good idea to keep an eye out in the evenings. Avoid leaving lights on at night because that attracts them (plus light at night can also mess up your cannabis light periods)! Also make sure to clean your yard and get rid of unnecessary leaf litter, mulch, etc. Crickets can also be attracted to garbage so seal your garbage can up tight!

2.) Cricket Bait & Cricket Traps

Cricket bait or traps can be used to lure crickets and capture them. Sometimes they are very effective. Although this won’t get rid of an infestation, it can really help cut down on the numbers of crickets, making your other methods more effective. One of the cool things about this is that it doesn’t have any poison or insecticide, it’s just luring crickets and trapping them.

Crickets are attracted to light, so anything that lures them can be even more effective if you combine the trap with a light source.

You may need a lot of traps if you have a lot of crickets!

3.) Spinosad

Spinosad Products (safe & organic) – Spinosad products are organic and completely harmless to pets, children, and plants. Spinosad products can be used directly to kill crickets on contact and should be sprayed liberally all over the plant. Although maybe not as strong against pests as some of the more harsh insecticides, it does work and it’s very safe for plants, animals and humans. WARNING: Commercial growers click here.

Spinosad is an organic insecticide made from the fermentation of a specific soil bacteria (actinomycete Saccharopolyspora spinosa) and kills crickets via ingestion or contact by effecting the insect’s nervous system. Spinosad can be a good choice for organic and outdoor growers, because it is very toxic to grasshoppers , but is less toxic to many beneficial insects, bug predators and spiders.

Note: Most spinosad products are effective for only about 24 hours after being mixed with water, so only mix as much as you will need per application. Anything left over will be waste.

You will need a mister (also called a “One-Hand Pressure Sprayer”) to cover all the leaves evenly when spraying them with spinosad products.

4.) Insecticidal soaps

Fatty acid salts or insecticidal soaps can be a good choice against crickets. They weaken the outer shell of crickets but are safe to use on your plants and they don’t leave much of a residue which could kill beneficial bugs in your garden.

With soaps, coverage is very important as it does not stay on your plant for long, so follow-up applications may be necessary. Although this is considered safe, avoid getting any on your buds!

Natria is an effective insecticidal soap. In the case of mole crickets that are tunneling under your plant, also apply this to the ground.

5.) Neem Oil

Neem Oil will leave an unpleasant taste/smell on buds when used to treat flowering plants, so again, don’t let this stuff get near your buds! There’s also some evidence Neem oil may be harmful to humans so use with care! That being said, Neem oil is an all-natural remedy that is very effective against many different types of bugs and mold, including crickets. You will need a mister (also called a “One-Hand Pressure Sprayer”) to spray all the leaves evenly, since neem oil and water can separate easily.

In the case of mole crickets that are tunneling under your plant, also apply this to the ground.

6.) Essentria IC3

Essentria IC3 Insecticide is a mix of various horticultural oils that is organic and safe for humans. It is often marketed as a “bed bug killer” but it can be effective against crickets when the plants are treated regularly. Unfortunately it only stays effective on the plant for about 8 hours so you will want to either apply this daily or combine with other options. You will need a mister (also called a “One-Hand Pressure Sprayer”) to spray all the leaves evenly.

7.) Floating row covers

These may not be the best choice for all cannabis growers, but these are very cheap and effective against crickets because it physically prevents them from getting to your plants, while still letting light in to your plants. You can also water your plants through the netting. These are sometimes used to make mini “green houses” on the plants, or some grower will just drap them over the plant as they’re so light and airy they don’t really bother the plant.

Floating row covers look like thin netting or mesh

8.) Pyrethrin

Pyrethrin-based insecticides are not very toxic for humans and degrade quickly, which is why they’re commonly recommended for vegetable gardens. You will need a mister (also called a “One-Hand Pressure Sprayer”) to spray all the leaves evenly.

In the case of mole crickets that are tunneling under your plant, also apply this to the ground.

Use pyrethrin products in the evening to help prevent harm to bees.

A popular example is Bonide 857 Pyrethrin Spray Concentrate. Use 3 tablespoons of concentrate per gallon of water.

Jump to…

Get the Solution to Grasshoppers!

The post Crickets appeared first on Grow Weed Easy.

Grasshoppers

Nebula Haze — Sun, 14 Aug 2016 01:52:42 +0000

by Nebula Haze

How to Identify Grasshopper Damage (on Leaves and Stems)

Grasshoppers (and sometimes locusts, which are basically just grasshoppers with wings) happily eat your cannabis leaves, leaving holes, defoliating entire plants, and living among the branches. They can also eat through stems, killing the entire branch, or even cause entire plants to fall over from the massive damage. They leave surprisingly large brown poops (“frass”) on your plants. Grrrrr. If you see this pest, or signs of grasshopper damage, it’s a good idea to get rid of them before they build up in numbers.

Grasshoppers may look cute but they love to munch on cannabis leaves!

Many of the following pictures of grasshoppers on cannabis and grasshopper leaf damage are by Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org. (They are the pictures with the black bars and white numbers in the lower right). He has taken dozens if not hundreds of pictures of various pests on marijuana plants to help with bug identification, and his work is greatly appreciated!

Example of grasshopper leaf damage

A grasshopper chilling on a cannabis leaf. Get away from there! This is a differential grasshopper (Melanoplus differentials) full of eggs.

Example of stem damage from the spur-throated grasshoppers (Melanoplus sp.)

You can sometimes see signs of healed stem damage on your branches. This cannabis stem damage from grasshoppers is often mistaken as being from a large animal like a deer.

The grasshoppers ate the stem of this cannabis leaf, so the whole leaf started drooping.

This branch was completely stripped bare by two-striped grasshoppers. One apparently got full halfway and is just dozing and enjoying the weather.

Grasshoppers leave little brown poops (“frass”) on your cannabis leaves, too! Yes, those came from a grasshopper.

Different types of grasshopper damage on cannabis plants

Here are several more pictures of grasshopper damage on cannabis and hemp leaves:

Grasshoppers eat holes and put visible bites in the leaves

Here are a lot more examples of holes in cannabis leaves caused by grasshoppers, to help you compare with the damage you’re seeing.

Grasshoppers eat through stems and can cause branches or plants to fall

Here are several examples of grasshopper stem damage and breaking branches.

Grasshoppers ate through the stem and caused the entire stem (and bud site) to fall and die. These bugs are vicious to cannabis plants!

The two-stripped grasshopper ate this cannabis stem totally bare! Check out this extensive grasshopper stem damage.

Old grasshopper stem damage on a weed plant:

Grasshoppers can eat the leaves of an entire crop of cannabis almost overnight

The two-striped grasshopper species (Melanoplus bivittatus) decimated this hemp field. Many of the hemp plants have no leaves. Some plants look like barren sticks.

Grasshoppers leave poop on the leaves

I was pretty shocked when I learned that this is what grasshopper poop looks like! It’s like a fairy pooped on your plant lol If you see these on your leaves, it’s a sign that grasshoppers have been eating a ton of plants in the nearby area.

Common grasshopper species that attack cannabis plants

Examples of different species of grasshoppers that attack hemp or marijuana plants.

This is the “Differential Grasshopper” (Melanoplus differentials). This is a common and voracious cannabis pest in North America.

The Differential Grasshopper (Melanoplus differentials) can have somewhat different colors. Grasshoppers are typically active during the day or at dawn/dusk. Here are two more as darkness falls:

This female Differential Grasshopper (Melanoplus differentials) is tan / brown in color and full of eggs.

Black Differential grasshopper (Melanoplus differentials). This species of grasshopper also has a black / melanistic form.

Lakin grasshopper (Melanoplus lakinus) is another common cannabis pest species of grasshoppers.

Another Lakin grasshopper (Melanoplus lakinus) living its best life on a hemp plant.

Example of a Migratory grasshopper (Melanoplus sanguinipes) on a cannabis plant.

Here’s an example of a bunch of bold two-striped grasshoppers (Melanoplus bivittatus) chilling on a stem they stripped bare.

This is an unknown species of cannabis grasshopper pest. Contact us if you can identify the species! (and don’t hesitate to submit any cannabis pest pictures to share!)

Thank you to Whitney Cranshaw for generously providing grasshopper pictures to the cannabis-growing community!

Thank you Whitney Cranshaw of Colorado University for contributing many of these grasshopper images. We appreciate everything you do for the cannabis-growing community.

Solution: How to Get Rid of Grasshoppers (and Locusts) on Cannabis

Grasshoppers will eat holes out of your cannabis leaves, and you don’t want that! If it’s just one or two grasshoppers you may not notice any symptoms but if your plants start getting infested with them you’ll notice tons of spots where they have been munching on your leaves. If an infestation gets out of hand your plants can be seriously affected.

1.) Check regularly for signs of grasshoppers, especially when it’s dry

The best way to prevent a grasshopper infestation (or any bug infestation really) is to catch them as soon as possible. So make sure to look over your cannabis plants on a regular basis.

Inspect plants regularly for grasshoppers and/or grasshopper damage

2.) Make sure to keep the lawn clean, and grass mowed short

Grasshoppers love grass. They don’t just eat it but also lay their eggs on it. If you reduce the amount of grass, it may help lower their numbers.

Mow lawn weekly and keep grow area clean. Shorter grass takes away grasshopper food and a place to lay eggs.

3.) Insecticidal soaps

Fatty acid salts or insecticidal soaps can be a good choice against grasshoppers. They weaken the outer shell of grasshoppers but are safe to use on your plants and they don’t leave much of a residue which could kill beneficial bugs in your garden.

With soaps, coverage is very important as it does not stay on your plant for long, so follow-up applications may be necessary. Although this is considered safe, avoid getting any on your buds.

Get insecticidal soap with a sprayer attached.

Or save money by getting the Insecticidal soap concentrate to mix with water and use your own sprayer.

4.) Neem Oil

Neem Oil will leave an unpleasant taste/smell on buds when used to treat flowering plants, so again, don’t let this stuff get near your buds! There’s also some evidence Neem oil may be harmful to humans so use with care. That being said, Neem oil is an all-natural remedy that is very effective against many different types of bugs and mold, including grasshoppers. You will need a mister (also called a “One-Hand Pressure Sprayer”) to spray all the leaves evenly, since neem oil and water can separate easily.

If you use a Neem Oil concentrate to mix with water, make sure to use a sprayer to evenly coat all the leaves.

5.) Sevin – Only for vegetative stage, not for buds!

Sevin Insect Killer Spray is very effective against grasshoppers and almost immediately kills them on contact. The main ingredient is 0.35% Zeta-Cypermethrin. However, you should not get this spray on your cannabis buds. It’s best to use in the vegetative stage, and make sure to stop as soon as you see even baby buds forming.

It’s important if you use Sevin Insect Killer Spray to make sure that you let it COMPLETELY dry before you or any pets come into contact with the plants.

Note: Sevin is not allowed in some places due to local laws.

Hook up this version of Sevin Insect Killer to a garden hose to use.

6.) Floating row covers

These may not be the best choice for all cannabis growers, but these are very cheap and effective against grasshoppers because it physically prevents them from getting to your plants, while still letting light in to your plants. You can also water your plants through the netting. These are sometimes used to make mini “green houses” on the plants, or some grower will just drap them over the plant as they’re so light and airy they don’t really bother the plant.

Floating row covers look like thin netting or mesh

7.) Natural predators

Anything that eats grasshoppers can’t hurt, but this is not a complete solution and should never be combined with any kind of pesticide or insecticide.

For example, I’ve seen growers allow their chickens to feed on bugs on their cannabis or hemp plants.

8.) Pyrethrin

Pyrethrin-based insecticides are not very toxic for humans and degrade quickly, which is why they’re often recommended for vegetable gardens. You will need a mister (also called a “One-Hand Pressure Sprayer”) to spray all the leaves evenly.

Pyrethrin products break down quickly, over the course of just a day or two. So you will need to re-apply often.

The major problem with them is they are very toxic to bees. Although cannabis plants generally don’t attract a lot of bees, please use this as a last resort, and also try to use it right after the sun goes down because bees sleep at night. This lets it start to break down before they wake up.

Use pyrethrin products when the sun goes down! Save the bees!

A popular example is Bonide 857 Pyrethrin Spray Concentrate. Use 3 tablespoons of concentrate per gallon of water.

9.) Spinosad (not for commercial growers) – Organic but not the best against grasshoppers

Note: Spinosad is hit or miss with grasshoppers. Some outdoor cannabis growers claim it helps, other growers say it didn’t make a difference. I thought it was worth including just in case you already had some and want to give it a ty.

Spinosad Products (safe & organic) – Spinosad products are organic and completely harmless to pets, children, and plants. Spinosad products can be used directly to kill grasshoppers on contact and should be sprayed liberally anywhere you see grasshoppers and especially under the leaves. Although maybe not as strong against pests as some of the more harsh insecticides, it does work and it’s very safe for plants, animals, and humans!

Spinosad is an organic insecticide made from the fermentation of a specific soil bacteria (actinomycete Saccharopolyspora spinosa) and kills grasshoppers via ingestion or contact by affecting the insect’s nervous system. Spinosad can be a good choice for organic and outdoor growers, because it is very toxic to many common cannabis pests, but is less toxic to many beneficial insects and spiders.

Note: Most spinosad products are effective for only about 24 hours after being mixed with water, so only mix as much as you will need per application. Anything left over will be waste.

Note 2: You won’t see grasshoppers die on contact. It takes a few days for Spinosad to work. Grasshoppers need to ingest it and then let it work.

WARNING: Commercial growers click here!

You will need a mister (also called a “One-Hand Pressure Sprayer”) to cover all the leaves evenly when spraying them with spinosad products.

Jump to…

What Do Leafhoppers Look Like?

The post Grasshoppers appeared first on Grow Weed Easy.

Leafhoppers

Nebula Haze — Fri, 05 Aug 2016 05:17:42 +0000

by Nebula Haze

Table of Contents

Solution: How to Get Rid of Leafhoppers

Does your cannabis plant have leafhoppers? Is it suffering from “Weed Hopperburn Disorder”? Do you see white specks on leaves? Leafhoppers are cannabis pests for outdoor growers. Many species of leafhoppers happily munch on your marijuana leaves or mate on your cannabis plants. Depending on the species they may leave spots on the leaves. If the pest is a potato leafhopper, it may cause a disorder known as “hopperburn” which causes the ends of leaves to die. Beet leafhoppers can also spread certain plant diseases like beet curly top virus, so get rid of leafhoppers quick!

The following leafhopper is a very common type of leafhopper known officially as Graphocephala coccinea but common names include: “candy-striped” leafhopper, “red-banded” leafhopper, “scarlet and green” leafhopper and “red and blue” leafhopper.

This leafhopper is a very common type of leafhopper found on cannabis plants in North and Central America. Often accompanied by white specks on the cannabis leaves.

The potato leafhopper from the eastern U.S. is a common outdoor cannabis pest (thanks to Whitney Cranshaw for these images). This is a potato leafhopper nymph (not the adult form).

Another example of the potato leafhopper in nymph form.

The beet leafhopper is a common host for Beet Curly Top Virus, and easily spreads the disease while feeding. Photographer: A.C. Magyarosy

Nymph of a different leafhopper species (Ceratagallia uhleri)

Melissa Schreiner, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org

Potato leafhopper damage (“hopperburn”) on a cannabis plant – This was in the eastern U.S. from a potato leafhopper (Emposaca fabae). These leafhoppers feed on the plant’s inner juices, which seems to be toxic to some strains of cannabis. Most other plants in the same field were unaffected. Check out this PDF information sheet about hopperburn from Whitney Cranshaw of Colorado State University.

Note: Only the potato leafhopper causes “hopperburn” looks like this. I have not seen examples of other leafhoppers causing these symptoms.

There are at least 20,000 different types of leafhoppers, and they can come in lots of different variations from solid to stripes. Colors can range from bright red, green, yellow, blue, pink, torquoise, purple, brown, tan, and even black.

This green striped leafhopper is common on hemp plants

Some leafhoppers are dark colored

This is the “blue green sharpshooter” bug, which can carry diseases to cannabis plants.

These tan leafhoppers (beet leafhoppers) spread diseases and viruses to cannabis plants (image credit: Colorado State University)

Leafhoppers are more likely to strike your plants when it’s dry, as they want moisture from the leaves.

When it comes to getting rid of leafhoppers, it doesn’t matter which type of leafhopper you have, because the remedies will work on all species. If you see leafhoppers, the remedies below should get rid of them.

Pictures of More Leafhoppers

Different types of leafhoppers can look very different from each other so it can be difficult to identify them sometimes. To make things even more confusing, each species has different forms depending on the current stage of life.

The shape of their head and bodies can be different, but the overall structure of leafhoppers always stay the same no matter what species is attacking your marijuana plants.

They have 6 legs. You can usually see two sets of legs from above, but often one set can appear hidden or more difficult to see. The back legs are often hairy or jagged looking, and are used to help the bug jump
They have wings that lay flat against the body
They sort of “slide” sideways when they move, often hiding from you by flipping to the other side of the leaf when they catch you looking
They also jump as I’m sure you’d expect by their name 🙂

Other examples of leafhoppers (different species and stages of life)

Notice how with the following two examples you can’t really see the third set of legs from above, so it looks like each bug only has four legs. This can sometimes be confusing if you’re looking for an insect with 6 legs!

Now that you know you’ve got leafhoppers on your cannabis plants, how do you get rid of them?

Solution: How to Get Rid of Leafhoppers on Cannabis

Leafhoppers suck sap out of your cannabis leaves, and you don’t want that! If it’s just one or two bugs you may not notice any symptoms but if your plants start getting infested with leafhoppers you’ll noticed tons of spots where they have been biting your leaves. If you let an infestation get out of hand your affected leaves will start yellowing and dying.

1.) Check regularly for signs of leafhoppers, especially when it’s dry

The best way to prevent a leafhopper infestation (or any bug infestation really) is to catch them as soon as possible. Leafhoppers will suck sap moisture out of cannabis leaves most often when it’s dry, because they get thirsty, so that’s a good time to check.

Make sure to look under leaves and all around the plants, as they will try to hide from you, often gliding across the leaf to the other side so you can’t see it.

2.) Spinosad (not for commercial growers)

Spinosad Products (safe & organic) – Spinosad products are organic and completely harmless to pets, children, and plants. Spinosad products can be used directly to kill leafhoppers on contact and should be sprayed liberally anywhere you see leafhoppers, especially under the leaves. Although maybe not as strong against pests as some of the more harsh insecticides, it does work and it’s very safe for plants, animals, and humans!

WARNING: Commercial growers click here!

Spinosad is an organic insecticide made from the fermentation of a specific soil bacteria (actinomycete Saccharopolyspora spinosa) and kills leafhoppers via ingestion or contact by effecting the insect’s nervous system. Spinosad can be a good choice for organic and outdoor growers, because it is very toxic to leafhoppers, but is less toxic to many beneficial insects, bug predators and spiders.

Note: Most spinosad products are effective for only about 24 hours after being mixed with water, so only mix as much as you will need per application. Anything left over will be waste.

You will need a mister (also called a “One-Hand Pressure Sprayer”) to cover all the leaves evenly when spraying them with spinosad products.

3.) Insecticidal soaps

Fatty acid salts or insecticidal soaps can be a good choice against leafhoppers. They weaken the outer shell of leafhoppers but are safe to use on your plants and they don’t leave much of a residue which could kill beneficial bugs in your garden.

With soaps, coverage is very important as it does not stay on your plant for long, so follow-up applications may be necessary. Although this is considered safe, avoid getting any on your buds!

4.) Neem Oil

Neem Oil will leave an unpleasant taste/smell on buds when used to treat flowering plants, so again, don’t let this stuff get near your buds! There’s also some evidence Neem oil may be harmful to humans so use with care! That being said, Neem oil is an all-natural remedy that is very effective against many different types of bugs and mold, including leafhoppers. You will need a mister (also called a “One-Hand Pressure Sprayer”) to spray all the leaves evenly, since neem oil and water can separate easily.

5.) Beneficial Insects

Beneficial insects, such as lady beetles, parasitic wasps, lady bugs, and lacewings may eat large numbers of leafhoppers and are welcome guests in the garden. Although you can order beneficial insects to release around your plants, they do tend to fly away in just a day or two.

Ladybugs are good insects to have around the garden – they eat leafhoppers and other annoying cannabis pests

6.) Floating row covers

These may not be the best choice for all cannabis growers, but these are very cheap and effective against leafhoppers because it physically prevents them from getting to your plants, while still letting light in to your plants. You can also water your plants through the netting. These are sometimes used to make mini “green houses” on the plants, or some grower will just drap them over the plant as they’re so light and airy they don’t really bother the plant.

Floating row covers look like thin netting or mesh

7.) Pyrethrin

Pyrethrin based insecticides are not very toxic for humans, and therefore they’re commonly recommended for vegetable gardens. You will need a mister (also called a “One-Hand Pressure Sprayer”) to spray all the leaves evenly since pyrethrin concentrate and water can separate easily.

Use pyrethrin products as the sun goes down to help reduce possible harm to bees.

A popular example is Bonide 857 Pyrethrin Spray Concentrate. Use 3 tablespoons of concentrate per gallon of water.

Jump to…