Recognize parasites and infestations, defend yourself and treat plants
APHIDS
They are certainly among the most annoying and feared parasites among growers, they reproduce at high speed and move quickly, creating devastating effects in a short time on entire crops.
Furthermore, aphids are vehicles for other diseases and viruses that will appear on the plantation.
The aphids, commonly greyish and black in colour, in some cases also colored green or pink, can be from 1 mm to 3 mm large.
This parasite sucks the sap of the plant and is particularly fond of cannabis.
It is very important to avoid and fight them, below we will see how to do it.
Recognizing Aphids:
It is not difficult to recognize aphids, because they reproduce rapidly and can be found in large groups, from ten to a hundred, grouped together.
Infected plant symptoms:
You will immediately be able to see colonies of Aphids clustered on the underside of the leaves and stems. The leaves will look shabby, yellow and dry out.
As the infestation progresses you will see an oily substance similar to honey in appearance that is produced by the aphids' anus. This substance causes the onset of black mold, sooty mold.
You will often see the appearance of ants, in fact aphids and ants have a close relationship because the ants use the substance produced by the aphids and the latter receive protection from other insects they prey on.
The usual period of appearance is spring, so it is even more important to pay attention to the environment surrounding the cultivation as well as to the plants themselves. The possible presence of ants could be a sign of the presence of the parasite.
What conditions can cause the presence of Aphids?
High ambient temperature
Low humidity
Excessive fertilization
Prevention:
Preventing parasites in general and aphids in particular from attacking your plant is very important. The main rule is always prevention.
Keep the cultivation area clean by removing plant residues that can decompose.
If you work indoors, try not to bring foreign elements inside, use a clean protective suit or newly worn clothing.
Give your plants natural pesticides and products that strengthen the immune defenses such as Neem Oil , Silicate , potassium soap.
How to deal with aphids infestation?
Clean your plant manually, washing away the parasites, using gloves or a sponge, preferably wet with Neem Oil.
Introducing predatory insects, the best natural solution to eradicate infestations, even if complicated to adopt, these are the suitable species:
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Chysoperla or lacewings
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Parasitic wasp Aphidius matricariae.
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Ladybugs
Or:
Mushroom Verticillium lecani
Fumigate the plants with Pyrethrum a couple of times every 5 10 days
All information contained is for informational and educational purposes only. We urge all users not to make any practical use of this information in connection with cannabis seeds. In fact, let us remember that:
In Italy the cultivation of cannabis seeds is prohibited (Art. 28 and 73 of Presidential Decree 309/90) if you do not have a specific authorization (Art. 17 Presidential Decree 309/90)
Therefore, cannabis seeds may be used exclusively for collecting purposes and for genetic preservation and are marketed with the reservation that they are not used by third parties in conflict with the law. Cannabis seeds are excluded from Presidential Decree 309/90, which means that they are not to be considered narcotic substances (L. 412 of 1974, Art. 1, Paragraph 1, Letter B; New York single convention on narcotics of 1961 and table 1 Ministry of Health decree 11 April 2006).
