By Jasper Shotts and Donald K. Wilson
Damage has been spotted in your garden, but what caused it? Many insects will attack your garden and cannabis/hemp specifically. Aphids, scale insects, snails, mites, gnats, caterpillars, leafhoppers and grasshoppers all pose a significant problem to the outdoor gardener.
First, identify the type of damage that is occurring. Typical damage from insects include yellowing and stunted growth, shiny marks on the leaves and holes in the leaves. The damage will help indicate what type of insect is rampaging your garden. Each type of damage can be caused by multiple types of insects so the best way to identify what is causing the damage is to find the insect in the garden and identify it.
Knowing the damage comes from Grasshoppers can be determined, by knowing what damage looks like. Small holes in the plant indicate the insect attacking has chewing mandibles. This limits the types of insects it could possibly be, making it most likely to be a caterpillar or grasshopper. Grasshoppers will devour your garden and have a voracious appetite for plant matter.
How do you get rid of grasshoppers, so your crop is not ruined? There are a few options once you know it is grasshoppers. Praying mantises have monstrous appetites and will feed on aphids, mosquitoes, leafhoppers, caterpillars and many soft bodied insects when they are young. Older praying mantis will devour hard bodied insects like grasshoppers and crickets. Another natural approach to grasshopper control is through the use of Azadirachtin. Azadirachtin, the main ingredient in Azamax, is best used on immature insects as it interferes with the molting process. If you are overrun by grasshoppers and need an immediate solution, you can turn to pesticides but be careful that they have enough time to break down so that none of those nasty chemicals end up in your cannabis flower.
Article Produced by Green Magi Labs Inc.