How To Prevent And Handle Aphids on Marijuana Plants

If you are a cannabis grower and you are looking for a good harvest of your marijuana plants, nine times out of ten, you will be meticulously looking for aphids or other pests that would plague your cannabis garden and hinder your plant's development.

We will look at the detrimental effects aphids have on your cannabis garden, how to spot these aphids and how to prevent or control them. For those who do not know what aphids are, let's explore that first.

The Aphids

Aphids are small insects that attack marijuana plants in groups, sucking out its sap. There are more than 4,000 species globally. They are destructive to the smooth cultivation of your marijuana plants.

These insects have different sizes. They can start from 1 millimeter to 10 millimeters. Some are different in color: red, black or white. You can expect to see two narrow antennas on the tip of their heads.

Female aphids have wings and they hatch and give birth to other female aphids or nymphs at the start of spring. After giving birth to the nymphs, they in turn give birth to younger nymphs. In other words, the birthing process is repeated over and over again, which means that you will have a multiplication of aphids in a considerable short period of time.

Aphids will form their true identity of either male or female at the end of the summer. They will mate again, producing eggs for the winter. However, for most aphids, mating is unnecessary. They can reproduce regardless.

You will find aphids on the stems and leaves of your marijuana plants. If the aphids are green in color, it is not easy to spot them. They love hiding under the leaves of the marijuana plants because they like to keep out of direct sight. The leaves of the marijuana plants will curl or wilt when aphids feed on them.

Spotting Aphids

How do you spot aphids on marijuana plants? You can probably or likely see aphids on stems and leaves mostly. They leave signs of their presence such as a sticky substance that is known as honeydew. This honeydew promotes sooty, black mould, which grows to a noticeable size, enough for you to see with the visible eyes.

The honeydew will certainly attract other insects such as ants. This protects the aphids from other voracious insects, increasing infestation. Aphids can cause the leaves of the marijuana plants to change to a yellow color and stunts the growth of the plants. They can transmit diseases and wilt the plants.

Controlling and Preventing Aphids

The aphid population, if it is small, should not pose a huge concern. But, these insects can reproduce quickly, causing large infestations, which negatively impacts the health of your marijuana plants. Colonisers are the culprit of introducing aphids into your cannabis garden.

They lay eggs on your new marijuana plants, which are then colonized. It is difficult to prepare against aphid infestation, especially, if it is an outdoor garden. If the temperature is warm, then it is going to be harder to control or prevent such infestation since this is the type of temperature that aphids love and are attracted to.

If you have an indoor grow room, be sure that the temperature is right (not humid or stagnant). Install fans or have a good ventilation system so you have improved airflow.

Final Thoughts

During spring and summer, be sure to clean the infected areas where infestation is obvious. Prune your marijuana plants on a frequent basis, especially the infected areas. This helps to dispose of the aphids, preventing further infestation. Turn your hose on the marijuana plants once they are pruned.

If you want to learn more about how to grow and protect your marijuana plants, go to the Cannabis Training University now!