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Do you have your own cannabis cultivation operation? Be on the lookout for cannabis aphids. They can decimate your crop and leave you without any weed in no time. In this article, the cannabis experts at Green Kartel discuss these pesky little insects and provide tips on preventing, identifying, and eliminating cannabis aphids on your precious potted plants.
What are cannabis aphids? Aphids are tiny winged insects that feed on plant sap. Sap is essentially the lifeblood of all green growing things, so aphids are, in a very real sense, vampires of the plant world. The loss of sap weakens the hemp plant, causing it to turn yellow, wilt, and eventually die. However, sap-sucking is not the only way aphids harm plants. They also serve as vectors, a fancy way of saying they carry and spread plant diseases and viruses. Aphids also leave behind a thick, sticky substance called honeydew, which promotes the growth of a black, sooty mold. If that wasn’t enough, honeydew also attracts ants that can actually protect aphids from predators that want to eat them. If predators cannot eat the aphids, the infestation worsens. Ultimately, aphids are among the most aggressive and destructive pests in temperate regions where cannabis likes to grow. This spells potential disaster for our potted plant friend.
What are cannabis aphids? Scientists have identified approximately 5,000 species of aphids. They vary in size from one to 10 millimeters and range in color from green to black to red to white. The most common types of aphids found in vegetable gardens, where your DIY cultivation operation is most likely located, are typically green and about one millimeter long. However, one aphid, in particular, is concerning when it comes to growing marijuana or CBD flower. The cannabis aphid, specifically the Phorodon cannabis aphid, feeds exclusively on Cannabis sativa plants. They spread when a female aphid flies into your garden or cultivation operation, lands on an uninfected plant, and lays eggs that hatch into a colony in the spring and late summer. While cannabis aphids can wreak havoc on operations of all sizes, they are not yet an uncontrollable problem. There are ways to prevent cannabis aphids from infecting your hemp plants in the first place, as well as other methods to get rid of them if they do.
How to Prevent Cannabis Aphids:
- Choose resistant varieties Certain strains are more resistant to cannabis aphids than others. Common cultivars of this type include:
- Kush and Purple Haze
- Amnesia and Lemon Haze
- Gorilla Glue and Green Crack
Planting these strains doesn’t completely eliminate the threat, but they will help reduce the likelihood of aphids developing on your crop.
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Maintain the right temperature and humidity Most garden pests prefer what we, humans, consider the warm and humid conditions of deep summer. We’re talking temperatures in the 80s with humidity above 70%. If you’re growing your plant outdoors, there’s not much you can do to control these variables. However, if you’re cultivating your cannabis in a greenhouse or indoors, you can take measures to maintain the right temperature and humidity at all times. Marijuana plants thrive at temperatures between 18 to 25 degrees Celsius with humidity levels between 40 and 50%. While this doesn’t reduce the possibility of cannabis aphids to zero, these numbers are at the lower limit of what insects can tolerate, making them less likely to thrive.
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Ensure abundant airflow Another way to prevent an infestation is to ensure ample airflow. Cannabis aphids love stagnant (still) air. Installing a few fans is an easy way to maintain airflow around your growing plants.
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Keep a watchful eye on problems Catching an aphid outbreak early is the best way to prevent your harvest from failing. This requires keeping a close eye on the tiny pests. If you spot one or two aphids and are certain of what you’re looking at, move on to the “How to Get Rid of Cannabis Aphids” section for suggestions on saving your plants. If you’re unsure whether that little crawling thing on your greens is an aphid or not, refer to the next section for tips on identifying the little buggers.
How to Spot Cannabis Aphids:
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Look under the leaves Cannabis aphids love to hide under marijuana leaves. This protects them from any flying predators that may come their way and gives them access to the plant’s most tender areas. From there, they insert their stylet into the stem and suck sap. Unfortunately, they are so small that you won’t see the actual physical damage they cause. What you will see is the trail of destruction they leave behind.
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Look for sooty mold While feeding, cannabis aphids secrete a clear, sticky substance called honeydew. This honeydew serves as the perfect growth medium for a black fungal infection that looks like sooty mold. So, even if you don’t see the aphids eating, you will see where they were when the mold starts growing on your marijuana plants.
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Search for exoskeletons As cannabis aphids grow, they shed their skins and leave behind tiny exoskeletons as evidence of their presence. Again, you may not see a single aphid exoskeleton, but if enough of them gather and shed their skins at the same time, you may see a pile of light brown papery substance left behind.
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Look for drooping and discolored leaves Ultimately, the presence of cannabis aphids means your plant will suffer a dramatic decrease in sap. Without enough sustenance to support the plant, leaves will droop, turn discolored (yellowish), and eventually curl and wilt. Unfortunately, once you spot the signs of cannabis aphids, the infestation is already well underway. However, this doesn’t mean all is lost. You can still salvage your plants.
How to Get Rid of Cannabis Aphids:
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Water wash While water is not technically an insecticide and certainly does not kill cannabis aphids, we included it in this list because it is a viable way to wash them off your potted plants. Simply spray the plants with water from a garden hose to knock off these suckers. This is by no means a permanent solution as aphids can climb back up the plant stem. Some may die in the process or become prey to ants and spiders, but a few may survive.
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Spray with water-vinegar mixture While vinegar may be something you add to your salad for flavor, for a cannabis aphid, it is deadly. Try mixing this water-vinegar solution as a gentle and organic way to get rid of.