Cultural practices have everything to do with human behavior. People are one of the greatest vectors for pest infections. Particularly, the gardener themselves. There are a number of things that gardeners do that increase your chances of bringing in pests. Here, I’ll outline the behaviors I focus on to try and keep my medical cannabis garden free of pests.
- Wear a fresh change of clothes – mold spores, mites, and other pests love to hitch a ride. This mean you shouldn’t mow your lawn or go for a hike prior to visiting your garden. However, this won’t matter as much if you are in the habit of putting on a fresh change of clothes. A dedicated pair of shoes for the cannabis garden is a reasonable idea as well.
- Avoid visiting a second garden – I often have the privilege of visiting other grows. I visit one caregiver’s garden quite frequently. Tagging on to the first item, I’m sure to change clothes in between because I don’t know which pests might be hitching a ride.
- Use extreme caution when adopting cuttings from someone else.
- Take precautions when bringing in houseplants in the fall.
- Avoid growing other plants in the cannabis garden unless they serve a purpose.
- Keep surfaces clean and tidy to reduce the environments pests may survive in.
- Shut the door behind you if possible to prevent flying pests from inviting themselves in.
- Resist the urge to show off your garden to other people. Maybe they were just out for a hike, or fiddling with their own houseplants before coming to see you. I don’t show off my garden to my pets either.
- Scout for pests daily to catch infections early.
- Keep plant waste outside the grow area. Dispose of this material immediately when possible.
- Wash your hands frequently, especially if you are a smoker.
- Rotate soil out of garden when using planting beds. Soil displaced by transplants should be removed and repurposed for something other than cannabis.
- Wash pots and equipment after use.
There are many things the gardener can do in terms of behavior and this list is not complete. If you consistently put these practices into effect they will become second nature and will go a long way to keeping your garden safe from pests.
Happy Harvests!
— The Lit Farmer —
