And sometimes it happens that the pest wins. You have already tried everything possible, used various means and still the pest infestation, whether mite or fungus always comes back, spreads and then makes your ladies to create. It is not uncommon for growers to suddenly and unintentionally create resistance through incorrect and especially panicked use of biological or especially chemical pesticides. This happens mainly when you do not follow the manufacturer's instructions or you catch a pest that is already resistant. In the worst case, resistance to several active ingredients has developed. Then the matter becomes particularly tough. This means nothing other than: no agent helps anymore and the mites, pests, even fungi remain completely unaffected by various measures.
In such a case only a cut helps - in the truest sense of the word. If it is possible to control the infestation until the plants are ready, you can consider to finish the grow, if the infestation is already advanced or is a fungus in the game, the grow may have to be canceled, because the plants die anyway and you only lose more time. In addition, fungal buds are harmful to health and do not taste good. A plant with fungal infestation often stops its further development anyway and only collapses more and more.
So what to do?
If a pest infestation cannot be eliminated, occurs again and again and also infects new plants, a fresh start is sometimes the best decision. This is the only way to get rid of the pests from your indoor garden for good.
Procedure for a new start
1. harvest all existing plants in the grow room. Then they are either processed or discarded (preferably burned, not on the compost). Keep in mind that pests can still spread on harvested plants and plant parts and cause further damage to the buds.
2. remove everything, really everything from the grow box until it is completely empty. Used soil is disposed of and not further stored near the grow room or in the home.
3. all movable plastic parts, pots, tools, equipment, watering cans are first rinsed with hot water (or steam jet) and then soaked in a large plastic tub or even the bathtub in a 10% chlorine bleach solution or other disinfectant for surfaces for a day. Caution: chlorine vapors are unhealthy and should not be inhaled, ventilate the room. After one day, remove the equipment from the bleach solution and rinse well again with hot water. Store everything in a clean place and not in the room where the contaminated box is still located.
4. now clean the entire room where the grow box is located: all planters, new or used soil, paper objects, magazines, watering cans, watering cans, seedlings,.... are removed, what can not be removed wipe damp with chlorine bleach or treat with disinfectant. Of course, it is always more difficult when the grow box is located in a living room. There can be curtains and countless objects. It is best if in the room where the growbox is located, there are neither textiles nor any other counterparts, generally and in general. But this is the ideal. Wash curtains and other textiles, if possible with disinfectant cleaner. If you can, remove all textiles from the room with your grow box forever. These are breeding grounds for pests, so if there is an infestation, it will be much more difficult to treat with them. So you clean and disinfect all surfaces and the floor of the room where the growbox is located. Electrical equipment, of course, can not be soaked, but only wiped damp with chlorine bleach.
Ona Bleech is a very effective disinfectant for the grow room, equipment and the environment.
5 So, now it's the turn of the grow box itself. First, wash down the walls with disinfectant cleaner or chlorine bleach 5% and a cloth, and then the floor. If you have covered your grow room itself with black and white film, consider just replacing it. Pests like to hide in the smallest cracks. Get yourself a new activated carbon filter.
6. in case of a heavy infestation, consider running a Ozonizer/Ionizer run temporarily for 24 hours in the empty box to completely disinfect all crevices and get rid of any remaining pests. Caution: ozone is not very beneficial to health and can irritate the bronchial tubes, while the ozonizer is running you should not stay in the same room for any length of time (not even animals). After use, ventilate the room well, then stay in it again. The good thing is, the part destroys everything that looks like a pest and would of course kill beneficial insects, but our box is empty at the moment anyway. Ozonizers also fight fungi very effectively just like the Clean-Light (UV light). The manufacturer's instructions should be followed carefully for both types of equipment. Fumigation would also be a possibility, but in many places and especially indoors rather less in question or in other words: do not do that. Eggs of some pests may still have survived even if you wonder how, many pests need 7-10 days until they hatch, which means you ozonize the grow room again after 7-10 days and / or disinfected and cleaned again.
If you don't want to lose another 10 days until you can continue, you can plant new seeds in a small extra grow box that is new or not contaminated. If the big box is then completely thoroughly cleaned, the new, healthy plants can move in. In many cases, a thorough deep cleaning of your grow box and all equipment with chlorine bleach or disinfectant will suffice. However, if the infestation is persistent, extreme and possibly caused by resistant pests, then the use of an ionizer / ozonizer can be useful.
8. start with new seeds and do not take cuttings from unknown origin or from which you do not know 100% that they have no infestation. Use fresh, new and high quality cannabis soil for the new plants.
The whole procedure is a bit laborious, but it is worth it and in case of a massive pest infestation it is the only option. Disinfecting equipment and the grow box walls / floor should be done regularly anyway, because a clean grow room is the most important and best protection against pests and diseases.
Prevent a massive pest infestation in the future
- Cleanliness in the grow room: clean the grow room daily and remove fallen leaves, plant parts, soil that has fallen beside it. No pets in the grow box, pests or fungal spores can be in the fur and infect the plants. Pests can also be carried into the grow box through clothing. Never enter the grow room with street shoes, change clothes beforehand if necessary.
- create a healthy climate indoors: this is the big key to keeping your grow box pest-free. If the climate is not right, pests can spread especially well. Especially mold is usually a sign of wrong climatic conditions in your grow room.
- Hang yellow traps/blue traps
- Integrate ladybugs in the grow box as beneficial insects
- Treat plants and cuttings with neem as a precautionary measure
- Remove leaves that are more than 50% damaged
- Use of predatory mites (beneficial insects) even before an infestation gets out of hand
- Change sensibly between different preparations to avoid resistance and adhere to the manufacturer's instructions. Never use products more often than recommended.
- Make a filter or a nylon stocking in front of the supply air of the grow box, so that pests can not get in. Always close all the doors of the grow room so that pests can not enter in all possible places, otherwise the climate will not work properly.
- pay attention to all important parameters during the grow, so that pests have no chance to spread
Note: Ozonizers can also be used when plants are in the box, the plants do not like it very much, but, before large losses can be done. Not permanently and not for a long time, otherwise the taste and growth may also suffer.