Shale Peak Horticulture's Blog on Cannabis IPM RSS

by Mary de Soto If you’re reading this, you probably have at least a passing interest in spider mites, and, more specifically, how to keep them from infesting your cannabis plants. If that’s the case, you came to the right place! In this article we will cover some of the main information you should know about this pest and several of its natural predators, so you can get Two-spotted spider mites off your plants and keep them off. First things first, you need to know about the enemy...  IDENTIFICATION OF TWO-SPOTTED SPIDER MITES Spider mites belong to the family tetranychidae, and...

Growers who implement biocontrol as part of their Integrated Pest Management (IPM) plan can re-release natural enemies in their cannabis cultivation on a regular basis instead of using pesticides. This technique of introducing mass-reared beneficial insects or mites into a grow is referred to as augmentative biocontrol.

This article was initially published on biocontrolsusa.com.   The accelerating legalization of cannabis around the U.S. is providing new opportunity in the form of an alternative crop, and just as much uncertainty about what kind of crop protection can be used to grow it. We asked Robert Starnes, Senior Superintendent of Agriculture at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) in the Department of Entomology and President of Shale Peak Horticulture, for his thoughts on where biocontrol fits for cannabis growers. Q: What’s the current situation with available pest control materials in cannabis crops?Starnes: Cannabis is in a gray area regarding...