What are aphids and how can they infest autoflowering cannabis?
Aphids are a group of soft-bodied, oval-shaped, sap-sucking insects that may be green, yellow, pink, black, brown, white, or red in color. Their color depends on species, what food source they are feeding on, and which stage in their lifecycle they have reached. These insects vary in size from 1 to 10 millimeters in length.
Aphids exist in both winged and wingless forms. Winged cannabis aphids may have dark patterns freckled across their body. Meanwhile, wingless cannabis aphids appear to be hairy and have pale greens stripes running along their spines along with traverse stripes in shades of green.
Whether your autoflowering cannabis plants are grown indoors or outdoors, they can still fall prey to an aphid infestation. However, your pot plants are particularly vulnerable to aphids if they are grown indoors.
Insects such as lady beetles, syrphid flies, and green lacewings found in the outdoor environment are voracious aphid feeders. Without these predators to devour aphids indoors, their population grows unchecked at the expense of your autoflowering cannabis plant’s health. Even if your autoflowering cannabis plants are grown outdoors, aphid colonies can still overrun your cannabis garden.
Why are aphids dangerous for your autoflowering cannabis plants?
Aphids are common cannabis plant pests that can be an exceptionally destructive if their population is allowed to grow unsuppressed.
Much like any other pest that feeds on cultivated plants, aphids on pot plants suck precious plant nutrient juice (sap) as part of their diet.
They have a straw-like mouth called a proboscis which they use to puncture holes in leaves, stems, and branches and consume plant food from the phloem. Aphids need a lot of protein to survive, however sap typically has more sugars than protein. This is a key reason why aphids suck a lot of plant juice. The concentrated sugar solution is not of much use to these pests and is excreted out of their bodies as “honey-dew”.
Loss of plant fluid is what causes autoflowering cannabis plants to turn yellow, wilt, curl their leaves, delay production of flowers and fruit, and show signs of stunted stem growth. A few aphids are not a major cause for concern as the holes they tear in autoflowering cannabis plants for feeding barely cause any injury to plant cells. The are no signs of flecking or scarring on the surface of the plant. However, present in large numbers, aphids on weed plants can cause sustained damage by weakening your plant overtime.
Another reason why aphids on pot plants are so dangerous is because they are vectors for hundreds of plant diseases caused by viruses, bacteria, and fungi.
Aphids (especially winged forms) can transport a virus from an infected plant to your healthy autoflowering cannabis plant when they inject their proboscis and release disease-carrying saliva. Once the virus enters the host cell, loses its protein coat and starts to reproduce, the seeds for a potential cannabis garden epidemic have already been sown by these ruinous bugs. Some aphid species can inject toxins and other poisonous substances directly in your weed plant.
What are the signs of an aphid infestation on your autoflowering cannabis plants?
If you see clusters of aphid colonies on the underside of plant leaves, your cannabis plant is clearly suffering from a full-blown aphid infestation. However, it isn’t always that obvious, especially if you are trying to catch an aphid invasion in its earlier stages.
Photo by GrowWeedEasy.com
Here are some tell-tale signs that your autoflowering cannabis plants are suffering from an aphid infestation:
- Honeydew droplets on leaves. The sugary liquid waste (honeydew) left by aphids when they eat away your plant can be used a diagnostic sign to detect a cannabis plant aphid infestation. Check the underside of your autoflowering cannabis plant’s leaves for small shiny droplets that are sticky to touch.
- Soot mold near honeydew deposits. Honeydew droplets left by aphids are known to attract a type of fungus called sooty mold. Sooty mold can cover the surface of your cannabis plant’s leaves, blocking them from being able to absorb enough air and sunlight. If you notice a black mold on your plant that you can scrape away with your fingernail, you might have an aphid infestation.
- Cast skins scattered across the surface of leaves. As part of their lifecycle, mature cannabis aphids shed their exoskeleton to prepare a new, stronger skin for the next stage of their life. If you observe cast skins shed across the surface of plant leaves, it is indicative of an aphid colony that is feasting upon your autoflowering cannabis plant.
How to treat your autoflowering cannabis plant for an aphid infestation?
The best way to counter an aphid infestation is to catch it early on and begin treating it immediately. You need to cut down the aphid population that is devouring your weed plant, as soon as possible and as much as you can.
Here are a few cannabis aphid control methods that you can implement to control the aphid infestation that your autoflowering cannabis plant is currently battling against:
- Organic tomato leaf spray. Mix 2 cups of water with two cups of chopped tomato leaves and leave it overnight. Strain the leaves, add 2 more cups of water, and spray the liquid on the top and bottom surface of your autoflowering cannabis plant’s leaves. The alkaloids released by tomato leaves in water are toxic to aphids, but safe enough to be used around plants.
- Insecticides and insecticidal soaps. Insecticidal soaps (potassium salts of fatty acids) are effective in being able to weaken the outer shell of aphids, remove the protective wax that covers their bodies, and disrupt their cellular membranes. This method kills aphids from suffocation and dehydration. Meanwhile insecticides such as Spinosad (made from fermented soil bacteria) is also toxic to aphids and is useful in killing them off in large numbers.
- Introducing natural aphid enemies to your cannabis garden. Lady bugs and lacewings are a natural solution to knocking down large colonies of aphids. These predators are absent if your autoflowering cannabis plants are being grown indoors, and need to be introduced. Don’t worry about these aphid predators hurting your cannabis plant either as they are beneficial insects for a cannabis garden. You can buy easily these pest punishers online.
How to prevent aphids from ever attacking your cannabis plants?
- Check your cannabis plants for aphids, at least twice every week (especially if you live in warm climate). Warm temperatures (65 to 80-degree Fahrenheit) and wet air provide the ideal environment for aphids to reproduce quickly.
- Regularly spray your cannabis plant with insecticides and neem oil to prevent infestations from occurring.
- Keep your garden clean and well maintained. Clear out weeds, pick up plant debris, and trim any decaying foliage.
- Introduce insects which are aphid enemies in your cannabis garden before an infestation takes place.
- If your autoflowering cannabis plants are being grown in an indoor grow room, make sure that the temperature is appropriate (neither too warm, nor too humid). A good ventilation system can help improve airflow and reduce the likelihood of an infestation taking place.
- Lightly prune your marijuana plants during the hot season when the chances of your pot plants contracting an aphid infestation are high. Wash them with water afterward. Clean possible areas of an aphid invasion such as the underside of leaves.
