Post by Lone Alaskan Gypsy on Jan 31, 2016 18:29:53 GMT -9
So we touched base on this subject lightly on the 'How to grow outdoors discreetly?' thread, but I figured it deserved to be its own topic. If you grow outside how do you prevent different pests from ruining your grow (by either eating it or stomping it down). Here are the most common 'cannabis pests' found in Alaska (to my knowledge- feel free to add more if you think of any!) :
Snowshoe/ Arctic Hares: To keep hares from getting into any of my plants I use a plastic fenced ground cover. It's a black mesh-looking fence. I'm not entirely sure what it's called, but you can purchase 100 feet of it for like $15.00 on Amazon. You lay it flat on the ground around your grow. It extends about 6 feet out. Essentially it gets caught on the hare's claws and freaks them out- causing them to backtrack their steps before they make it to the grow. Surrounding your grow with a mesh fence can also keep them out.
Moose: From what I've heard the best way to deter moose are to build a fence- a strong fence. Electrical can also help deter them. Personally, three very vocal dogs keep them out of my yard.
Blacktail Deer: My grandmother used an old trick in her garden where she hung up dove soap bars around her plants. I guess the deer are attracted to the floral scent and try to take a bite- only to realize that don't like the taste and they leave the garden because they don't want to risk eating anything similar to something so yucky. I know this worked really well for her, but those were whitetail deer in Illinois. Again, a fence would probably be the most effective route to take though.
Voles / Kangaroo Mice: As far as my knowledge voles tend to go for the roots of cannabis rather than the leaves. I'm not sure if this is a huge problem, but I've heard a few people mention it. Growing your plants in air pots rather than directly in the soil helps prevent this from becoming too big of an issue.
Snails: I don't know how to prevent these little buggers from getting on your grow. Tips would be helpful! They tend to eat the leaves.
Snowshoe/ Arctic Hares: To keep hares from getting into any of my plants I use a plastic fenced ground cover. It's a black mesh-looking fence. I'm not entirely sure what it's called, but you can purchase 100 feet of it for like $15.00 on Amazon. You lay it flat on the ground around your grow. It extends about 6 feet out. Essentially it gets caught on the hare's claws and freaks them out- causing them to backtrack their steps before they make it to the grow. Surrounding your grow with a mesh fence can also keep them out.
Moose: From what I've heard the best way to deter moose are to build a fence- a strong fence. Electrical can also help deter them. Personally, three very vocal dogs keep them out of my yard.
Blacktail Deer: My grandmother used an old trick in her garden where she hung up dove soap bars around her plants. I guess the deer are attracted to the floral scent and try to take a bite- only to realize that don't like the taste and they leave the garden because they don't want to risk eating anything similar to something so yucky. I know this worked really well for her, but those were whitetail deer in Illinois. Again, a fence would probably be the most effective route to take though.
Voles / Kangaroo Mice: As far as my knowledge voles tend to go for the roots of cannabis rather than the leaves. I'm not sure if this is a huge problem, but I've heard a few people mention it. Growing your plants in air pots rather than directly in the soil helps prevent this from becoming too big of an issue.
Snails: I don't know how to prevent these little buggers from getting on your grow. Tips would be helpful! They tend to eat the leaves.
