Disclaimer:
This post is about medical/recreational cannabis.
I recommend you don't use it.
It could be illegal in your country.
Be careful!
First Application
12 days ago, I noticed a handful of aphids on my plants and wrote about it.
I applied a diluted brew of black tea and tobacco with a spray-bottle.
I was very hesitant about the tobacco. When I checked 2 days later, I could not see any aphids.
I was kinda busy and did not really check thoroughly again.
Until the other day, when I found hundreds of them.
Tobacco
I was very concerned about the tobacco.
I don't think it's a good choice.
'But it's organic, bro!'
So is cobra venom.
Organic, but lethal in tiny amounts.
Didn't expect to refenrence my last post about these principles so quickly.
I would not even mind the aphids all that much - The plants seem to power right through it.
But the plants start to become really sticky now and I don't want to smoke bugs, stuck to my weed.
Second application
After spotting the aphids again, I used black tea and left the tobacco out.
I made a strong brew and applied it undiluted on the underside of the leaves.
For a few days now, every morning, or when I find the time.
Checked this morning, could not find any. I wonder where they went, tbh.
I dont think spraying any such liquids on the buds is good.
It might seriously hurt my harvest.
Anyways:
black tea seems to work
Future Plan
From now on, I will cultivate my cannabis alongside thyme, lavender and other plants like it.
Since I now have to check the plants on my balcony all the time anyways, those herbs are no real extra-effort.
Herbs are always good and healthy anyways.
They can protect my cannabis with their presence, provide some aroma to fried eggs, and could also cover up the cannabis stank some.
Other than that, I can see the flower buds swelling up daily.
From here on it's mostly about choosing the right time to harvest.
I did not want to brag about my gardening skills before I had picture-proof of my plants.
I know how to grow cannabis. Which isn't actually that hard.
I can probably harvest these in 2-3 weeks (?)
Drying and curing is the thing I am afraid of.
Drying and Curing
I am not much of a terpene guy.
The way I smoke my cannabis, there isn't much of a bouquet.
To be honest, I mainly want it to be potent in cannabinoids.
When it comes to certain flavors, I like 'stank' weed.
I think the fruity, citrus flavor is weird.
Then again, the way I smoke, I don't taste much of it.
I am not a connoiseur, at all.
So, if anyone knows of procedures to speed up drying and curing and to prevent mould during that process, I am all ears.
Important: Extracts which use a solvent are still illegal here.
Which would include all edibles...
The whole law is silly and I think I know why: Corruption. (shocker, I know)
Maybe I'll write about that next.
TL;DR:
Black tea helped well against these aphids and did not seem to hurt the plant.
I'll try companion plants next, as preventive measure.
How would you process these after harvest?
PS
Should I buy a macro-lens for my phone and take shots of the trichomes and other close-ups like aphids?
I think your logic is pretty sound with the idea that just because something is organic doesn't mean it isn't harmful for your plant. I'm not in favor of spraying bud at all with anything no matter what and will resort to meticulous spraying of the foliage with a direct stream and not a mist if there is infestation and I absolutely have to spray.
Your future plan sounds really good with growing some stuff alongside the cannabis. You mention cannabis not being hard to grow, but actually I feel like it is a pretty difficult plant to grow unless you have a super green thumb and it just comes very naturally, and for you I think it does because your plants look very healthy :)
Do you have a day count on the current flowering time? Depending on the genetics they could have a longer flowering time.
I see no brown pistil coverage yet, and bud formation looks early. I do not think these will be ready in 2-3 weeks, maybe 4-6.
Speeding up drying is generally not a good practice with the process, but if mold is a concern then adding some fans to your dry space is a good idea, and even some direct airflow on your buds. This is not recognized as good because it can make the smoke a little harsher.
With the curing usually once the bud is dry it should be pretty worry free in glass jars. Try to burp them in low humidity environments if possible to release excess moisture and CO2 emissions.
Macro lens is great for the blog as well as trichome inspection. I would definitely get one. I lost mine during a move and still trying to find the darn thing. Probably going to just buy another one...
Looking really good, keep up the great work.
Aphids are the bane of my existence. Lately, I've been battling them on my dragonfruit plants almost every day. But I have to admit, I haven't been as thorough in getting rid of them lately because I've noticed a lot more ladybugs around the plants, they love to feast on those aphids.
Just out of curiosity, have you noticed any ants around your cannabis plants? If you have, they might be farming the aphids and moving them onto your plants themselves.
Yeah, I know about the connection of ants and aphids.
I use greasy cloth around the trunk sometimes, so the ants can't climb up my fruit-trees.
On the balcony here, in the 3l pots, 2 stories up, there are no ants.
Ladybugs help. I hear good things about lacewings and their larvae, too.
After harvesting you can wash the buds.. You should be doing that anyways if you grew outdoors.
https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/us/blog-bud-washing-how-to-clean-your-weed-n1429
If you do not find the natural methods working using essential oils try using soap and salt. I use an insecticidal soap from the brand safer and really like it. You could also make it using castile soap, and mixing in potassium salts to basically make what the brand safer sells as a product.
I'll try washing some of the bud before drying - experimentally.
I am refusing to buy any special cannabis products. They are just a money grab.
Trying to prove a point here - this grow cost me nothing. (excluding the seeds)
Even the pots and the initial peat-based potting soil was recycled. (and I have access to my own good, aged compost for the rest)
So far it cost me 2 teabags, 1/2 cigarette. And time, only.
And maybe 0.2 cents in tap-water.
I think, I got these aphids under control now.
I also suspect, that some type of predator came by for a visit and ate some of them.
These aphids are insects, but so are most of their enemies...
those plants looks really good, add things organic it is one of the best ideas, a friend mine give me one time beer fungi with water and the plants grows a lot in a few days