At the Hydroponics Guide we understand that if you don’t want pests or disease in your hydroponics system prevention is the best medicine. Ultimately you need to understand how the pests and disease reach your plants as this is the first step to preventing attacks.
Recently we discussed CANNA Cure as an excellent way to prevent infestations of pests within your hydroponic system as it builds a second skin around the plants leaves and stems. Using CANNA Cure however should only form part of your preventative strategy to keeps those pests away and protect your crop.
As an external influence you are the most likely source of the pests which enter your hydroponics environment. Pests are life’s hitchhikers and will think nothing of hitching a ride on you so that they can get their next meal. Subsequently before entering your growing space you should certainly clean yourself, you may even wish to buy a paper suite to ensure no contamination occurs.
If you have a ventilation pump entering your grow room then you may also want to consider placing a filter over the intake. It is possible to buy these although equally you could use a pair of tights as a basic solution.
When you make cuttings and plant seedlings the best way to prevent them becoming infested or diseased is to treat them during their young lives. By ensuring they are healthy when they go in you are giving them the best chance of a healthy life.
As with the rules about cleaning yourself you should also ensure that your tools are clean. This should be done before every use and probably afterwards as well. One of the ways you can reduce contamination is to have a dedicated set of tools which you never use in the garden.
Finally one of the best preventative methods is to be diligent, check your plants regularly for pests or signs of disease, you may even want to install traps so that if any pests are evident, you will be able to identify them quickly. Treating problems early on is always advisable as once they take root (please excuse the pun) they can be significantly harder to shift.
As a conscientious hydroponic grower you should be diligent in your checks and grow room hygiene if you want to avoid pests and disease.
