Aphids and Thrips and Spider Mites, Oh My!
One thing that surprised me when I started growing indoors was that I could STILL get pests.
I mean, how in the heck does that happen?
I don't have pests running around my house, so the idea of walking into my grow room and discovering curling leaves, little webs, or evidence of insects was pretty baffling.
After all, I started with what I thought was clean growing media, water from inside my house, and seeds from reputable suppliers. Where in the world were these little creatures coming from?
Well, I'm not sure I can answer that question completely, but I can promise you one thing: If you grow enough plants indoors, eventually the pests will find you.
Whether they're hitchhiking in on plants or growing materials, or simply waiting for an open door to zoom through and find a nice place to settle down, they're remarkably resourceful.
And when you're growing edible plants, figuring out how to kill the pests without killing yourself is pretty high on the list of things worth learning!
Finding Something That Actually Works
This year, I started using a product called Athena IPM.
I did quite a bit of research into what other growers were using, particularly growers working with edible crops. I'm also a member of a couple of professional growing groups, and Athena came highly recommended, so I decided to give it a try.
And I really like it.
Now, I have a high-powered digital microscope in my grow room that connects to a television. This is incredibly handy for identifying pests, watching what they're doing, and occasionally being thoroughly disgusted by what I discover.
When I first sprayed Athena IPM, I was a little skeptical.
For one thing, it smells fantastic.
Seriously. My grow room smells like I've just sprayed some ridiculously expensive organic air freshener. Which, considering the ingredients, (and the price) I suppose I kind of have.
But I remember thinking, there's no way something that smells this good is going to kill bugs.
So naturally, I decided to investigate.
I located some aphids on the undersides of my leaves, watched them under the microscope, and then checked what happened after spraying.
And sure enough, within a very short time, I could watch the aphids flipping over and giving up.
Gross? Absolutely.
But it was reassuring.
I could actually see that the product was working.
Making Pest Control Part of the Routine
One thing I've learned is that prevention is a whole lot more enjoyable than trying to get an established infestation under control.
These days, I generally spray with Athena IPM about once every ten days, or sooner if I notice live insects.
Oh, which makes me think - many of these pests aren't easily visible to the naked eye. But in future we can look at what DOES show up to give you a clue that there is a problem.
I generally spray after the sun goes down or when I'm turning off my grow lights. I also make sure to thoroughly cover the undersides of the leaves, because that's where aphids and thrips seem to enjoy hiding.
Athena IPM is a contact product, so getting good coverage is important. Miss those hiding places, and the insects will happily continue munching and reproducing.
Of course, I always follow the product label, especially when treating edible plants. Even when a product is labeled for use close to harvest, I still wash my lettuce before eating it. Somehow, I don't imagine essential oils and citric acid are going to improve my salad dressing.
A Little Shout-Out to My Sprayer
While we're talking about spraying, can we discuss sprayers for a minute?
Because if you're anything like me, sprayers can be the bane of a gardener's existence.
I used to mix up an entire gallon of whatever I was spraying, use a little of it, and leave the rest sitting in the sprayer.
Then, eventually, I'd have to replace the sprayer.
Ha ha. Apparently, this was my system.
I've recently started using a little Solo one-liter sprayer, and I really like it. It produces an incredibly fine mist, and the smaller capacity means I'm not mixing up huge quantities that I don't need.
For most home gardeners, I think the size would be just about perfect.
I can even cover a surprising number of plants with it, although considering the number of plants I'm growing these days, I may eventually have to invest in a larger Solo sprayer.
More Pest Adventures Coming Soon
For now, Athena IPM has become one of my favorite tools for dealing with the inevitable uninvited guests in my grow room.
Next week, I'll talk about some of the other things I'm using to help prevent pest populations from getting established in the first place.
Because the only thing better than watching an aphid give up under a microscope is not having an aphid to watch in the first place.
Happy growing!
Products I Use
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