A Perfect Paring: Cannabis and IPM

Current cannabis growing norms are ideal for practicing Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Whether they are motivated by the desire to grow healthy, clean plants, or purely by regulatory constraints, the end result is the need to minimize impacts on people and the environment. IPM begins with getting your soil or soil medium right and moves on to pest prediction, trapping and monitoring; using cultural, biological and (carefully vetted) chemical controls and, throughout it all, conscientious observation and record-keeping to plan for the future (for more on all this see our IPM page here). All of which works perfectly for a well-run grow.

A good portion of IPM practices are pretty straight forward and easy to initiate, even for beginners to the field. The biological controls part, however, can be daunting (if not downright confusing) even for seasoned growers. Here at ARBICO Organics, our mission is to guide growers towards these best practices and help them maintain smooth and efficient biological control using the proper beneficials for the job.

Any IPM program no matter the crop or growing style, works best when it’s started before you even touch a plant. Soil/soil mediums should be pathogen-free, yet full of microbial life, before any plants go into it. The introduction of beneficial nematodes and/or Stratiolaelaps scimitus (Hypoasis miles), for instance, can offer early, pro-active protection from a long list of insect pests. Hypoasis miles specifically preys on the dreaded fungus gnats. A little bit of pre-emptive treatment early on can save you financial and emotional hardship later.

Another necessary step to be taken from the start is close monitoring of the grow environment. Not only to ensure that plants are in optimal growing conditions, but also to spot pests and pathogens as soon as they appear. Biological controls work best over time, so it is important to apply them at the first sign of trouble. This is often the stage where growers who are new to biological control falter. We have been conditioned to reach for a killing spray as soon as we see a bug, so there is sometimes a learning curve and a change in expectations that needs to happen. Instead of squishing the bug instantly, observe and identify it, discover where it came from, and determine if there is a population living in your plants. Armed with the specific knowledge of what you’re up against, you can move on to your
next step – choosing the beneficial to use - with confidence.

Knowing the pest you need to control is important, but when choosing the right beneficial agent for your specific needs your growing environment needs to play a role in your choice as well. Certain beneficial insects have specific temperatures and relative humidity requirements to perform their best, while for other insects the amount of light can affect their biological functions. Outdoor growers are restricted in their choices by their environment, whereas indoor growers have more options, including modifying their conditions to ensure that the beneficials thrive. There are some biologicals that can work indoors and out for most situations, but for optimal control, you’ll want the best beneficial for the specifics of your grow. This does not mean that the “all-purpose” biologicals are no good, only that they are but one part of a multi-tool IPM approach.

There is a wealth of beneficial/predatory insects and organisms that work extremely well to control pests in cannabis cultivation. Some of these include predatory insects and mites, parasitic wasps, microorganisms, and the afore-mentioned beneficial nematodes. Amongst the predatory insects, there are generalists (non-selective) predators and specialist (targeted) predators. The generalists aren’t picky eaters and go after lots of different insects in various life stages. They include Assassin Bugs (Zelus renardii), Green Lacewings (Chrysoperla rufilabris), Minute Pirate Bugs (Orius insidious), and even Ladybugs (Hippodamia convergens). The specialist predators have specific dietary proclivities and either consume or parasitize particular prey. They include Mite Predators (Phytoseiulus persimilis), Aphid Wasps (Aphidius colemani), and the Fungus Gnat Predator Hypoasis miles that I mentioned earlier. Unless you have used beneficial insects before or you are a professional in the good-bug field, it is perfectly normal to not know what to choose. That’s what we are here for. Likewise, if you can't identify the insect plaguing your plants, take a picture of it and give us a call (our specialist will tell you where to send it). Armed with the picture and your input, it is usually very easy for our pros to figure out your problem.


Once you have determined which beneficial to use, it is essential that you treat with the right amounts at the right time and keep it up. Continuity and scheduling should be your mantra at this point. Most pest insects reproduce at an energetic pace; you will need to outpace that reproduction with scheduled applications of sufficient amounts of predatory insects. Additionally, some specialist insects require a lead time in order to receive them, so you will need to plan to cover that time frame. Using beneficial/predatory insects is very much like taking antibiotics – do not stop your treatment just because the condition seems better; it is essential to complete the prescribed course.

If you have questions (and why wouldn’t you?), I encourage you to dig into our website. A good place to start would be our Hemp/Cannabis page. We also have a Cannabis Catalog with products that have been hand-picked for the industry. We have worked hard to provide comprehensive content to inform and guide any visitors, and I feel confident that you can begin your road to IPM through our pages. But, for those of you who prefer a person-to-person exchange, our Bio-Control Specialists are also available for free consultations Monday-Friday from 8:00-4:30 pm. (we are on Mountain Time). Let them help you figure out what will work for you. For more on cannabis and IPM, you may also be interested in reading “5 Questions with Arianna Weisbly Taylor” in the July 2020 issue of Cannabis Business Times.

Take Care.
Submitted by Pam

Partnership Announcement - Rx Green Technologies

ARBICO Organics is privileged and excited to announce our partnership with Rx Green Technologies as a distributor for their complete line of cannabis nutrients and additives. Rx Green Technologies focuses on cannabis specific research & development to ensure the highest quality product for cultivators growing indoors and outdoors. Their products are designed with scalability in mind for both small and large cultivation facilities.

R & D – Always improving. Always seeking. 

Rx Green Technologies has a team of scientists with years of experience in the traditional agriculture and cannabis industries. This wide-ranging experience combined with their consistent desire to improve has led them to develop some of the highest quality products catered to the cannabis market.

Customer Satisfaction – Priority #1

What our two companies share are customer-first mentalities and a commitment to customer satisfaction. Our teams encourage questions and dialogue to build relationships while maintaining the health of your soil, system and plants. If you have specific needs, don’t hesitate to give us a call at 1-800-827-2847 and we will work with you to find the best solutions for those needs.

Simplify The Process – No More “Potions”

It can be difficult to wade through the inundated market of cannabis nutrition products. Rx Green Technologies’ complete line of plant health additives is formulated to reduce the decision making and labor involved in the process of maximizing plant health. Simply dilute and apply. No pH adjustments are necessary (or recommended).

You can browse the complete line of Rx Green Technologies products here. They have also created an easy to use feed chart as a reference guide for growers on a 12 week cycle.

Have questions or would like to order? Call or email us today to get started!

Hemp - From Favored Flora to Fake News and Fabricated Hate

The Mayflower

Hemp arrived on this continent with the first ships to troll its shores. When Columbus and his crew set sail in 1492, it was in ships fitted with sails and ropes made from hemp. If you are one of the many people that believe the Vikings got here first, there is evidence that they also used hemp for cloth and cordage. The plant was introduced into Mexico by Pedro Cuadrado, a Spanish Conquistador shortly after the conquest in the early 1500s. He brought the seeds to begin a business venture that was relatively short-lived, but more on that later.

Hemp is considered to be one of the oldest domesticated crop in the world. There is evidence that it has been used since 8,000 BCE. By the time the pilgrims arrived on their hemp-outfitted Mayflower in 1620 (see a fun video here), the plant was an unquestioned and important staple in their world. From the beginning of the colonies, the English decreed that the colonists grow hemp. The reason was simple: the British Navy was busy empire-building and there was a constant need for rigging and sails, a need that they were having a hard time keeping up with. The colonists never quite managed to supply the hoped-for hemp bounty, however, as they soon found that they needed all they could grow. They not only made cloth and ropes, they extracted the oil from seeds and burned it in lamps and bartered with all parts of the plant.

Early colonists harvesting hemp

Meanwhile, in Jamestown, Virginia, colonists had been struggling to survive since 1607. By 1619, they felt established enough to set down some laws. Included in these was the mandate that all settlers grow hemp, “For hemp also, both English and Indian, and for English flax and aniseeds, we do require and enjoin all householders of this colony, that have any of those seeds, to make trial thereof the next season.” This was America’s first, but by no means last, cannabis-related legislation.

Betsy Ross

Throughout most of the next 300 years, hemp maintained its position as a widely-used and valuable commodity. It was legal tender in the colonies of Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maryland and, for more than 150 years, taxes could be paid in hemp. Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and John Adams all grew industrial hemp. It is believed that Betsy Ross made the first U.S. flag with hemp cloth and scholars know that Benjamin Franklin used hemp string when he did his famous lightning experiment.

Hemp was held in high esteem in our country until the beginning of the 20th century, when a whispering campaign was begun against it. To explain, let’s go back to Pedro Cuadrado: his hemp seeds had created a lucrative business growing industrial hemp, but by 1550 the Spanish government restricted his endeavor. Apparently, the native people of the region had discovered a more eye-opening use for it than making rope and this disturbed the authorities (a theme that continues to plague the hemp plant). Despite the restrictions, cannabis from the hemp plant maintained its following in Mexico. When refugees began arriving as a result of the Mexican Revolution (1910-20), they brought their herb with them and introduced it into the American zeitgeist.

William Randolph Hearst

With the onset of the Great Depression and its massive job losses, resentment towards Mexican migrant workers grew in many areas. They were seen as taking jobs that American workers badly needed (sound familiar?). This is when the incredibly rich and powerful William Randolph Hearst entered the picture. He was unabashed in his disdain for Mexicans, once saying, “I really don’t see what is to prevent us from owning all Mexico and running it to suit ourselves.” Hearst used his papers to stoke the anti-Mexican fervor and to connect it to hemp by portraying them as drug-crazed from cannabis. Despite being a complete racist, his motivation for targeting hemp was probably to protect his timber holdings and eliminate hemp paper, which he was successful at doing.

The final nail in the hemp coffin was the appointment of Harry Anslinger in 1930 as the nation’s first Drug Czar. By most accounts, he was as reprehensible a racist as Hearst and a rabid evangelical to boot. He was all in on Prohibition and, when that was repealed he turned his to attention to other stimulants. His rhetoric was all about the dangers of minorities on drugs and it played well into the Depression narrative. Unfortunately, Anslinger stayed in the U.S. Treasury Department Bureau of Narcotics into the 1960’s and was able to firmly nail down anti-cannabis/hemp laws.

The pendulum is definitely swinging back in hemp’s favor these days. In time, the criminalization of this useful plant will undoubtedly be seen as what it was: fear-mongering in order to satisfy special interests. If we could only get rid of all the sensationalized reporting and fabricated hate we would all be better off.

Submitted by Pam