Applying Pesticides Simplified

Applying Pesticides Simplified

The definition of pest is, “an annoying animal or thing, or a nuisance.”

The secondary definition for pest is, “an insect or other small animal that harms or destroys garden plants, trees, etc.” Suffice to say both definitions fit the pest you must deal with when your plants start to suffer. Applying pesticides is the best way to get rid of them fast.

Applying pesticides

Safely applying pesticides is essential to properly mitigating your pest problem. Every pesticide you get from Cultivate comes with instructions on how to use each product. But a lot of pesticides will be applied similarly. Here are some popular pesticides at Cultivate, with how-to instructions for applying them yourself.

Ed Rosenthal’s Zero Tolerance

Zero Tolerance can make 5 gallons of ready-to-use product with just 1 quart of concentrate. It’s as simple as filling a 5-gallon bucket with water and 1 quart of Zero Tolerance and blending thoroughly. Ed recommends using a paint blender attachment on a drill to blend your Zero Tolerance more efficiently.

Make sure you just test your mix on a couple leaves once complete before covering the whole plant. Wait about 24 hours and check on your test-leaves. If you notice leaf burn, dilute your mix with 1-part water to 3-4 parts of Zero Tolerance. Once you get your mix zeroed in, spray the mix over and under all the leaves directly on your problem plants as well as the surrounding vegetation. It works best if you spray your plants in the evening when they are not under bright lights.

You can even use Zero Tolerance as preventative product to stop future pests from moving in. Just dilute the ready-to-use product by 50% to make 10 gallons. Apply as a fine spray to prevent future pest problems!

Green Cleaner

Green Cleaner is a great product for stopping mites in their tracks as well as eliminating their eggs on contact. When you first apply Green Cleaner, you want to use about 1-2 ounces per gallon of water. Your secondary application will be 1 ounce per gallon every 1-2 days. After that, weekly maintenance is as low as a 1/2 ounce per gallon.

Be sure to shake your Green Cleaner extremely well, once before measuring and once more after adding it to your water. Once your mix is complete, just add it to a sprayer bottle and start spraying your plants. Make sure you shake the bottle every few minutes to keep the mix mixed, and that you completely saturate the leaves of your plants for full coverage.

It’s essential that you only use Green Cleaner in your grow when main lights are off. Make sure your plants have plenty of time to dry before you turn the lights back on.

Pure Kapow

Kapow is a powerhouse when it comes to taking out mites, thrips, aphids, white flies and eggs. It also combats molds, mildews and most leaf-dwelling insects. You can safely use Kapow up until the day of harvest, though whether or not you decide to use it that late is up to you.

Prior to mixing, make sure to shake your bottle vigorously, and shake again after you mix. Kapow is diluted at a ratio of 1oz/Kapow to 9oz/water for heavy infestations. For more maintenance and preventative applications, dilute at a ratio of 1oz/Kapow to 18oz/water. You’ll get the best results if you mix with warm water. Your final solution should be pH’d at 6.4.

Like the other pesticides in this list, it’s good to do small-scale trials before spraying all your plants. This way you can check for leaf burn and adjust your mix accordingly. A 1 gallon bottle of Kapow will make up to 9 gallons of foliar spray for heavy infestations, and 18 gallons for preventative and maintenance uses.

 Applying pesticides might seem complicated and risky, as messing up your mix can have disastrous results. But as long as you read the label and instructions thoroughly, you’ll be fine. If you have concerns or just want tips for applying pesticides, come into Cultivate, give us call, or reach out on our contact page with any question you might have about applying pesticides!

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