Protecting Marijuana Plants from Animal Pests:
One of the most serious enemies of marijuana plants is bigger pests such as cats, dogs, and rodents. This also includes wild animals like deer, rabbits, and raccoons. By nature, these creatures like to dig, nibble, and trample on plants. Obviously, this can be bad news to the cannabis crop.
While tiny insects and bugs can be destructive, it usually takes a long time for them to do serious damages. On the other hand, bigger animal pests can single-handedly ravage the garden overnight. This is especially true when we have squirrels, gophers, and rabbits digging up the ground and damaging roots systems.
For marijuana growers, finding the garden in such a bad condition is a stressful nightmare. Nothing is more frustrating than seeing months of hard labor gone to waste. While it is possible to resuscitate wilting plants, those with bigger damages in the roots will most likely die.
To deal with this issue, this article will cover the identification of different animal pests that could frequently visit the garden. Once we can identify them, prevention becomes easier, and we can return to focusing on taking care of the plants.
Tips to Protect Marijuana Plants from Animal Pests
Food and shelter are the main reasons why large pests sometimes bother the marijuana garden. That’s why most damages occur between fall and spring. As such, they are packing up calories in the fall to prepare for the harsh winter. Then, during springtime, they are trying to regain the pounds they have lost. In both cases, the fatter they are, the better. Here is a complete list of animal pests and the methods to deal with them.
- Birds
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Birds are known to feed on germinating marijuana seeds. As a result, we are left with nothing to grow if can’t control the number of birds feeding in the garden. On the other hand, if they are not eating up the seeds, they could be digging holes to hide their stash. They do so to bury nuts and other seeds to hide them from other predators.
Identification
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These flying critters like to dig up and bury their food treasures in spring, summer, and fall. In the winter, these holes are usually dug up and left open.
Prevention
Providing a netting over the crop is a good place to start when dealing with birds. To protect the seeds, germinate them indoors, or place a cover on the pots.
- Deer
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Wild animals such as the deer are heavy feeders but they are selective on what plants to eat. Basically, they like to consume only the ones that are nutritious and don’t emit strong scents. However, when they are left with nothing else, they will leave no plants untouched.
Since they also like to explore for food, they could end up in the garden no matter how well we hide it. As such, they have no problem eating up the leaves of the marijuana crop.
While the damage can be tolerable with only one deer grazing in the garden, having two or more can be harder to manage. As a result, we can end up with stalks that have very few surviving leaves. Even worse, they can include eating up the flowers that are supposed to produce the buds.
Identification
There are many ways to tell if the deer has been in the garden. First, they will leave cloven hoof prints that are the most obvious sign of their presence. They may also leave bean-shaped droppings. If they are currently in the garden, they may make whooshing sounds when they sense that a human is near.
Prevention
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The most reliable way to keep the deer off the garden is to erect a high and sturdy fence. Other ways include repelling them using pungent odors such as garlic. We can also use a predator’s urine such as from a lion or coyote. These products are available in local stores but make sure to buy from a responsible source that treats the animals humanely.
We can also surround the garden with lush bushes since the deer don’t like wasting time entering an area like this. Simplest of all, make sure that the garden is clean and doesn’t have any acorns or fruits and flowers lying around. But if hi-tech is what we are after, there are also many options for this electronic method.
- Moles
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Moles are furry creatures about 5 to 7 inches long that have pointy noses and powerful claws. Although they don’t have any interest in the plants, they can still damage the garden by burrowing underground and leaving the roots to dry out.
Identification
Aside from making tunnels, moles build hills by pushing up soil from below. So, we know that there are moles when there are mounds of loose soil on the ground but there are no visible holes. They usually do this during the warm weather to make air vents. In winter, they continue to do this to feed on soil insects, earthworms, and other grubs.
Prevention
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The best way to minimize problems brought on by the moles is to place a barrier between the creature and the area around the roots. We can do this by using a can or screen to protect the root area. Similarly, building a fence that goes three feet below the ground is a good option. Another method is to make sure that there are no grubs in the soil that could attract these dirty creatures.
- Gophers
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Like the moles, gophers are tunnel diggers but instead of just looking for grub, they like to feast on the plants’ roots. Hence, they are a big cause of concern for marijuana growers.
Identification
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Gophers like to dig entrances and exits for their underground colony. Therefore, we can spot holes with loose dirt mounds around them in the garden if they are present. Also, the holes they dig are more likely to be very deep. Because of this, they have easy access to all the roots they can eat.
Prevention
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The can or screen method of prevention for moles could work as well for the gophers. Other effective solutions that are environmentally friendly include placing garlic or castor oil on the holes to drive them out of the garden.
- Rabbits
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Rabbits are frequent visitors in the garden and they love to feast on the roots of the plants when they are underground. When they are above ground, they usually trample or eat the leaves. Hence, they can do double damage to the marijuana crop. Add to that, if left unchecked, they can multiply at a very rapid rate.
Identification
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Unlike gophers who tend to dig two holes for going in and going out, rabbits make only one hole. Also, they like to make the holes clean.
Prevention
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One of the best ways to discourage rabbits from settling in the garden is to sprinkle blood meal powder around the plants. However, this method can attract carnivore animals that can further destroy the garden. So, be cautious when using this method.
Another option is to use urine from predators like lions or coyotes. Simply pour the urine around the plant to deter any herbivores from plucking the leaves.
- Rats and Mice
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