Trowbridge
Member
Has anyone here ever used non-UV transmissive poly sheeting (the ordinary stuff from a hardware store) as a whitefly and thrip preventative for outdoor grows? I was alerted to the possibility by an article on the does and don'ts of greenhouse construction that noted, as an aside, that such plastic destroys many insects' abilities to navigate by intercepting the UV.
I grew cannabis for the first time last year (I'm in California, and thus legal), and did it outdoors under plastic (just a tunnel, not sealed). There were no insect infestations at all, while my neighbors who have tried reported disastrous whitefly or aphid attacks. It also kept a few unseasonable summer rains from wetting the maturing buds, so no mold, either. The downside was that it killed some honeybees, who couldn't find their way out, but that's easy to fix with a vent.
Obviously this is just one data point; who knows what will happen next year! But it seems a simple way of pest control.
I grew cannabis for the first time last year (I'm in California, and thus legal), and did it outdoors under plastic (just a tunnel, not sealed). There were no insect infestations at all, while my neighbors who have tried reported disastrous whitefly or aphid attacks. It also kept a few unseasonable summer rains from wetting the maturing buds, so no mold, either. The downside was that it killed some honeybees, who couldn't find their way out, but that's easy to fix with a vent.
Obviously this is just one data point; who knows what will happen next year! But it seems a simple way of pest control.