Growing Marijuana: Organic Pesticides

3 Tips on How-To Grow Organic Marijuana At HomeOrganic marijuana? Yeah … it’s a thing. And with good reason too! Today, with the large, and rapid growth of commercial marijuana production - juggernaut Monsanto is clearly licking it’s chops. Just recently, Monsanto was reported to be seeking out more than just its share of the corn, and soy crops - they are getting into the weed game. If you haven’t already heard, Monsanto is a HUGE agricultural company whose goal is to “help farmers large and small grow food more sustainably,” however, their pesticides have been found lingering in both animal, and human food supplies for years.1In just one of the many studies on the subject, pesticide residue from Monsanto products was found in even some of the most innocent of foods like Cheerios. And despite its relatively harmless reputation, Roundup* a Monsanto’s flagship pesticide product was among the most toxic herbicides, and insecticides tested in the study.2With Monsanto ready to take over the marijuana industry, many people are asking, “How can I grow organic marijuana at home?”If you are authorized to cultivate your own medicinal marijuana plants at home, you can avoid any potentially harmful chemical pesticides by using these 3 organic gardening tools:

1. Neem Oil. This is a volatile oil derived from the bark, trim, and leaves of the neem tree. Used for thousands of years for its content of active phytochemicals including azadirachtin, a limonoid compound that act as a natural insecticide, neem oil is also a popular topical bug repellant. Studies have confirmed that neem oil can reduce insect growth and keeping away pesky flying, buzzing insects.
2. Black Cumin. This is an oil derived from an ancient Ayurvedic root herb known as turmeric. The black cumin oil is a highly potent source of the active compounds of turmeric including thymoquinone (TQ), thymohydroquinone (THQ), and thymol. It is this major bioactive component of the essential oil of black cumin seed that has been shown in clinical trials to offer powerful anti-fungal effects. For this reason, black cumin oil, (also known as black seed oil) may be helpful for eliminating specific types of yeast, mold, and fungi from your marijuana plants.
3.  Diatomaceous Earth. This is a substance made from fossilized remains of tiny organisms that live in ocean systems known as diatoms. ( Don't worry we won't make you go find this stuff, just google it.) When their small skeletons are ground down into an ultra-fine powder they are a good source of a compound called silica. When added to the soil of your garden, the silica reacts with the natural oxygen and water from the environment forming a new compound called silicon dioxide. This compound in Diatomaceous Earth is one of the first pesticides ever registered (back in 1960) to effectively kill off insects, and troublesome mites.6

Additionally, conventional pesticides on the market today using these compounds have been shown in clinical trials to have a maximum pesticide effect, with low risks to the ecosystem due to their rapid dissipation rate, and low residue levels.5Clinical trials confirm that this organic pesticide is also effective against adult, and nymphal insects including cockroaches.7Monsanto is a leader in the agriculture industry for its highly-effective (and highly toxic) pesticide products and genetically modified livestock. The company has made that clear as residues are found on dinner tables across the U.S., and even in living human specimens.8So, learn how to grow organic marijuana right at home for large crops, and BIG harvests that don’t contain toxins. It's worth it to develop your own organic green thumb anyway, right?-To your happy (and healthy) harvest!  USMJ team! References:  

• 1.Alejandra Paganelli, Victoria Gnazzo. Glyphosate-Based Herbicides Produce Teratogenic Effects on Vertebrates by Impairing Retinoic Acid Signaling. Chem. Res. Toxicol., 2010, 23 (10), pp 1586–1595.
• 2.Robin Mesnage, Nicolas Defarge. Major Pesticides Are More Toxic to Human Cells Than Their Declared Active Principles. Biomed Res Int. 2014; 2014: 179691.
• 3.Kwasi Opoku Boadu, Samuel Kofi Tulashie. Production of natural insecticide from Neem leaves (Azadirachta indica). Asian Journal of Plant Science & Research.
• 4.M Taha, A Azeiz, W Saudi. Antifungal effect of thymol, thymoquinone and thymohydroquinone against yeasts, dermatophytes and non-dermatophyte molds isolated from skin and nails fungal infections. Egyptian Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
• 5.Hu D, Coats J. Evaluation of the environmental fate of thymol and phenethyl propionate in the laboratory. Pest Manag Sci. 2008 Jul;64(7):775-9.
• 6.Silicon Dioxide. United States Food and Drug Administration. (https://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/.../GRAS/NoticeInventory/ucm269341.pdf)
• 7.Seyyed Akbar Hosseini, Sahar Bazrafkan. The insecticidal effect of diatomaceous earth against adults and nymphs of Blattella germanica. Asian Pac J Trop Biomed. 2014 May; 4(Suppl 1): S228–S232.
• 8.Krüger M, Schledorn P, Schrödl W, Hoppe HW, Lutz W, et al. (2014) Detection of Glyphosate Residues in Animals and Humans. J Environ Anal Toxicol 4:210.