What to Spray, What to Spray...

Pest and disease management in cannabis is no walk in the park! Not only are you limited in what you can apply to the crop, there are also a lot of products out there to chose from! 

Never fear, Perennia is here!

Every year, the production specialists take the time to create/update our spray guides. These guides contain a wealth of information on registered products, formulations, application rates, REI, PHI and noteworthy comments on working with that particular product. 

While this is no substitute for the actual product label, it can help narrow down the choices of what works best for your grow. Say, for example, you are having an issue with spider mites. You can scroll down to the 'Mites' portion of the guide (or 'control - Find' for the tech savy), and take a look at all of the products that are registered for use in cannabis against mites. 

Some products are going to be more compatible with your production system than others. Say, for example, you have been applying sulfur to manage powdery mildew. Oil sprays are not going to be your best choice to tackle mites in this case, as these may cause some funky side effects on your canopy. This is a fast way to narrow down your search to a product that will be more suitable. 

From there, double check the label, and ensure that you are applying based on their recommendations. Product registrations can change any time of year, and our guides, updated every March, are not going to capture things that have taken place in April...May...June etc. 

Spray happy my friends!

Posted by: Talia Plaskett

Field Research Services

 

We are excited to share with you the launch of our new Field Research Services webpage! Our new site fully showcases our team and the services available to support agriculture research in Nova Scotia.

Our team's knowledge and skillset ensures we are fully equipped to deliver on-farm extension and small plot research. We pride ourselves on performing quality research to ensure accurate results and client satisfaction.

Learn more about the services we offer and take a look at our projects page to see some of our previous work.

Feel free to reach out to us anytime. We would be happy to discuss your research needs.

Pilot Program for Nation-wide Monitoring of European Corn Borer

European Corn Borer (ECB; Ostrinia nubilalis) has been an important pest of corn and other crops in eastern Canada for nearly a century now. It is becoming well known that ECB is a generalist feeder, and has a wide range of hosts - including cannabis!

ECB larvae will enter larger stems of the cannabis plant, hollow out the contents, and disrupt the flow of water and sugars to all parts of the plant. These hollowed-out stems lack structural integrity, and will cause top-heavy plants to cave. Larvae that make their way up into smaller stems may result in wilting leaves in the infected area. 

For more information on ECB, check out our factsheet.

Figure 1. An image of a ECB larvae that is taking refuge within the stem of a cannabis plant in Nova Scotia. Photo credit: Alex Gillis

With a recent confirmation of ECB resistance to Cry1F Bt corn in Nova Scotia, there is an increased need to monitor pest distribution across Canada. The Surveillance Working Group of the Canadian Plant Health Council has developed a harmonized monitoring protocol for ECB. This can be used to report the sightings of eggs, larvae, or any crop damage observed across Canada. It is encouraged that you try the harmonized monitoring protocol and report the data from your production using the free Survey123 app (available for both desktop and mobile devices):

• Early to Mid-Season ECB Survey (Before July) - https://arcg.is/0qCCHH
• Later Season ECB Survey (July to Pre-Harvest) - https://arcg.is/fSODf

You can log your information without creating a profile. A hard copy version is also available. 

Why should you care?

Real-time reporting may help estimate the risk of outbreaks in your region, and target the ideal window for scouting and management. At the end of the growing season, maps illustrating the results of the monitoring program will be made available on the 'Great Lakes and Maritimes Pest Monitoring Network', and the 'Prairie Pest Monitoring Network' websites, among others. 

Please feel free to contact Tracey Baute (OMAFRA), Meghan Vankosky (AAFC-Saskatchewan), John Gavloski (Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development), James Tansey (Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture) or Brigitte Duval (MAPAQ) if you have questions about this pilot project.

Posted by: Talia Plaskett

Weighing the Options on Ground Cover

 
There are many benefits to incorporating ground cover into your growing space. This woven or plastic material can drastically reduce weed pressure, presence of mud in the grow space, and protect your produce from soil particles. It acts as a barrier to pests and disease lingering on the surface of the ground and will impact the climate in your growing space.

Ground cover comes in different colours and source materials. Check out our new fact sheet (https://www.perennia.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Fact-Sheet-Ground-Cover-final.pdf) to explore the options available and decide which will be best suited for your space!

Posted by: Talia Plaskett

Things are Heating Up!

Thanks to our friends at AAFC, we have the capability to compare our current weather data to that of the past! This helps us understand where we are in the grand scheme of things, and assists in the planning and execution of outdoor planting and field trials. 

Based on the weather measured from March 1st to May 10th 2021, we are right on track with what was observed in 2017 for number of days above 5°C. As we amp it up to base 10 degree days, we see we are tracking similar to 2018, and are right on the heels of 2013. 

Despite a relatively dry winter/early spring, we have managed to catch up to the 10 year average the last few weeks! The red line on the graph tracks the cumulative precipitation of 2021, compared to that captured in previous years. Note that 2020 was tracking relatively similar to what we observed earlier this year. Hopefully things continue to progress on the wetter side of things and ease the stress surrounding hot dry growing seasons!

It is important to note that these values were collected at the Kentville Research Station - microclimates DO exist throughout the valley, as well as across province, so this is merely a guideline! For more site-specific information, consider installing your own weather monitoring station!

Posted by: Talia Plaskett

Water Woes

Irrigation management can be tricky, especially for those who are experimenting with new systems. From field producers who want to see more consistency in their watering, to those moving into an indoor production space, to those who are experimenting with soilless substrate, we have you covered! The commodity specialists at Perennia decided it was time to buckle down and tackle irrigation as a whole. 

Introducing our "Getting into the Weeds" Series! These sessions were designed to start with the basics, and build up from there, addressing some of the most commonly asked questions in plant agriculture. 

                             

Session 1: Water Movement through the soil - make every drop count
Session 2: Planning and Design of a Drip Irrigation System
Session 3: Operating and Managing a Drip Irrigation System
Session 4: Pivot and Guns: Irrigation System Management
Session 5: Fertigation: Integrating Nutrients with Irrigation Options
Session 6: Making the Switch to Soilless Substrate
Session 7: Irrigating my Soilless Substrate 
Session 8: Disease Management in Irrigated Crops 

Be sure to check these out, and see how your irrigation practices compare! 

Posted by: Talia Plaskett