Get medieval on your bug problem with their free illustrated bestiary
If there’s one thing that keeps homegrowers up at night, it’s pests. Mites, molds, fungi, and all sorts of nasty blights can turn a bountiful harvest into a crushing disappointment in no time flat. It’s worth every grower’s while to get familiar with common pests and learn how to best protect your garden from these micro-invaders dead set on turning your perspective buds into duds.
Luckily, there’s Kannabia Seed Company. This award-winning purveyor of fine cannabis seeds from Europe has recently crossed the pond and begun offering their incredible seeds to US cannabis growers. Kannabia has a particular dislike of all the creepy crawlies that can infect a home of any size, an attitude we here at Leafly strongly admire.
They’ve got more resources than just about anywhere for learning how to rescue a plant infected with pests and how to protect your garden from the murders-row of mites and molds. Not only that, but they’ve got a handful of strains specifically bred to hold up to an onslaught of pests that any grower could use in their arsenal.
We’re super excited to tell you all about some of the pest-resistant special strains that Kannabia has in store, but first, let’s take a quick trip back to the Middle Ages to look at Kannabia’s exclusive Bestiary of Cannabis Pests.
Fantastic beasts and how to kill them
When it comes to the battle to protect your garden of precious cannabis seedlings from pests, the first rule is always “know thy enemy.” To that end, Kannabia is proud to present their “Bestiary of Cannabis Pests,” a peerless guide to the whole wrecking crew of crawlies that consume cannabis leaves, stems, and roots. From the common garden caterpillar to the dreaded fusarium fungus, this guide presents information about how to quickly identify interlopers in your garden and see if they are harmless visitors or pests to be removed.
If you aren’t familiar, a bestiary is a medieval tome illustrating various actual and mythological beasts, from dogs to unicorns. Think National Geographic for serfs. Kannabia has revived this format to add an additional touch of ye olde flaire to the knowledge accumulated within.
While the information alone provided by the guide is priceless, the knowledge is only half the equation. Kannabia’s guide has also been brilliantly illustrated in the style of an illuminated manuscript by Daniel Montero Galán. Galán’s a talented artist, and his charming renderings of cannabis pests take this guide from a useful reference point for homegrowers to an essential conversation piece for everyone passionate about cannabis growing. A printed-out copy of the guide makes for a perfect coffee table book, sure to entertain guests as well as terrify pests.
For the quality of the art in the bestiary on top of the helpful growing tidbits, you might expect to shell out quite a pretty penny for Kannabia’s guide. Shockingly, Kannabia’s devotion to winning the war on pests means that they are giving away the exclusive “Bestiary of Cannabis Pests” for absolutely free. That’s right, all you need to do is send Kannabia your email, and they’ll send a free PDF of their bestiary to your inbox post haste. Click the link below to transform from a cannabis gardener struggling against pests to a genuine dragonslayer.
Seeds bred for success
While the cannabis bestiary gives you a top-shelf guide to identifying pests once they’ve already made it to your garden, the best option is to never see the little monsters in the first place. It can even be difficult for experienced growers to rescue a plant that has a pest problem, and many pests will spell the end of your cannabis. Your grandmother was right when she said an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!
Thankfully, when it comes to preventing pests from infesting your cannabis plants, a grower’s greatest ally is the cannabis itself. Weed has been fighting off pests for millennia longer than we humans have been in the fight and has developed a few natural defenses, both direct and indirect, that help send the bugs packing. Thick trichomes, certain terpenes, and select physical characteristics can help ward off all sorts of creatures that might try to make a meal of your cannabis plants.
Kannabia has taken these natural processes and supercharged them, selectively breeding promising strains to produce a line of super-seeds that are tough enough to stand up to some of the worst of the pests. Under the watchful eyes of Kannabia’s team of expert breeders, these seeds have had desirable traits reinforced over dozens of generations, making them a truly formidable lineup that’ll beef up your indoor or outdoor grow.
Now that you know the theory, let’s take a peek at the practice and get to know three of Kannabia’s foremost anti-pest strains.
Cherry Dream
Meet Kannabia’s Cherry Dream, a gorgeous indica-like strain descended from Cherry and a pure Afghani Landrace that Kannabia recommends for newer growers and experts alike. Cherry Dream is certainly a looker, with dark greens bordering on black and flashes of deep reds, but don’t think for a moment that Cherry Dream is just another pretty face.
This strain is tougher than a gas station hamburger and particularly resistant to white flies, a persistent blight for gardeners coast to coast. If you’re one of those struggling with white flies, planting Kannabia’s Cherry Dream with the SOG (Sea of Green) method will protect your grow without resorting to pesticides.
White Domina
Another one of Kannabia’s standout stains is White Domina, a true indica lover’s indica. A backcross of the legendary Black Domina strain, White Domina has taken Europe and South America by storm, winning multiple championships and a devoted following with its peppery flavor and fearsome couch-lock properties.
White Domina’s thick layer of frosty trichomes that have so enraptured growers worldwide serve a dual purpose; they also make White Domina a verifiable linebacker against pests and molds. It takes a special kind of alchemy to create a strain that succeeds at so many things at once, and Kannbia has one of the only teams in the world with the genetic mastery to pull it off.
Mikromachine Auto
The last strain in our sampling of Kannabia’s roster is a sweet and pungent sativa-dominant that goes by the name of Mikromachine Auto. With a royal pedigree featuring DNA from famous autoflowering strains like Northern Lights, AK-47, and Critical, this strain is one of Kannabia’s proudest achievements.
They’ve bred a ferocious arsenal of natural defenses into Mikromachine, making it one of their most resilient strains as well as one of their highest-yielding. Mold, mites, and insects that dream of Mikromachine wake up sweating. If you’re looking for the toughest strain around, here she is. The only question now is where to plant her.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg; Kannabia has over a dozen pest-resistant strains that you can choose from to protect your grow on top of their wide variety of other seeds. They also have a huge amount of reference material to help grows of all types & sizes on their website, in addition to their charming, one-of-a-kind bestiary. You can also follow Kannabia on social media to keep up to date on any promotions, limited-edition drops, or any other exciting developments from the team. Happy growing!
Availability subject to law.