Healthy plants require constant protection. Like any crop, ours can attract pests during the cultivation process, especially during moments when the plants are the most stressed, like during the transplant phase or when cloning. All bugs have evolved to be able to “smell” weak plants that are easy for them to attack and digest. Many operations rely on chemical and pesticidal intervention to manage those risks.
We don’t.
Instead, we use beneficial insects as part of a biological control system, specifically during the early vegetative cycle. These naturally occurring predators target common plant pests while leaving the plant itself untouched.
Beneficial insects are introduced during the cultivation phase, mostly in our mother room, where they feed on pest populations before they can expand. Once their food source declines, their population naturally decreases as well. This allows us to maintain plant health without spraying synthetic pesticides or oils of any kind onto the crop.
By choosing biological controls, we:
- Reduce chemical intervention
• Protect resin and terpene integrity
• Support clean cultivation practices both in cultivation and in our processing lab
• Maintain a strict level of compliance with Mississippi medical cannabis regulations
You won’t ever see these beneficial insects. You won’t find them on the finished product. Their job is done long before harvest. What you will experience is a clean, carefully cultivated flower that’s been protected without routine pesticide sprays and chemical intervention. It’s one more layer of care built into how we grow at Southern Sky Brands.
(Quote from Josh Cason- Head of Cultivation- Southern Sky Brands)
Being able to maintain pest populations with predator bugs is something we all take great pride in. In a world full of chemical intervention in seemingly everything that we eat, drink, and consume, we here at Southern Sky Brands believe in getting the best quality flower to our patients, just the way mother nature intended it.
For reference, here is the list of the insects we use: Nematodes, Dalotia Coriaria (Rove Beetles), and Strateolaelaps Scimitus (Hypoaspis miles predatory mite)
