preventative - insecticidal soap

[CannabisMingus]

I have started my first outdoor grow and have been researching pest management. It appears several growers use an insecticidal soap (potassium salts of fatty acids) as a prophylactic. I am considering a 1/week application as a preventative.

Has anyone had bad experiences doing this or know of a reason not to?

Also, do people use insecticidal soap on buds during flower? If so, can you do a light rinse at harvest to wash it off or is it even necessary?

Thanks in advance for your input.

 

[Doug58]

I wash all my outdoor grown weed just to get nasty stuff off after harvest. Dust, pollen, bird and bug crap. H2O2 in a bucket of water, lemon juice and baking soda in a bucket of water, rinse in fresh water and hang to dry.

I have been tempted to use an insecticidal soap on my outdoor grows that are still growing outside in late August to early September because of aphids that get out of control in late Summer but I tested it on some non-marijuana plants and it didn't seem to slow them down at all.

As far as aphids, I just spray the plants down with a high pressure garden hose spray to get them off of plants as best as I could. Other pests I pick off by hand.

I don't know whether I would use an insecticidal soap once the plant is packing on buds. I believe most insecticide soaps kill pests by killing on contact. There is no residual effect once dried so it wouldn't work as a preventive.