Sanitation and Pest Barriers

Sanitation is the process of keeping places inside and outside the growing space free from insects and diseases by removing weeds, dirt, algae, debris, waste, trash and garbage.

Pests can come into the growing facility through a variety of means such as the ventilation system, small openings or by hitching a ride on visitors. Insects, mites, fungal spores and other disease pathogens can find refuge in weeds around or inside the growing space as well as in discarded plant material, growing media and on dirty surfaces. Proper sanitation will help remove these unwanted pests, and help prevent them from ever entering your grow in the first place. Consider taking the following precautions to maintain proper sanitation in your space.

To Prevent Pests From Entering Your Facility:

Wear personal protective equipment (PPE) when working, to protect people and plants from transporting unwanted materials such as fungal spores or minute insects like mites or aphids from one grow room to another.
- Recommended Products:
  - Grower’s Edge® Bodysuit
  - Grower’s Edge® Nitrile Gloves
  - Grower’s Edge® Shoe Covers
Clean your pruning devices or any equipment coming into your growing area, including pots and trays.
- Recommended Products:
  - Alchemist® H2O2 Liquid Oxygen 34%
  - Alchemist® Isopropyl Alcohol 99.9%
  - Scissor Fix – tool cleaner w/ 70% Isopropyl Alcohol
  - Fiberlock Technologies Shockwave Disinfectant & Cleaner
Place a compost pile at least 30 ft away from the growing facility to prevent pests from infesting or re-entering the grow facility.
Maintain a weed-free environment inside and surrounding the growing facility to help prevent pests as well. Mites and aphids tend to feed on a variety of weeds so applying herbicides as needed is important to reduce the risk of major outbreaks.

To Prevent the Spread of Pests Within Facilities:

Clean all surfaces of the growing facility at the end of each growth cycle because insects, eggs, fungal spores and other diseases can survive on surfaces and will infest your next crop.
- Recommended Products – Hard Surfaces:
  - Alchemist® H2O2 Liquid Oxygen 34%
  - Alchemist® Isopropyl Alcohol 99.9%
  - Fiberlock Technologies Advanced Peroxide Cleaner
  - Fiberlock Technologies Shockwave™ Disinfectant & Cleaner
- Recommended Products – Tools/Shoes:
  - Scissor Fix – tool cleaner w/ 70% Isopropyl Alcohol
  - Harvest More® Scissor Scrubber (add your own cleaner)
  - Grower’s Edge® Cleanroom Sticky Mat
Drain, clean and flush irrigation lines regularly. Lines and reservoirs that are not kept clean will develop a build-up over time.
- Recommended Products:
  - Alchemist® H2O2 Liquid Oxygen 34%
  - General Hydroponics® FloraKleen®
  - Botanicare® Clearex® Salt Leaching Solution
Clean each pruning device before use on a new plant. Diseases can be transferred by the blades,
- Recommended Products:
  - Scissor Fix tool cleaner w/ 70% Isopropyl Alcohol
  - Fiberlock Technologies Shockwave™ Disinfectant & Cleaner
Properly isolate and remove infested plants and all debris so that your crop will remain healthy and you can prevent outbreaks.

Hawthorne Sanitation Products

Open as image

Product	What	When	Why
Alchemist® H2O2 Liquid Oxygen	Concentrated Hydrogen Peroxide for cleaning hydroponic equipment, materials and grow areas.	Use when crop cycle has ended and grow room needs to be cleaned of all dirt and debris.	Versatile product with strong oxidizing properties that make it a powerful cleaner. Reacts instantly through an oxidation process that produces a high foaming action which lifts the material to the surface.
Alchemist® H2O2 Isopropyl Alcohol	Concentrated isopropyl alcohol that will aid in removal of saps and grunge from scissors, blades and equipment quickly and easily.	Use when crop cycle has ended and grow room needs to be cleaned of all dirt and debris.	Isopropyl alcohol dissolves a wide range of non-polar compounds and evaporates quickly and leaves nearly zero oil traces.
Fiberlock Technologies Advanced Peroxide Cleaner	Aggressively removes stains.	Use when crop cycle has ended and grow room needs to be cleaned of all dirt and debris.	Aggressively removes stains and odors on porous, semi-porous, and non-porous materials. Reacts instantly through an oxidation process that produces a high foaming action which lifts the material to the surface.
Fiberlock Technologies Aftershock	EPA registered antimicrobial coating designed to kill residual mold and mildew that remains after pre-cleaning contaminated surfaces.	Use when mold and mildew are a concern.	Inhibits the future growth and spread of mold and mildew on the cured film surface. This extremely durable, easy-to- apply, 100% acrylic sealant offers the ultimate in durability in combination with excellent fungicidal characteristics.
Fiberlock Technologies Shockwave™ Disinfectant & Cleaner	EPA registered disinfectant, sanitizer and cleaner.	Between grow cycles, but after all surfaces have been cleaned but are in need of disinfecting and sanitizing.	Specifically formulated to be used on both porous and non-porous materials. It has over 130 organism kill claims including many pathogenic and environmental microbial organisms.
Harvest More® Scissor Scrubber	A tool scrubber that lets you use your choice of cleaner.	Whenever you use hand tools, especially scissors and pruners on plants.	Your scissors and snips work best when they’re clean.
Grower’s Edge® Cleanroom Sticky Mat	36” x 24” sticky door mat for capturing dirt, dust, and debris from shoes.	Every time you enter a grow room.	Effectively captures dirt and dust from foot traffic and equipment wheels before they enter a cleanroom or controlled environment.
General Hydroponics® FloraKleen®	A flush solution for removing nutrient residues from hydroponics systems.	Monthly to purge your hydroponic system or potted plants of excess salts. Also excellent for final flush.	Removes fertilizer residues that can accumulate over time in hydroponic systems, growing media and potting soils.
Botanicare® Clearex® Rinsing Salt Solution	Isotonic drenching solution that unlocks the ionic bond between the nutrient and the soil or soilless grow substrate	Soil Containers and Gardens: Every seven to 21 days. Hydroponic Systems: Use Clearex with every one to two reservoir changes.	Correct the problem of nutrient salt toxicity and lockout.
Black Ops® Bug Screens	Active carbon inserts to keep most bugs and pollutants from entering grow rooms.	Use at any phase of plant growth	Easy fix to prevent insects from entering the growth space.

Hawthorne PPE Products

Open as image

Product	What	When	Why
Grower’s Edge® Bodysuit	Full body suit	Every time you enter a grow room.	Protect people and plants from transporting unwanted materials from one grow room to another.
Grower’s Edge® Nitrile Gloves	Disposable nitrile gloves (latex and powder free) that are highly resistant to puncture, solvents and grease.	Every time you enter a grow room.	Protect people and plants from transporting unwanted materials from one grow room to another.
Grower’s Edge® Shoe Covers	Disposable covers for boots and shoes.	Every time you enter a grow room.	Ideal for keeping contaminants out of your grow room.

Disclaimer: When using this guide for recommendations on treating plant pest issues, you must always verify and follow any and all product label directions for use as required by federal and state laws.