Has anyone tried insect netting as a preventative against bugs for an outdoor grow?
Last year was somewhat manageable using Spinosad, but certainly not fool proof by any means, unless I was applying on an incorrect
schedule.
Bug netting has saved my crops, and it's the only way I grow outdoors now.
The first year I grew outdoors (2015) I had no issues, the second the moths found me and I had some worms, by the third or fourth year I was losing half my harvest to worm damage and the subsequent bud rot, and the time it took to sift through the buds and remove the damage was substantial.
A few things to keep in mind: Bug netting will cut the light by 20-30% depending on the brand and type. It will also limit airflow (i.e. natural breezes, etc.), which will add to trapping moisture around the plants. It seems like even morning dew takes a little longer to cook off then it did when the plants were out in the open, and if it rains the rain will drip from the netting for hours afterwards (the solution being to put plastic over the netting when it rains). Lastly, until you get down how to use it, it can inhibit accessibility to the plants. All that in mind, like I said, I can't grow without it so its worth any issues it presents.
One nice thing is that compared to photos, autos stay pretty short, and I also top mine, which means I can hold the netting off of the plants with just pvc hoops. Here's some picks of an outdoor backyard grow where I used bug netting.
