Yet another couple of addition to the 'list of contents'. It's amazing what pops into one's head at 4:30 a.m. !

Contents
1) Getting Started & Seeds done
2) Containers and Media
3) Water and Nutrients
4) Lighting
5) Air, Temp and Humidity
6) Grow Rooms and other Equipment
7) Keeping power costs down
8) Harvest and Storage
9) Pests and Problems
10) Smoking, Eating, Vaping, and Concentrates
11) Wrap up - Security, Mailing, Getting Help, plus anything else I had not included up to this point!

If you have any ideas for topics not yet mentioned, please let me know. Remember, this is about cost, and nothing more.

Thanks for helping out

5. Lighting and Electricity (part 1)

Don’t forget, this is all about saving money, NOT which is ‘better’.

Without doubt, the optimal system in solar. Sadly, most of us cannot grow in our backyards, so until that day arrives, we’re going to have to make do with indoor lighting systems. One of the few benefits to paying for light is the control over how much and when your garden is lit.

NB: LEDs are not covered here as their price prohibits their use in an inexpensive system.

Before continuing, I just want to say that this topic has caused me the most grief, so far. Not only is this a religious argument, information is often unclear, contradictory, or just plain wrong. The confusion only multiplies when you begin to consider other grow room parameters which directly influence this most important aspect of indoor growing, e.g. size of room, distance of plants from lights, reflector quality, optimizing the proper diffusion of reflected light, and so on.

Watts & Lumens

A watt is a unit of electricity and has nothing whatsoever to do with brightness.
Power bills are usually calculated in kilowatts per hour (kw/h), e.g. where I am the cost per kwh is 12.05¢ per kWh for first 2000 kWh per Billing Period, then drops to 9.20¢ per kWh for balance kWh per Billing Period. So, to run a 1000w bulb the charge will be 12.05 cents for one hour.
A lumen is a unit of light energy, more or less a measurement of ‘brightness’. The more lumens, the better.
Watts can be used to measure efficiency, i.e. the lower the number of watts for a given amount of light, the more efficient the system . For example, a 100 watt incandescent bulb puts out roughly the same number of lumens as a 23watt CLF., making the compact fluoro about four times more efficient.

Efficiency is a hugely important aspect of looking at lighting. Strictly in terms of paying for electricity while producing the most light i.e. watts per lumen the most efficient system is a 600w HPS.

Click to enlarge

Looking only at the bottom line, CFLs are clearly the best buy. Before someone flames me, I am not forgetting about fixtures, wiring, etc. Adding together the extras needed for a HPS lamp would cancel out these CFL extras (inline fans, ducting, duct tape!). The optimal garden provides roughly 7000 lumens per square foot. This works out to 4 x 23 watt CFLs, or about $10. When compared to at least $200 for a starter HPS system.

There is more to consider besides initial setup costs. Light penetration, heat buildup, weight of final product just to name a few. HIDs need more supporting infrastructure than CFLs, but they do produce thicker, heavier buds, and in less time than lower powered lights. Because a 600 watt system costs less to run, in the long run it will eventually make back the high start up price. Unfortunately, that time period is substantial.

Part 2 to follow in a few days (hopefully!)

as promised, Part II of Lighting and Electricity

Building a CFL setup

Visit your local recycle store to pick up sockets, wiring and plugs, even wood for the frame on which you will mount your lights. Alternatively if you can scrounge up a few power bars, and a bunch of plug-in sockets, you can quickly build a small setup to light seedlings. Here are a few pics of my lights, built entirely with previously enjoyed parts (cept the bulbs of course!). The sockets and wiring were scrounged from recycled bathroom vanity lighting, the wood from the scraps bin at the local Home Depot. Even the paint came from the recycle store. Total cost was roughly $25.

I can place six 4 gallon buckets comfortably under these lights.




Suggestions:
1) Compact Fluorescent Lights are (initially) cheaper – and can be used to produce quality product.
2) The most cost effective bulb is a 600w HPS
3) Place the light source as close to the plants as possible. This makes a huge difference in efficiency.
4) Don’t waste your money: utilize as much reflected light as possible: mylar or flat white paint all surfaces, use a moveable wall to box in your plants, keep lights close to your plants without burning them.
5) To reduce cooling costs, position HID ballasts outside the grow area.
6) Write the date on each bulb when it is first used. This makes replacement easier – you don’t want to pay for electricity going to an older, less bright bulb.
7) Mount your CFLs horizontally, that is, so the sides of the bulbs are directed at plants
8) Your highest power bulbs can be housed in a single bulb reflector, used to light up specific areas.
9) Use timers to reduce cost: many growers veg under 18/6, which is economically superior to 24/0.
10) Make your own CFL reflector(s): many plans online.
11) To reduce the amount spent on sockets, wiring etc. choose higher watt CFL bulbs, i.e. less bulbs, less bits needed. For example, use a half-dozen 23w bulbs instead of twelve 13watters.

Electricity
1) Pick fast growing strains, the sooner they mature, the less it costs to produce.
2) Compensate for extra power usage by cutting back elsewhere: dry laundry outside, wash dishes by hand, turn off anything not being used, including computers.
3) If you live in a hot climate, grow during the cooler months to keep air conditioning and exhaust fan costs down. Conversely most Canadians may wish to grow during the warmer three weeks of the year…..
4) To maximize each watt you are paying for, keep the lights as close as possible to your plants, use flat white paint or mylar to reflect back as much as possible, and minimize the space between plants and walls. Box in the grow area with reflecting ‘moveable walls’ e.g. hang a white window blind onto the front opening.
5) To reduce your power usage footprint, place as many electronic devices on timers as possible. It is possible to save over 400watts by temporarily turning off standby equipment such as televisions, VCRs, modems, DVD players etc.http://boards.cannabis.com/indoor-growing/102514-faq-how-save-electricity-whilst-growing-just-lower-your-power-bill.html .
6) Replace incandescent bulbs with CFls in your home.
7) PC’s draw a lot of power when on: configure your PC to sleep or hibernate when not used
8) Check your water heater: some manufacturers set the heaters to full power, a terrible waste. Use a timer to avoid heating water during late night hours. When you go on vacation, make sure to turn off as many appliances and gadgets as possible, including A/C and water heater.
Plug-In 24 Hour Mechanical Timer , 2 for $6.88
http://www.homedepot.ca/product/plug-in-mechanical-timer-white-2-pack/920633

Thanks Chauncey, appreciate you taking the time to respond. Your comments are great, as they allow me to demonstrate one of the difficulties I've had to deal with while writing this thread. My focus in on how anyone can grow as inexpensively as possible for the masses. In other words, the information I glean has to apply to a more ... generalized set of circumstances. Not everyone has access to 'that great deal', or get lucky at a garage sale, if you follow me.

Having said all that, the concept of scrounging from ex-growers, of buying used equipment is one I will keep in mind.

Cheers

It's been pointed out to me that I left out a few..well...pointers on CFLs which demonstrate their effectiveness. It is a simple thing to add a few bulbs to surround your plants, basically wrapping them in light. Another factor is how close to the leaves these lights can be placed: don't forget the inverse square law!

(for the non-physics buffs out there, I am referring to the decrease in light intensity as the distance between source and target increases).

These two factoids demonstrate two ways CFL bulbs can be relatively very efficient compared to HIDs, yet startup costs are much lower. This makes the best use of the dollars you spend on electricity, much the same as painting the walls flat white or using mylar, to avoid wasting a single photon!


Air, Temp and Humidity

Compared to the last section, this one is going to be a cake-walk.
Topics to cover:
- Moving air in, around, and out of grow room
- Temperature
- Humidity
- Co2
- Odour
- Airborne pests
As you undoubtedly are aware, the environmental conditions of your garden are as important to plant health as lighting. Poor air quality can severely limit growth, and in some cases can be the death of the plants within. Luckily most of the above listed parameters can be addressed simply by running a few fans to provide and circulate fresh air, then exhaust stale, hot and humid air from the room(s). We will look at carbon dioxide and airborne pests a little later. Moving air in, around, and out of grow room

How do I know which fans I need ?
Fresh Air Intake fan:
- For small stealth or closet grows a fan is not needed as long as there is a way for fresh, cool air to passively enter, e.g. the crack under the closet door.
- Larger grows will require active air intake e.g. a computer fan may work for this
Exhaust fan:
- Calculate the amount of air in your grow room with this basic equation: width x breadth x height of room = cubic feet of space. E.G. a 3 x 3 closet, with a ceiling height of 8 feet contains 3 x 3 x 8 = 72 cubic feet of space/air
- Divide the area by the number of times per minute you wish to complete a full air exchange, e.g. 1 exchange in this case would be 72 cfm, so find a fan of that capacity, or greater. It is generally better to use a larger fan with less power, then a smaller one on full. This not only extends the life of the fan, it also means a quieter air system, as fans run to maximum tend to be loud. Oh, just be sure the larger fan has a variable speed control built-in.
- If attempting to control high temps and/or humidity levels, you need to increase the amount of air expelled per minute, i.e. a higher capacity fan is needed. Depending on your situation, this may mean an increase of three to five exchanges per minute. For our closet grow of 72 cubic feet, that would be a (72 x 3 =) 216 cfm to a (72 x 5 =) 360 cfm fan. Remember, try to pick up a bigger fan that you actually need, so it can run quieter.

Air circulation fan
- Any basic household rotating fan can be used to move air through the plants. The key is to see the leaves waving in the breeze. Use your common sense when setting the speed of this fan: you want leaves to gently sway, and not being blown off the branch!
- Ideally the same fan can be aimed upwards towards your lights, helping to cool them and both extend their useable lifetime, and of course protect leaves from being burned if too close. Another way of doing this is to mount one or more computer fans to blow across the lights/top of plants

Suggestions:
- Computer (aka muffin) fans can be wired to 12v adapters, old computer power supplies, even 12v batteries.
http://www.rollitup.org/do-yourself/4105-computer-fan-wiring.html
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=99119
- Although a higher capacity fan is more expensive than a smaller one, by running the larger unit at a lower setting you prolong its life, plus decrease the noise levels in your garden. Well worth the extra few bucks.
- The above points make no mention of advanced topics such as negative pressure development, calculating the proper size of intake holes, sealing other ‘false’ intake cracks, etc. This thread is devoted to costs, and not to outline detailed growing procedures


- Some fans come with a built-in thermostat, useful for keeping temps at a constant rate: the more heat, the faster they run - $16
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005P4VSRK/ref=...ASIN=B005P4VSRK
- A small computer fan mounted in a box makes a great drying area. A large box, pet odour filter (activated carbon in a pad), computer fan, and a couple of wire grids to lay the buds on. Easy.
- Be aware that very cheap fans tend to run hot and loud! No use saving a few dollars on a fan if it burns or draws attention
http://www.420magazine.com/forums/do-yourself/141714-diy-drying-box-odor-control.html
- Fancier, much better drier: http://buymarijuanaseeds.com/community/threads/diy-drying-cabinet.147198/

Temperature control
Suggestions:
- As with excess humidity, if your air circulating system is efficient i.e. the room’s total air volume is replaced 3-5 times an minute, high temperature issues can be reduced or even eliminated
- If excess heat is a problem, simply shut down during the hottest months
- Use the already cooled or heated air in your house to an advantage by taking in fresh air from an adjacent room, growing in a corner of a basement or attic
- If using outside air to cool/warm ingoing air, make sure it’s screened off with a bug-proof filter (heap).
- If trying to keep the area warm, presumably when growing in a basement over the winter months, seal up the room to avoid heat leaks, insulate the walls, raise the pots off of the floor (bench or table), install a small fan at ceiling height aimed downwards
- Pick up a few cheap thermometer/hygrometers , one per room, plus another for your drying area/room/box
- Measure the temps near your plants with the being lights on for a while
- If needed, purchase a small electric space heater with a built-in thermostat - $23 at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Lasko-754200-Ceramic-Adjustable-Thermostat/dp/B000TKDQ5C


Humidity control
It really sucks to invest your hard work, time and money on a great crop, only to lose it to bud rot or moldy buds in the drying room. Pick up a temp/humidity gauge for each room
Humidity is the measurement of how much water vapour is in the air, relative to its holding potential, hence the term ‘relative humidity’ or RH for short. The warmer the air, the more its potential to hold water increases, therefore the overall humidity levels drop, even though the same amount of water is dissolved in the air. When temps drop, the reverse takes place: as before the amount of water the air does not change, but the holding potential lowers, so humidity rises.

For the most part a humidity level in the fifty percent range is fine. The only exceptions are when rooting cuttings (clones) and during the later stages of flowering. New cuttings need much higher humidity levels, 80-90%, as this is their only water source until roots have developed. Conversely during the flowering stage high humidity is the enemy, as it can initiate bud rot – something to avoid at all costs. Keep humidity as low as possible during the late budding phase of growth.

It should be noted that with the exception of living in a very humid part of the world, a good air circulation system will render all of this moot. If fans and exhaust can complete enough air exchanges per hour, humidity becomes a non-issue.
Lower levels of humidity are important during dense bud growth , 25-45% is ideal to avoid rot development. Many growers fail to recognize that these levels are especially important at night time. Pick up a min/max thermometer/hygrometer to track these important parameters day and night. Even if both these levels are optimal, stagnant air can also be a cause of mold formation. Rotating fans , a fresh air source, and venting to remove stale air will draw off excess moisture, not to mention replenish CO2 levels around each leaf.

As with most other growing parameters, there exists a set of optimal humidity ranges for each phase of cultivation:
- 80 - 90% rh for rooting clones
- 60 - 70% rh for vegetative growth
- 30 - 50% rh during flowering

Low humidity can be resolved by simple misting your plants or cuttings. Do not mist flowering plants, as this drastically increases the chance of bud rot taking hold, which can infect your entire garden very quickly. A large squat dish or pan can be filled with water and placed just in front of the fan blowing onto your plants. If the air is too dry, it can stress the plants, making transpiration difficult. However, some growers believe that lowering the humidity as much as possible a few days before harvest increases resin production, to prevent excess moisture loss by acting as a sort of moisture seal. While this sounds good, there is no evidence it actually works. There are many such claims out there; the only way to known whether they are fact or fiction is to try them yourself.

High humidity is the more common problem. Fungi thrive in warm, moist spots, in and around buds for example, which contain moisture holding crevices: dark and have little air movement. Certain insect pests, fungus gnats for example, thrive in moist environments. Lastly, it can adversely affect a plant’s health, buy slowing transpiration or ‘sweating’ process. The obvious solution is to purchase a dehumidifier. However, as this book is about growing on the cheap, we need to find an alternative method. This is where a desiccant comes in handy.

A desiccant is a chemical which readily absorbs water. Many can be reused by gently heating the water-logged crystals. Silica gel, aka sodium silicate, is found in those little ‘do not eat’ packets you throw out when buying that new pair of shoes. Pop into your neighbourhood shoe or clothing stores to see if they have any extras they would be willing to toss your way. They are even available for sale on Amazon! An alternative to these little packs is cat litter. Some brands are made with sodium silicate crystals which absorb liquid and control odour. Just make sure the label includes ‘silica’. A third choice is rock salt, sold as a de-icer or pool treatment salt (sodium or calcium chloride). This works a little differently than silica or cat litter:

Pick up a couple of buckets, 3 and 5 gallons. Drill a few ½inch holes in the bottom of the smaller bucket, then line it with a couple layers of cheesecloth, so that the edges of the cheesecloth come up and over the lip. Tuck these edges into the 5 gallon bucket so it stays in place. The rim of the 3 gallon pot should sit on the rim of the larger bucket. Now toss in a few inches of rock salt. As moisture gathers it will drop into the lower container. Empty as required, and replace the salt every week or so.

Note that these alternate cheaper methods will not remove as much moisture as a dehumidifier. You get what you pay for.

Suggestions:
- Desiccants such as Silica Gel, Rock Salt, Activated Charcoal will lower the RH by roughly ten pecent.
- DampRid $4 - $10 http://www.walmart.com/ip/FG80FF-DampRid-Fragrance-Free-Hanging-Moisture-Absorber-14-oz./15033119
- Used dehumidifiers on Ebay - $30 - $50
- Get a few juice cans and drill a bunch of holes through the sides and top, fill with crushed charcoal (activated charcoal is better). Place these around the ‘wettest’ parts of your grow rooms.
- The cheapest method is no method at all, i.e if your grow rooms are well ventilated the problem simply blows away. (unless of course you live where high humidity is endemic)
- Humidity Meter : Hygrometer $3 at Home Depot http://www.homedepot.ca/product/humidity-meter/969251
- In cases where humidity is too low, buckets or even bowls of water left open can be enough to raise it to a desirable level. Alternatively set up a towel with one end dipped in water, t’other hanging vertically up and out of the bucket. Stick a small fan behind the wet towel and voila, instant humidity.



I'll upload the second half of this section in a week or so.

Thanks for reading, pm me with any comments.

Carbon Dioxide
CO2
Plants use carbon dioxide as the fuel for photosynthesis – no CO2, no growth. Keeping the air fresh around each leaf guarantees a constant supply. The addition and regulation of carbon dioxide, if done properly, will increase the final yield. During daylight hours, a plant takes in CO2 to photosynthesize sugars –food. Come night time, this process stops. It makes sense that if we increase the concentration of carbon dioxide in the air, it will in turn lead to an increase in growth. How much of an increase is a difficult thing to determine; some say it may be as high as 300%! One way to ensure your garden receives an optimal amount of CO2 is to provide it yourself. Although there are various methods available, if growing on a budget is your goal, you are limited to the last two.

1. Burning hydrocarbon fuels
2. Compressed, bottled CO2
3. Dry ice
4. Fermentation
5. Chemical reaction

Burning hydrocarbons (eg. Alcohol, propane, butane or natural gas) releases carbon dioxide. Notwithstanding the cost of such fuels, there is a risk of fire, as well as carbon monoxide possibly being given off as a result of incomplete combustion. Needless to say, carbon monoxide is something to avoid at all costs! Oh, and yes, it will kill both you and your plants. Compressed gas, although safe and relatively simple, cannot be purchased without having the proper permits, not to mention the high costs involved. Dry ice, which is frozen carbon dioxide, is also simple to use, but presents a health hazard in potential tissue injury. It sublimates rather quickly, meaning it will have to be replaced daily, which can become tedious and pricy very quickly.
Fermentation is a chemical process where yeast converts sugar to alcohol, giving off carbon dioxide as a by-product. We can use this knowledge to make up an inexpensive gas machine.

Parts needed:
- One gallon container with fitted lid
- 6 cups of sugar
- Two teaspoons of activated yeast

Place the sugar in the container, adding a half gallon of water, plus the yeast. Make a small, pencil-sized hole in the container’s lid. Shake this up as often as possible. In one or two days the yeast will have grown to the point it starts producing CO2. With every subsequent shake, a burst of gas is released into the grow room. The contents of the container need to be changed every three weeks.

The other economical method is familiar to anyone who took any sort of science class in school. Adding vinegar to baking soda creates an instant reaction, producing water and CO2. Get yourself a small plastic tub, to which you add an inch or two of soda (or calcium carbonate). Suspend a bottle of white vinegar upside down over the tub. A hose with a pinhole is a great way to create a steady but small drip. The size of this hole can be enlarged in order to calibrate the drip to empty the bottle in 24hours. In a closed system, e.g. a closet, the concentration of carbon dioxide will be rise to a level which will enhance growth. A bonus is the odour absorption property of baking soda: it will help decrease the dankness of your garden.

If you are planning on supplementing CO2 in your garden, be aware it will change the way other parameters are handled. Ventilation must stop during daylight hours when the gas is doing its job, or the gas will be quickly removed before it can be utilized. A closed system is best in such a case, a closet for example. In order to maximize its usefulness temperatures in your grow room need to be higher than usual. As you have already read, the usual optimal temperature should be somewhere in the low to mid twenties Celsius, or mid seventies Fahrenheit. If supplementing with extra CO2, that needs to be brought up to near the mid thirties mark, ninety-five for my American friends. The extra heat speeds up the plant’s respiration and transpiration processes, which in English means it breathes faster and takes up more water. Without this increase, the extra CO2 is not utilized – you’re wasting your time and money. This fact can work in your favour by reducing the expense of air ventilation and air conditioning, problems faced by growers looking to minimize costs and maximize security.

Suggestions:
- CO2 tanks are available for sale at good welding supply stores, where they can usually be refilled as well.
- They are also the perfect place to refill your carbon dioxide canisters.
- Smaller grows can make use of fermentation processes to produce cheap CO2.
- Lower cooling and ventilation costs – CO2 implementation requires more heat e.g. 30-35C (~95F) to work efficiently
- Make sure room is sealed, ventilation is off, and CO2 is released as close to the plants as possible
- DIY CO2 : Baking soda and a slow drip of vinegar, fermenting yeast are both cheaper alternatives to expensive tanks, regulators, permits etc. Before investing in these, you may wish to try the small-scale methods first.




Odour Control
Although not an issue directly related to cultivation, odour control is a must for security reasons. Unless your garden in located in a galaxy far far away, action must be undertaken to remove the pungent smell from exhausted air. As with most aspects of cannabis cultivation, there is more than one way to accomplish this.

Attempting to describe the aroma of cannabis flowers is next to impossible for two reasons: one, smell is very subjective, and two, because the odour itself is actually a complex blend of many scents. To complicate this even further, each strain has its own unique bouquet. When a plant is in a vegetative state its essence is limited. This does not mean there is no smell at all, on the contrary, but that is a mere whiff when compared to a plant in late bloom. The ‘worst-case scenario’ is at harvest time, when handling plants/buds releases copious amounts of dankness.

By far the most common method of air cleaning is through the use of carbon filters. These can be purchased commercially, or you can make your own for a few dollars. With the use of inline fans*, air passes through the filter where odour molecules bind chemically to the millions of tiny pores on the carbon’s surface. What comes out the other end is clean odourless air. It is worth noting that activated carbon is used in water filtration, home air purification and aquarium filters. Once the carbon has reached its saturation point, it is simply removed and replaced with a fresh supply. Activated carbon, aka activated charcoal, can be purchased at any retail outlet that stocks pet supplies.

Suggestions:
- DIY Carbon Filter Plans range is price from $20 to $40
http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/showthread.php?t=42695
http://boards.cannabis.com/growroom-setup/186336-diy-carbon-air-filter-cheap-effective.html
http://www.rollitup.org/indoor-growing/7074-easy-build-diy-carbon-filter.html
- Activated Carbon $34 for 52 lbs. http://www.thatpetplace.com/filter-carbon-pellets-52lb
- Activated Carbon Filter $17 http://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/honeywell-re...ctionPage=false
- Make your own filters $3 http://www.rollitup.org/grow-room-design-setup/63004-my-3-carbon-filter.html

Alternatives to charcoal or carbon filters include
- Ozone generators http://www.rollitup.org/grow-room-design-setup/86320-my-highest-reccomendation-inexpensive-unit.html ($140)
- Ona Gel (chemical deodorizer) $25 a liter http://www.canadianwholesalehydroponics.com/products.cfm?cat_id=46&show_products=1
- Ionizers generate negative ions, which bind to odour molecules $60
http://www.amazon.com/FIVE-STAR-FS8088-P...ic+Air+Purifier

For those with a large grow and deep pockets : $650 http://www.amazon.com/GT3000-Professiona...589&sr=8-57





Air-borne Pests
Keep what is outside outside! Not very goodly English, but you get the point. Never take in air from the outdoors unless it first passes through a filter system to eliminate the tiniest insects, not to mention pollen from the grow next door! Do not work outdoors on your veggy patch then come running into your ganja garden – insects have a nasty habit of piggy-backing on your clothes, in your hair etc. If you must do this, change your clothes, brush your hair and wash hands... at least make it hard for the little suckers!

Suggestions:
Furnace filters $5 can be cut to fit your ducting if bringing in outside air http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/Green/EnergyConservation/FurnaceFilters/PRDOVR~0643408P/Garrison+Allergen+Furnace+Filters%2C++2-pk.jsp?locale=en
- Yellow insect traps are invaluable both for catching bugs, and also will tell you whether or not the little buggers are in your grow rooms. Position these at entrances to your garden, as well as close to the plants – check daily for what they catch. Insect traps $10 for 25: http://www.gemplers.com/product/RSTRIP/Olson-Yellow-Sticky-Traps-3x5-Pkg-of-25
- Check your leaves once at least once a week for signs of insects. You must use a magnifying lens to catch many of these e.g. mites, thrips, etc.
- AzaMax $70 a liter: effectively controls spider mites, thrips, fungus gnats, aphids, whiteflies, leaf miners, worms, beetles, leafhoppers, scales, mealy bugs, nematodes and other soil borne pests.
- A much cheaper alternative, and sadly much less effective, is Neem ($7) oil, or Safer’s Soap ($9). Both work by smothering the insects, and therefore must be applied often and thoroughly. Not really a solution to your bug problems, more of a temporary stop-gap measure. Be sure to rinse off an hour or so after application, to allow the stomata to breath.
- http://www.homedepot.ca/product/insecticidal-soap-1l-rtu/909557
http://www.homedepot.ca/product/neem-oil-1l-rtu/909573
- For some fungal infections, a simple soap solution works quite well. Carefully mist the infected leaves/soil so as not to spread mycotic spores! Cost: liquid soap and a spray bottle.
- Lady Bugs ($15), Nematodes ($40) are popular and effective method of eradicating a number of insect pests. http://www.thebuglady.ca/buying.html
- Green Earth Sulfur ($6) is reported to be effective against powdery mildew, rust, black spot scab and black knot - also controls mites. http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/2/OutdoorLiving/MosquitoPestControl/InsectControl/PRD~0593713P/Green+Earth+Garden+Sulphur+Powder.jsp?locale=en
- Spraying with bicarbonate of soda, organic horticultural oils, and sulfur can kill powdery mildew

DIY insect traps: A paper clip, thick cardboard or a construction paper that is bright yellow in color, piece of string, a sticky substance such as petroleum jelly, glue for crafts or even double-sided tape. I’ll let you figure out the rest.

Thanks for wading through all of this. The next section will be (hopefully) posted in a couple of weeks, time permitting. If you wish to comment, please pm me.

Cheers