Serious Problems with small Worms in mature flowers

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schristian

Active Member
Please help. I've been reading all the posts I can search on the subject for days so I think maybe there is nothing I can do other than what I'm doing but have some specific questions.

I'm a newbie. Have 4 strains growing outdoors in SoCal that came from indoor clones. GDP, Bubba Kush, Romulon and Mazar-i. Got started late so all flowered quickly which is great.

The Mazar is very small and all flower but I had some moths int he evening I noticed and then noticed some green caterpillars. But now in late stage flower (mostly brown pistils, trichomes mostly cloudy I think). I believe many of the pistils turned dark from either exposure to a little safer soap or from the real problem I have now which is little brown/white/green 1/4 inch worms or caterpillars in all my flowers. Been removing the infestation in between the calyxes. Maybe removed 20 something in two days. But everytime I look I least find one. Digging deep in to the flowers which I hate but trying to hand pick.

Questions:

What are they? I think either budwors or Cabbage Moth Caterpillars. I believe they are probably what is turning green (and occasionally cacooning).

Besides removing physically is there anything I can do? Near harvest so can I spray the flower with anything? Or should I just harvest and try to pull the little suckers out?

Am I so infested that the plant is history. Or can I keep removing by really digging in to flowers and save? Trying this route for now and letting mature a bit more.

The Romulon is also getting some of the same worms now too. But not many so early. Its half way through flower probably. Spray or just hand pick?

One last thing: These girls are located by other plants (touching). The other girls I have are all seperate and not infested at all. So I assume that its either a strain difference or vicinity to other plants issue. I'm sure its a moth problem though right?

I know its a long post with many questions. But any advice would be greatly appreciated. I hate to lose my forst sensi plant let alone the rest of the crop. Thanks so much. MMJ patient in Newport Beach,
 
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schristian

Active Member
Been flushing for two weeks and stopped watering the most mature and infested Mazar. So I could take her anytime. But trichs look like they could use a little more time. So I figured I'd keep trying to dig out the last of the f'ing worms for a couple of days thinking double benefit but let me know if wroing strategy. Seems "relatively" clean now but I can see the flowers that had the most had a lot of droppings and damage. I can waste if I should I guess. Don't want to smoke worm guts. But next question would be for the next most mature which is showing early signs of the same issue. Pulled a few of the buggers out. I can;t wait to harvest her for two to three weeks maybe but thinking I don;t want to spray.
 
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batuque

Active Member
I am in socal as well and am finding these damn caterpillars on my hibiscus and tomatoes, so far nothing on the baby girl!

I wonder if more people are having problems with the caterpillars...
 
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schristian

Active Member
Glad to hear not on the girl. Only thing I can say is look very closely daily to manage with fingers. I thought I was watching closely but I know not close enough.:peace:
 
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schristian

Active Member
OK I know its bud worm. Sprayed all but the most mature plant with BT. Hope OK to spray on flowers. Question is should I spray the most infested which I'm thinking I need to do even though trichs are mostly cloudy now. But I think I can hold off harvest. I would think beeter to kill the fuckers rather then let any I miss contimue to eat while drying. Seems BT is pretty safe. Thanks!
 
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stoneyfisherman

Well-Known Member
im in socal also and just noticed the same problem on 2 of my 3 girls. they are all about 2 weeks away from harvest. where did you get this BT spray and is it safe this late into flower?
 
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schristian

Active Member
Well I found BT at Amrstrongs. Made the mistake of spraying it in my flowers on two of my plants. Just shriveled the pistils up brown over night. Don;t spray the flowers or at least not strongly I guess. Been hand picking daily with the rest and sprayed leaves only. They have powder too BT too. Good luck
 
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ehsurfboards

Active Member
got the same problem. i call them inch worms. took about 15 off of my northern lights when i harvested and then 5 more when i was drying. little fuckers looked stoned out of there gourds.
 
siriousk

siriousk

Active Member
I have 4 outdoor in my backyard, and I have some huge effen worms on mine, the only thing I know of is to hand pick them off. You can track their shit trails and find them destroying your bud. It's a sad sight and pretty much every single one of my plants is affected by them. The moths lay eggs and the eggs become worms.

I have yet to see a worm get so big that it's ready to go into cocoon, but some worms I have pulled off are at least inch and a half long, no exaggeration.

If anyone knows an organic way to rid this pest please let me know. I have lost close to an ounce of wet material from the bud rot due to worms shit and nests.

Thanks
 
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schristian

Active Member
Just don't spray that BT on the flowers. Shrivels up the pistils quick if any significant amount gets on 'em. Ended up wasting a whole plant. Trying to be vigilant with them everyday and hand pick. And I put the plants in my garage at dusk but see white moths (kinda looks like a white butterfly) during the day. I think that's the culprit. What do the eggs look like? Be best to catch them as early as possible. Any outside grower in SoCal at least needs to really watch out. Clearly the biggest threat I've experienced. Thanks for the comments/advice.
 
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schristian

Active Member
Could practically be its own section as such a big issue I'm finding from private emails I'm getting from Socal outdoor growers.
 
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cichlid

Active Member
Just thought i'd add that i bought a really nice bag of weed the other day and when i ground it up, i found 2 little white, brittle things that looked like dried worm skins, or maybe cacoons. i just plucked them out - the smoke was great.
 
siriousk

siriousk

Active Member
I have a six footer and the size of caterpillars I pull off are outrageous. It almost scares me when I see them. The eggs that the moths lay are little millimeter sized white/off white balls. They usually come in clusters and you can find them anywhere from directly on the bud to under the leaves. If you look up from the bottom of the plant it's easier to spot them.

Here's a question for FDD... that Caterpillar killer, how do you use it? for example, do you spray the whole plant? just the infected areas? Let me know cause I keep loosing more and more bud every day, and to it's really time consuming and tedious to continue to hand pick them off...

Thanks for all the help

Oh yeah, here's a few pics of the girls
 

Attachments

F

fdd2blk

Well-Known Member
siriousk said:
I have a six footer and the size of caterpillars I pull off are outrageous. It almost scares me when I see them. The eggs that the moths lay are little millimeter sized white/off white balls. They usually come in clusters and you can find them anywhere from directly on the bud to under the leaves. If you look up from the bottom of the plant it's easier to spot them.

Here's a question for FDD... that Caterpillar killer, how do you use it? for example, do you spray the whole plant? just the infected areas? Let me know cause I keep loosing more and more bud every day, and to it's really time consuming and tedious to continue to hand pick them off...

Thanks for all the help

Oh yeah, here's a few pics of the girls
Click to expand...
mix 1 teaspoon with 1 gallon of water and mist the whole plant with it. it only last a couple days so you have to mist every 3 days. you can spray up until the week before harvest. once the caterpillars get down inside the tight nuggies the spray doesn't get to them. this is why you have to start early and stick with it.

IMG_2978.jpg IMG_3183.jpg IMG_3087.jpg
 
siriousk

siriousk

Active Member
Thanks FDD, damn, those pics you have, I have taken at least an ounce to two of wet material that looks just like that. NOt to waste though, gonna dry it and make some great tea with it. Did it last year and it's a great buzz

Thanks Again
 
IGTHY

IGTHY

Well-Known Member
schristian said:
Please help. I've been reading all the posts I can search on the subject for days so I think maybe there is nothing I can do other than what I'm doing but have some specific questions.

I'm a newbie. Have 4 strains growing outdoors in SoCal that came from indoor clones. GDP, Bubba Kush, Romulon and Mazar-i. Got started late so all flowered quickly which is great.

The Mazar is very small and all flower but I had some moths int he evening I noticed and then noticed some green caterpillars. But now in late stage flower (mostly brown pistils, trichomes mostly cloudy I think). I believe many of the pistils turned dark from either exposure to a little safer soap or from the real problem I have now which is little brown/white/green 1/4 inch worms or caterpillars in all my flowers. Been removing the infestation in between the calyxes. Maybe removed 20 something in two days. But everytime I look I least find one. Digging deep in to the flowers which I hate but trying to hand pick.

Questions:

What are they? I think either budwors or Cabbage Moth Caterpillars. I believe they are probably what is turning green (and occasionally cacooning).

Besides removing physically is there anything I can do? Near harvest so can I spray the flower with anything? Or should I just harvest and try to pull the little suckers out?

Am I so infested that the plant is history. Or can I keep removing by really digging in to flowers and save? Trying this route for now and letting mature a bit more.

The Romulon is also getting some of the same worms now too. But not many so early. Its half way through flower probably. Spray or just hand pick?

One last thing: These girls are located by other plants (touching). The other girls I have are all seperate and not infested at all. So I assume that its either a strain difference or vicinity to other plants issue. I'm sure its a moth problem though right?

I know its a long post with many questions. But any advice would be greatly appreciated. I hate to lose my forst sensi plant let alone the rest of the crop. Thanks so much. MMJ patient in Newport Beach,
Click to expand...
They're Bud Worms. If you have them that means that your flowers are ripening. The only way to get rid of them is to buy a couple of Praying Mantis'.
 
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