Yeah! It's Bud Worm Season. Pics
- Thread starter CrazyChester
- Start date
jbcCT
Well-Known Member
Few more visual inspections and nothing. Buds are starting to swell and frost. Which means the old eyeball becomes pointless. One final BT mist planned for mid week.
I did my tomatoes this year. The worm can penetrate the thin tipe skin easily. Lost 90% of my tomatoes last year. Not a single mark on any of them after heavy BT sprays this year. Hope it works as well on the bud.
I did my tomatoes this year. The worm can penetrate the thin tipe skin easily. Lost 90% of my tomatoes last year. Not a single mark on any of them after heavy BT sprays this year. Hope it works as well on the bud.
jbcCT
Well-Known Member
I appreciate the tips on the dynatrap, I'm always looking for another weapon to add to the aresenal.
What surrounds your grow? Grass, weeds, brush, neither? I know your a moth killer like I am. In my area they hide in the grass to escape heat, direct sun. I've had good success nuking the grass with pesticides weekly this year.
The worst part of worms is yeah they fuck up bud, but then it triples my trim time cause I'm paranoid like that. Thus having to inspect every branch & bud for the pest.
Edwardo Ruffian
Well-Known Member
Im really starting to freak out. I inspect my plants very thoroughly couple times a day (under control aphid issue) and have not seen worms or any signs of worms. The reason I'm worried is the veggie garden that is 10' away has loads of the 2 spotted moth flying around and laying eggs on the cabbage, kale, and broccoli. Plenty of worm damage on those plants, could planting attractant veggies near the cannabis garden keep the plants safe?
forestabri
Member
Has anyone tried screening your plants? I bought a zipper screen bag thing online. The big plant I used it with is doing fine, but ALL of my left over clones I put outside to finish have worms. I just sprayed them with spinosad, but they are sour diesels so they have until mid-october to finish, so I'm hoping they make it.
The one drawback to screening is that it decreases the light intensity a bit, but it is very hot where I live so that's kinda ok. I had this problem last year too. I was spraying every week with spinosad but I stopped when they started flowering. I guess I should have kept spraying. Oh well, this is only my second year seriously trying to do this, so live and learn.
The one drawback to screening is that it decreases the light intensity a bit, but it is very hot where I live so that's kinda ok. I had this problem last year too. I was spraying every week with spinosad but I stopped when they started flowering. I guess I should have kept spraying. Oh well, this is only my second year seriously trying to do this, so live and learn.
Baja.Beaches
Well-Known Member
I am on a canyon rim so there is a whole lot that it out of my control. Been fighting worms in the same spot over 25 years with limited success. I admit I am overly paranoid about sprays, which have issues as well. Have lost crops due to reactions to sprays so I keep trying for prevention, but dang it is tough. I gave up a few days ago & sprayed BT, don't like to spray flowers but I had to do something.
So I have been working on knowing the enemy, mine is Pieris rapae, the imported small white cabbage butterfly. A butterfly technically so moth tactics don’t work. Bummer because the Dynatrap cleaned house on moths.
Ever notice how the mostly target your dankest plants? I had some blueberry muffin smelling plants in the same space, they were mostly worm free. While my dankest ones were infested. Why?
They appear to recognize the presence of glucosinolates, allowing it to identify the host plant. Glucosinolates are natural components of many pungent plants & that is what the small whites target.
I have been thinking of the same thing, planting decoy cruciferous. Not too close but close enough kinda late for this year but my plan for next.
Baja.Beaches
Well-Known Member
That idea occurred to me too, I bought a mosquito net for sleeping as a test cover. So far it seems to be working but it's kind of a pain in the butt to work with. Maybe a pollination cage for the whole crop next year or build a maybe make a frame for the net..
too larry
Well-Known Member
Some of the greenhouse growers use screen. It doesn't add that much cost and will save you some heart ache.
dphresh
New Member
I built a screened in planter earlier this year. It has kept the pests out. The other big drawback is the greenhouse effect. The plants in the image got heat stressed when we had record highs a few weeks ago (mid 90s near the beach). I was out of town and yeah.. it was bad. I have a fan in it now and it's only gotten a few degrees f higher than outside, but we haven't had any more 90+ f days here either. I'm hoping it'll be fine with some ventilation.
I'm going crazy one day I have nice white hairs. The next I have dried brown hairs. I've soaked the plants with BT maybe 2 - 3 times in 2 - 3 weeks. I've also used neem oil one time. I've noticed my buds smell great, but all my white hairs are turning brown. The plant is not fulling budding and it's been almost 1 month. It's taking a very long time. Today I found a bunch of eggs and dead white worms most likely from the BT. However, I am trying to figure out how to get my buds to flourish like they were before I started spraying. Any ideas? Is it from the spray? I've fed it Flora Nova Bloom a few times. I water once a day. The only things that i've noticed were dead white celled worms, and a bunch of eggs. Do I have ANY chance to keep this baby girl?
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jbcCT
Well-Known Member
I know the feeling. Growing outdoors for a few years now I've come to learn the worms are just unavoidable. I run crazy counter measures on these things and you still gonna find a few. Thing is, your not always going to see them as the burrow into the bud.
I read an article the other day that testing labs in legal states are finding pesticides in many test samples. I'm not willing to spray that stuff on my plants. Short of that it's gonna happen.
jbcCT
Well-Known Member
Your gonna have white hairs turn brown as you finish or from damage. Make sure the conditions are dry when you spray BT. When you harvest, your gonna need rubber gloves to thoroughly go through each bud and cut away the damage. With all outdoor bud I rinse completely with a diluted peroxide bucket of water before I hang to dry. Everyone who grows outside looses a little to the worms. That's the outdoor game.
jbcCT
Well-Known Member
Yeah it's safe but you have to spray the veggies with BT too.
jbcCT
Well-Known Member
I know exactly where your coming from. I'm to the point where I've excepted the fact worms are just part of the outdoor game. We do what we can and cut off the damage at harvest.
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Baja.Beaches
Well-Known Member
I used to wait until harvest to deal with the damage. I now clip the bud the minute I see the signs. Usually gets the worm too. Hate to do it but by the time you notice the worm is in the bud it is usually too late to save that bud, save the plant. Damaged buds go to hash. Those worms hide super well, many times they have crawled out after cutting it when I could not spot the worm even with the bud in my hand. Don't want my buds with worm stuff dead or alive.
Easier looking at your babies without the dead on them too. You are right though, part of the outdoor game. Grrrr...
jbcCT
Well-Known Member
You read my mind. I considered cutting it off the plant myself. I've only picked 3 or 4 small worms off the entire year. It hasn't gotten to the point where there is rot but I see a few suspect areas. I think cutting it off when it arises it a great idea.
The harvest takes so long now, because I'm going in with surgical gloves on the take down, having to inspect every bud, every layer for damage. I like a clean product, paranoid like that I guess.
It does suck, seeing any loss after the hard work and patience all summer. I've come to accept it's part of the outdoor game. I take a little solace in knowing us outdoors guys are all dealing with weather & worms trying to get to the end.