Now for some things that have been going right: Outside Super Haze This is some autoflowering gal, something from either Samsara or Bomb seeds, i can't recall Pineapple Express (topped, and surrounded by some clover that was growing inbetween runs in this pot) Inside Grape Drink, just topped Pwerple PunTang
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Another day with no movement on my sampled leaves. I won't call it until the last application of spinosad, but this infestation looks like it's all but wrapped up.
that's great to hear, man. I'd keep sprayin even when you don't see any lol. TJ Those zombie seedlings are looking fantastic! TJ
Yeah, the node distance is pretty small and they're all looking very healthy. I'm very happy about these because I think they could sate my "fruity" bud appetite. The genetics are(I believe): the male was extreme purple crossed to blueberry xDNA Sour Tangie =PunTang xDNA limited OG Grape Krypt =Grape Drink xDNA Cataract Kush =Pwerple I think the Grape Drink could be my favorite, but TWT. (Is that an acronym? Time will tell.)
Rad thread, mate. Bummer about the mites, though. I had that happen to one of my grows. I went down to the local greenhouse and got a pack of ladybugs. Let ‘em loose on the plants and they destroyed the mites in no time. I think it was like 4$ for a pack of 1500 ladybugs. I usually plant some clover with my weed. It's a nitrogen-fixing plant. Once it starts growing a bit, I cut it back a bunch and stress it out so it releases more Nitrogen into the soil.
Yeah, I've been doubling the clover over, but I think it may be time for a lil haircut. The nitrogen fixation was the original purpose of adding the clover, but, since the PE has taken off in this pot compared to the others of the same soil just w/o clover, I believe an established rhizosphere helps promote faster growth, too. I think next time I'd like to try some beneficial insects like lady bugs, I was just caught with my pants down on this one and had to pull out the biggest gun I could find.
some other things i use for my outdoor pest control besides spino.. neem seed meal by down to earth mixed into my soil and topdressed.. crab meal mixed into my soil.. rotating thru 3 different sprays in veg every 5 days.. spino, insecticidal soap, neem oil.. in flower I'm cutting back to about 4 sprays halfway thru flower.. this flower spray is a mix of spino and bt..
Another boring day with no movement....is what I was thinking in my head to write while grabbing a leaf to study for mites tonight. The truth is, however, I saw a redbacked(adult) mite moving around and one of the younger forms. They weren't moving too rapidly or normally, so I figure they probably aren't thinking about destroying my leaves or procreating right now. I still have one more scheduled application of spinosad then I'll be at the 4 applications to (hopefully) break that adult-larvae-egg cycle. If, after this, there's still some mites squatting, I'll probably use some lavender to control them, since they will be much more manageable. I'm still happy though, my plant isn't deteriorating and I don't see any webs.
Won't get to spray my 4th application til lights off in the early morn'. My sister is in town for her wedding and isn't tipped off to my operation, so I kinda have to have a flexible schedule this week. I only saw 1 mite moving around today, a clear one w/ greenish back. A light fell and one of my Pwerples got smushed/cremated so I'm using this opportunity to try to grow some carrots inside with the container that just opened up. I have had 0 carrots grow outside, and maybe this great soil and (semi)controlled conditions can lead to success.
About a week away from harvesting the Pineapple Express, after the last(4th) spinosad treatment I have yet to see movement appear again. This is good news, now I just gotta figure how to remove as many carcasses as possible, luckily they've mainly died on the fan leaves. Shopvac the buds? I think I read somebody say that, but I wasn't sure if it was in jest or serious.
Good to see you got a handle on the spider mites. Now, we need to work on something else. Earlier you said "pico grams" so we need to work on a more positive attitude here. So start thinkin' "grams".....
steve Look at this comparison between culinary lavender (on the right hand side) and medicinal lavender. Camphor (C[SUB]10[/SUB]H[SUB]16[/SUB]O) and Eucalyptol (C[SUB]10[/SUB]H[SUB]18[/SUB]O) kill on contact and it smothers the eggs preventing the exchange of air resulting in exploded eggs everywhere. Spinosad need to be ingested in order to kill insects by hyper-activating the nervous system which prevents feeding, reproducing, etc. Spike Lavender essential oil is what you want to source and Mountain Rose Herbs (Eugene, OR) carries an organic version. Liberty Natural (Oregon City, OR) also carries this and a slew of other essential oils. CC
Wow, that's a giant difference in the two. That comparison makes it seem as if they're not even in the same family of plants, haha. Rosemary has a lot of camphor if I'm not mistaken, so maybe it would be good to add to that list as well? I just came across this which made something click for me about IPM. "Plant secondary metabolites are important for herbivore insects to differentiate hosts from non-hosts" from Push-Pull Effects of Three Plant Secondary Metabolites on Oviposition of the Potato Tuber Moth
steve Not just any rosemary but at Liberty Natural you can buy High-Camphor Rosemary (Spain) and the CoA shows 18.1% camphor. If their website wasn't such a friggin' mess (Frames? Seriously?) I could link to other options meaning you're on your own as far as navigating their website - LOL! liberynatural.com
Their site reminds me of old Geocities sites, haha. I guess if the purpose is to have an oil high in camphor/eucalyptol, spike lavender takes the cake. That liberty site taught me a little about your name, too; I wish there were lavender festivals around here, I pick the flowers to put in my car whenever I come across a bush when I'm out.
I miss being to obsessively check in on my plants. I'm at the coast for the weekend for my sister's wedding. I'll be coming back tomorrow, but am already planning to leave. It's a shame I can't take my plants with me, but I really need to meet new people and get out of the bible belt. I'm looking at some farming apprentice opportunities in California, the PNW, and the Arizona area. One farm, the Dandelion Sustainability Farm has already said I can come and work, but I'd ultimately love the opportunity to work on a large-scale MMJ farm....However, anything will be better than nothing. The only negative would be that I would have to abandon some plants in veg and my garden. I have a friend that could inherit my plants, and I guess i could heavily seed the garden w/ wanted cover crops and hope for the best. Idk, nothing's set in stone but for my desire to travel, learn, and meet new people(girls/women).
Just got home so....garden update: Beautiful, store-quality, California bell pepper The littlest reaper, my first fruiting Carolina Reaper pepper, my butthole's puckering already Chocolate Bhut Jolokia(Ghost Chili) This bad boy/girl has really kicked it into gear after my comfrey+ewc+nettle FPE topdress. Cause I get ecstatic whenever I see tomatoes growing in my garden now: Getting some consistent quality out of my eggplants now
This plant was probably one of the strangest experiences I've had: leaf variegation, nasty mite outbreak, but the weirdest was the fact that I popped the seed March 30, it grew under 18/6 until April 25, when I put it 12/12. So it had ~128 days on the 12/12 light cycle 600W HPS 5 gallon bucket, water-only her whole life. When I chopped her last night there were still white pistils forming, too, despite the trichrome colors being what I'd expect for harvest time, along with all the other factors that say it's time...I went ahead and chopped because I'm starting a new adventure in a few weeks and gotta get things rolling.