Thought I had bud rot but I just found worms, dammit!

[ltecato]

For the past week, at least, my buds have been developing brown spots that I attributed to botrytis, but just this morning I was picking one apart to look for mold inside and I found a caterpillar instead. So I am assuming this is the tobacco bud worm.

I'm not happy to find these bastards alive because I just sprayed everything with spinosad last night. However, I suspect the bottle Capt. Jack Dead Bug that I got at Home Depot may have gone bad on the shelf, because the label was faded like it had been stuck in a warehouse for years. Yeah, I'm a dumb ass.

For now, I guess I will keep patrolling the flowering plants with a toothpick or something to pick at the buds and kill the worms I find alive. Soon as I can, I'm getting some Bt. I think someone said the worms are more busy at night and it's a good idea to check plants after dark, so I guess I'll do that as well.

If anyone cares, the plants are Paris OG clones and the buds are small but sticky as hell. Don't blame Paris OG. This is my first outdoor grow ever and I've got lots of wheels to re-invent.

 

[too larry]

When you see a brown leaf sticking out of an otherwise green bud, the odds are there is a little worm in there. The worm shit will cause rot. BT has worked well for me.

This is what I use.

https://www.amazon.com/Monterey-704596-Caterpillar-Killer-Pesticide/dp/B00ANT611U/ref=asc_df_B00ANT611U/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167116476898&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8854822792286583118&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9011625&hvtargid=pla-309961191261&psc=1

 

[L30nPh3lps]

Those worms pooping in ur plant is causing the rot

 

[ltecato]

Thanks, Larry. Another idea I had was to get some dry ice and put it in a plastic bag along with the plant, then seal off the bag for a few hours hoping the CO2 would kill everything but the plant.

 

[ltecato]

Those worms pooping in ur plant is causing the rot

Yeah, that's what I was afraid of, darn it. Fuckers!

 

[too larry]

Thanks, Larry. Another idea I had was to get some dry ice and put it in a plastic bag along with the plant, then seal off the bag for a few hours hoping the CO2 would kill everything but the plant.

I hadn't heard that one. Might work.

I've been really lucky with regards to worms this season. Now rot, that is another story. . . . . .

 

[ltecato]

I'm not a big fan of those electric bug zappers, but if they kill the moth that lays these bud worm eggs, I might have to rethink. I looked at photos and they look like the kind that swarms around electric lights at night.

 

[too larry]

I'm not a big fan of those electric bug zappers, but if they kill the moth that lays these bud worm eggs, I might have to rethink. I looked at photos and they look like the kind that swarms around electric lights at night.

Those two bad wrappers from Mendo use one. They claim it's a big help.

 

[ltecato]

I hadn't heard that one. Might work.

I've been really lucky with regards to worms this season. Now rot, that is another story. . . . . .

Whenever I have a problem with bugs I tend to throw a lot of "solutions" at the plant instead of trying one at a time to see what works. Come to think of it, I do that with everything: diseases, nute deficiencies, bugs. I apply a hodgepodge of voodoo remedies and if the problem goes away, I'm happy enough but I'll never know what ingredients are actually doing the work.

 

[too larry]

Whenever I have a problem with bugs I tend to throw a lot of "solutions" at the plant instead of trying one at a time to see what works. Come to think of it, I do that with everything: diseases, nute deficiencies, bugs. I apply a hodgepodge of voodoo remedies and if the problem goes away, I'm happy enough but I'll never know what ingredients are actually doing the work.

I go with low cost and ease of acquisition. Neem in veg, BT and H2O2 in flower. I did buy a bottle of Serenade Garden, but haven't used it. I heard bad things about the smell. But I guess good bud with bad smell is better than rotten bud.

And for all fert related problems, I administer one dose of MG. It's kind of like castor oil. Good for whatever ails you.

 

[ltecato]

That's what I just did with a couple of clones that stand out for being a paler green than the rest of them, basically. If that doesn't work I'll try a dose of epsom salts to see if that "gets them going."

 

[too larry]

That's what I just did with a couple of clones that stand out for being a paler green than the rest of them, basically. If that doesn't work I'll try a dose of epsom salts to see if that "gets them going."

I didn't mention Epson Salts, but I add it most of the season. Cheap, and they have it at the dollar store in case I run out.

 

[DancesWithWeeds]

Cheap, and they have it at the dollar store in case I run out.

Be careful of medical grade Epson Salts. A lot of them have a buffering that can mess with your PH. That was mentioned in another post someplace. I checked mine out and it said on the package that it was buffered. I bought a large bag at Walmart for about $7 or $8 in their garden department. It's more than I'll ever use.

 

[Neoangelo147]

For the past week, at least, my buds have been developing brown spots that I attributed to botrytis, but just this morning I was picking one apart to look for mold inside and I found a caterpillar instead. So I am assuming this is the tobacco bud worm.

I'm not happy to find these bastards alive because I just sprayed everything with spinosad last night. However, I suspect the bottle Capt. Jack Dead Bug that I got at Home Depot may have gone bad on the shelf, because the label was faded like it had been stuck in a warehouse for years. Yeah, I'm a dumb ass.

For now, I guess I will keep patrolling the flowering plants with a toothpick or something to pick at the buds and kill the worms I find alive. Soon as I can, I'm getting some Bt. I think someone said the worms are more busy at night and it's a good idea to check plants after dark, so I guess I'll do that as well.

If anyone cares, the plants are Paris OG clones and the buds are small but sticky as hell. Don't blame Paris OG. This is my first outdoor grow ever and I've got lots of wheels to re-invent.

I feel your pain! This year I got hit hard with bud worms . Next year I’m going full mosquito netting on the greenhouses.

 

[ltecato]

Update: I just checked a plant I harvested a couple days ago. I had it hanging upside down to dry and I found two worms "escaping" from it by letting themselves down on silk threads.

And now I'm glad that I decided to mix diatomaceous earth with my potting soil and I hope I added enough to rip the fuckers to shreds if they got into it.

 

[too larry]

Update: I just checked a plant I harvested a couple days ago. I had it hanging upside down to dry and I found two worms "escaping" from it by letting themselves down on silk threads.

And now I'm glad that I decided to mix diatomaceous earth with my potting soil and I hope I added enough to rip the fuckers to shreds if they got into it.

In the 16-17 spring crop my Gorille de Raisin was wrapped up with them. I was finding them in my drying bins a week later.

 

[ltecato]

You know what sucks? I went to the two nearest Home Depots yesterday and neither one had anything with Bt. Or mancozeb.

 

[too larry]

You know what sucks? I went to the two nearest Home Depots yesterday and neither one had anything with Bt. Or mancozeb.

I had to use Amazon. The blue big box hardware doesn't carry it either.

 

[ltecato]

Update: I'm cautiously optimistic after spraying with Capt. Jack and hydrogen peroxide repeatedly. The two Paris OG plants that were hit the worst are not showing any signs of new damage. I have not found any caterpillars on them in the past day or two.

I have a harvested plant hanging up to dry, and I'm still seeing some of the little fuckers when I inspect it. Its' a pretty small plant but I've killed at least a half dozen of the worms trying to "escape" from it. And I can't believe at least two of the caterpillars were an inch or more long and so big I wonder how the hell they managed to stay so well-hidden. I've been spraying the drying flowers with peroxide. Don't know if that actually kills the worms, but it does seem to at least spoil their fun to some extent, and hopefully if any mold is left, it will get killed by the peroxide.