Earwigs eating my plant!

[Hodgey420]

Yes they stretch a bunch in the first few weeks of flower. If they get too tall then just transplant them no problem. Or if you think that’s gonna happen then just go ahead and do it now.
I usually feed them regular veg nutrients for the first week or two of flowering and then switch over to bloom nutes.

Im growing outdoor though does that matter if they stretch to tall or do you only transplant them if they get to tall in your indoor enviroment? And being outdoor should i let them flower on there own when the daylight schedules change or being in 5 gal pots should i start flower earlier to prevent rootbound?

 

[Weaselcracker]

It’s pretty difficult to fight against nature and make them flower before they think it’s fall. People sometimes do things like try to cover them with tarps in the evening to simulate a early nightfall. Not worth the trouble IMO.
So they will continue to grow until they think it’s fall which generally happens at around 12/12 day/night lighting hours or maybe a little sooner.
As for the pot size thing it shouldn’t make
much difference whether they’re indoors or outdoors. They need a certain amount of space for the roots. I would just let them do their thing and if it seems like they’re getting too big for the parts then transplant them up

 

[Hodgey420]

It’s pretty difficult to fight against nature and make them flower before they think it’s fall. People sometimes do things like try to cover them with tarps in the evening to simulate a early nightfall. Not worth the trouble IMO.
So they will continue to grow until they think it’s fall which generally happens at around 12/12 day/night lighting hours or maybe a little sooner.
As for the pot size thing it shouldn’t make
much difference whether they’re indoors or outdoors. They need a certain amount of space for the roots. I would just let them do their thing and if it seems like they’re getting too big for the parts then transplant them up

Awesome thank you! I wont be putting tarps over them haha ill let nature take its course and leave them be, also is it bad to water in the afternoon say its 4;37pm now would it be bad if i watered now or just wait till tomorrow morning? Its cloudy and only 55 out i ment to water this morning my alarm didnt go off lol also I finally got the earwigs under control the vasaline worked great on the wheels of my pot risers they have no way of climbing up now well they can try but theyll get stuck and covered in vasaline lol

 

[Weaselcracker]

That’s pretty funny. Not sure I can bring myself to slather all my pots in vaseline but it’s tempting.

Morning is said to be the best time to water. Personally I usually just water whenever- and definitely water them right away if they really need it- no matter what time of day.

 

[Hodgey420]

Plants looking alot better finally got the earwigs under control put vasaline on the wheels on my pot risers havent had any since and got my cal deficiency under control new leafs looking great!

 

[SmokingWings]

In small numbers they aren’t noticeable and maybe they find other prey. There once was a time I didn’t realize they ate plants. Once a substantial horde hatches out they start munching everything in sight. They haven’t been getting my weed so much yet- just lots of holes in lower foliage. Their favorites are the basil, sunflowers, and horseradish. These rat-tail looking things used to be large full leaves. How do I know it’s earwigs? If I go in after dark I can see them crawling around the leaf edges devouring it.

I have only had a problem with Earwigs once and that was 30 years ago. I borrowed some chickens and they ate the little critters.

My horseradish is a mess. More holes than leaf surface. Now I guess I will have to stay away past sunset to see if I can catch some sort of insect. Now, in a new house and chickens would not pass the inspector if someone called.

No holes on the Sunflower leaves. No holes on the Marijuana plant's leaves (a plant I culled about a week after taking cuttings and just stuck in the clay soil to watch what happened). Did not grow Basil this year but never had a problem with holes in the leaves the other years.

Thanks for the info on your experiences. Something to do in the evening if it ever cools off around here.

Enjoy the day.

 

[Weaselcracker]

Another one I forgot to mention is corn. They Love corn silk and eat it all right off - which destroys any chance of a crop.

 

[Weaselcracker]

I may have accidentally discovered an amazing new earwig bait. I’ll try to get some pics tonight after dark.

 

[Weaselcracker]

These are crackers I left on a shelf in the greenhouse- Stoned Wheat Thins to be exact. They’re leftover treats for my bunny who I sometimes let hang out in there. They’re damp and soggy from the wet weather. The earwigs love them. Last night there were lots more than tonight, but I nuked them with the dish soap/water spray.

More earwig food

• Weaselcracker
• Jul 10, 2020

More earwig food

• Weaselcracker
• Jul 10, 2020

 

[Hodgey420]

These are crackers I left on a shelf in the greenhouse- Stoned Wheat Thins to be exact. They’re leftover treats for my bunny who I sometimes let hang out in there. They’re damp and soggy from the wet weather. The earwigs love them. Last night there were lots more than tonight, but I nuked them with the dish soap/water spray.

More earwig food

• Weaselcracker
• Jul 10, 2020

More earwig food

• Weaselcracker
• Jul 10, 2020

Blahh there nasty! Ya that looks like it works great, i still havent got any since put vasaline on the wheels of my pot risers

Off topic but one of my plants its starting to show white hairs should i start to switch my feeding to flower transition or still leave it in veg

 

[Weaselcracker]

Nasty little things aren’t they.... Now that I know they like the crackers so much I’ll devise some sort of trap for them

The white hairs show that it has reached sexual maturity. It’s a female and is old enough to flower now. For example, a two week old plant is not capable of growing flowers- they have to reach a certain age- about 5 weeks old minimum.

You don’t have to switch it to flowering lighting. You can keep it in veg forever if you want. The general practice is to time the flip to flowering based on the size of the plant and how much room you think you have available.

 

[Hodgey420]

Nasty little things aren’t they.... Now that I know they like the crackers so much I’ll devise some sort of trap for them

The white hairs show that it has reached sexual maturity. It’s a female and is old enough to flower now. For example, a two week old plant is not capable of growing flowers- they have to reach a certain age- about 5 weeks old minimum.

You don’t have to switch it to flowering lighting. You can keep it in veg forever if you want. The general practice is to time the flip to flowering based on the size of the plant and how much room you think you have available.

Ahh ok being in a 5 gallon pots prob should start flower abit sooner, but i need the lighting hours to change outside dont i for outdoor?

 

[Weaselcracker]

Yes for non-autos the daylight hours need to reduce down to somewhat less than 14/day.

 

[Hodgey420]

Yes for non-autos the daylight hours need to reduce down to somewhat less than 14/day.

Yes for non-autos the daylight hours need to reduce down to somewhat less than 14/day.

Yeah thats what i figured

 

[Hodgey420]

My plant is starting to show white hairs should i not use neem oil anymore or is it still ok and to just not use neem oil when flowering starts ?

@Weaselcracker

 

[Weaselcracker]

Hmmm. I ‘think’ it’s ok to use if you have to. Though any sort of a direct vigorous spray on the pistils tends to kill them (but more will grow).
Honestly I’m not much of a sprayer - luckily I haven’t had bugs for years so it’s best to ask around the forum. @Dankman_420 probably has answers for you.

 

[SmokingWings]

My plant is starting to show white hairs should i not use neem oil anymore or is it still ok and to just not use neem oil when flowering starts ?

@Weaselcracker

Based on what I have read on this message board and on several other boards and web pages many growers find it acceptable to spray Neem up until about 2 weeks before harvest.

 

[Hodgey420]

Based on what I have read on this message board and on several other boards and web pages many growers find it acceptable to spray Neem up until about 2 weeks before harvest.

Ok it should be fine my main problem is earwigs i still would get earwigs when i would spray neem oil the night before only thing stopped them was putting vasaline on the wheels of my pot risers but if i dont put any on after 3 days they some how get back on my plants so everynight i have to vasaline the wheels its so annoying i hate those ugly fuckers

 

[Weaselcracker]

Hard to believe I’m too lazy to go back a page or two to search in case you mentioned it already, but I am. Are your plants outdoors? in a yard? Greenhouse?

 

[CanadianJim]

I wonder how well vaseline on the stems would work for plants in the ground? Or would it harm them?