What to do: Thrips and a horde or regular spiders eating them while in flower

[Morda Grown]

biological SNS sprays from our sponsor - depending on which version it is comprised of like 98 percent water the rest is either rosemeric acid and/or clove oil. IIRC it‘s not even really a chemical and doesn’t require fda registration as an insecticide….

Can you please be more specific? Are you referring to Ecoworks products? Navigating the sponsors here is a little frustrating to me.

 

[Roy Growin]

Can you please be more specific? Are you referring to Ecoworks products? Navigating the sponsors here is a little frustrating to me.

@Sierra Natural Science

 

[Morda Grown]

Thank you all for your thoughts.

I have decided the approach I will take. I started with my 2nd best plant that had this issue. I defoliated the plant, put Diatomaceous Earth on the soil. (Thrips bread in the soil). Today I went out and did a white paper test on the every branch. It was clean, no Thrips. So today, I did the same with the other plant and will check it in a couple days. Today I did do a quick white paper test on the top cola and did not get any thrips. The spiders have been busy.

This is the time I usually do my heavy trim anyway. It helps with air flow between the buds to stave off bud rot. It also does stress the plant that is why I like doing 4-5 weeks out from harvest. It is said that it helps bud growth, but I'm not sure on that. My main reason is air flow at this point.

Will post some pics later. right now the sun is in a bad spot and washes out the image.

Edit: Added Photo of both...

 

[bobrown14]

Lots of advice here.... I let my outdoor girls grow naturally but it much larger containers.

I see all sorts of temporary pests. I do nothing and the predators (spiders are 1) do their thing. It all works out.

The 1 pest I cant fix outside is mold. I got some just cut it out and move on.

You will be fine either way. The predators and the prey are in balance in nature. When we hoo-man think we can fix or adjust that balance, I'm not sure our efforts are worth the time and work. Inside is a totally different story.

 

[Morda Grown]

Lots of advice here.... I let my outdoor girls grow naturally but it much larger containers.

I see all sorts of temporary pests. I do nothing and the predators (spiders are 1) do their thing. It all works out.

The 1 pest I cant fix outside is mold. I got some just cut it out and move on.

You will be fine either way. The predators and the prey are in balance in nature. When we hoo-man think we can fix or adjust that balance, I'm not sure our efforts are worth the time and work. Inside is a totally different story.

Yes, this year I have found I need bigger containers than 5 gal buckets. I was going to go with 10gal fabric pots but even those seem really small (Short). I think I will be going 15-20gal for next year. This year, it is what it is and just dealing with what I have. It is way past time to up pot now (IMO)

So far today, no sign of Thrips so I think I'm past that issue. Even though there are sprays I could use, I really wanted to not spray in flower. Having not seen any thrips for two days in a row, makes me think I won't have to now.

I have been very lucky on mold, it is why I do my defoliate. No it is not a guaranty, but, air flow key at this time and that's my objective. I'm about a week early on it, but they are done with stretch.

I have learned my best advantage is good defense more than offense. I totally agree, nature is nature and you just have to deal sometimes. Like my leaf hoppers, yes they can be bad, but, it was not like there were 100's attacking each plant. So, it was just squish and move on.

Most of my issues this year have been storms more than bugs. In some ways I would rather deal with that. These plants went way over what I expected in height for the 5gal buckets... Lesson learned. I have since stacked them to the ground so the wind will not tip them over. Next year new pots.

I hope next year I can get a good handle on nutes and watering. I will have other issues with growing the high tunnel as well. But Yeah, always learning to improve my grows.

 

[bobrown14]

Outside 5 gal pots are too small. The plants outgrow them and its usually right at flowering. You can up can - I've done it but its a 2 person job and a pita.

I grow in +30 gal outside and in the ground. Bigger pots bigger plants. So be aware of that. I've got a 15 footer in a 35 gal and a 12 footer in a 30 gal. A few 5 gal plants I just stuck outside. They already WAY top heavy and have been blown over several times.

I put stakes in the ground at the edge of the pot to hold things in place. It's been working.

 

[Morda Grown]

Outside 5 gal pots are too small. The plants outgrow them and its usually right at flowering. You can up can - I've done it but its a 2 person job and a pita.

I grow in +30 gal outside and in the ground. Bigger pots bigger plants. So be aware of that. I've got a 15 footer in a 35 gal and a 12 footer in a 30 gal. A few 5 gal plants I just stuck outside. They already WAY top heavy and have been blown over several times.

I put stakes in the ground at the edge of the pot to hold things in place. It's been working.

I have been building a high tunnel for my main grow. I plan only a couple to be outdoors on my deck. That is defiantly food for thought for those. The ones in high tunnel will more than likely be a scrog so height will not be an issue. Of course, there is always the best laid plans of Mice and Men factor as well as Murphy making visits. LOL

I used fence poles to stake mine down as well. It does surprise me though that even 30gal have blown over.

 

[bobrown14]

No doubt - lol We hadda big storm here a few weeks ago. The 15 footer in the 35 gal bag was bent over with the wind and broken branch. I hadda tie it up to several 8 foot bamboo stakes and wires. She never skipped a beat.

Outdoor is fun.... totally different than indoors. I don't worry about pests outside.

Been picking off snails this year.. never had em before. They really dont seem to be eating my plants tho which is very weird. Everyone told me they were bad for plants but I'm not seeing any damage from them.

 

[Old Guy Teaches]

Im growing a LOT of years My friends. since early 70's. very small list of advice. use felt Pots 20+Gallon. use Fox Farm soil, use general Hydroponics Liquid "grow" till 6FT + ..then "Bloom" when you see "White Hairs" . Use magnesium when in grow AKA...Epson Salts" NO FLUSHING!!! PH 6.1 till the END..... And stop Over thinking this. It's a weed guys and Gals.

 

[bluter]

word.
used gh and peat based media for years before rdwc.

 

[Morda Grown]

Im growing a LOT of years My friends. since early 70's. very small list of advice. use felt Pots 20+Gallon. use Fox Farm soil, use general Hydroponics Liquid "grow" till 6FT + ..then "Bloom" when you see "White Hairs" . Use magnesium when in grow AKA...Epson Salts" NO FLUSHING!!! PH 6.1 till the END..... And stop Over thinking this. It's a weed guys and Gals.

I simply can't afford $25 a cubic foot for soil. So, I make do with what I have. I use Epson Salt in my amendments and during flower Cheap and effective. If I had better soil here I would just drop them in the ground.

No doubt - lol We hadda big storm here a few weeks ago. The 15 footer in the 35 gal bag was bent over with the wind and broken branch. I hadda tie it up to several 8 foot bamboo stakes and wires. She never skipped a beat.

Outdoor is fun.... totally different than indoors. I don't worry about pests outside.

Been picking off snails this year.. never had em before. They really dont seem to be eating my plants tho which is very weird. Everyone told me they were bad for plants but I'm not seeing any damage from them.

As of Yesterday no thrips and spiders have moved on. Slugs are our nemesis here, luckily have not had any on my plants. Just leaf hoppers and Japanese beetles on the regular. Both get the No Trespassing finger flick and or the hug of death. I do like growing outside too nature is the best lighting and it don't effect my electric bill.

 

[bobrown14]

word.
used gh and peat based media for years before rdwc.

GH owned by Scotts in bed with Monsanto selling poison (round-up) to farmers around the world whom are putting that poison in and on our food. Smh.... try to avoid these companies. @Old Guy Teaches

 

[bluter]

GH owned by Scotts in bed with Monsanto selling poison (round-up) to farmers around the world whom are putting that poison in and on our food. Smh.... try to avoid these companies. @Old Guy Teaches

yup. know all about it. at one point gh was simply what there was. pre-interweb you got what you could.

 

[Old Guy Teaches]

What I have Learned after a whole bunch of years and a LOT of wasted Money is>>>>
"Keep it Simple ...STUPID."

 

[Morda Grown]

That is all well and good if it works for you. I have a limited budget that works for me. What you pay for soil is over my workable budget for my whole grow. I also don't grow for prophet, I grow to save us money and for personal use only. I know there are more expensive ways to grow, I choose to save that money for food and other needed things. In my state I risk loosing my home if I sell, not worth it to me. There is more than one way to skin a cat and get our needs from the grow. I not only keep it simple I do all I can to keep our cost low. Any soil will work if it has the right amendments, like you said it is just a weed. My amendments cost about $60 a year on a $100 budget and that is all I need to spend. I am on track to have what my wife and I need for the whole year. That is all that matters to me.

 

[Old Guy Teaches]

Good answers.....Whatever works My Friend.

 

[bobrown14]

Look into no-till growing. You wont have any expenses other than electricity.

We have solar power so don't even have that and a well for water.

I used to use my grow budget money to buy seeds but I dont even do that any more.... if I can stop myself. lol

yup. know all about it. at one point gh was simply what there was. pre-interweb you got what you could.

I get it... back then it wasn't owned by Scott's. They in a plan to take over the cannabis industry. They bought up Gavita, GH several other companies making hardware ect for the cannabis industry. Then there's the GMO seed, thats going to be a thing too. You watch.

I'll prolly have to start worrying more about the industrial police and not the real police. Just like it happended with roundup ready corn. They put the farmers that didn't want to participate out of business and bought their farms at auction. smh.... hard to think about really.

 

[bluter]

Just like it happended with roundup ready corn. They put the farmers that didn't want to participate out of business and bought their farms at auction. smh.... hard to think about really.

they lost that court case soundly here. the farmer they tried to whack over is not that far from here. they can't sue anyone using their seed for anything here, and farmers still have the right to create their own seed from monsanto stock if they feel like it.


in the end they gained zero in our country.

 

[Morda Grown]

I think they will have hard time gaining a monopoly on cannabis seeds. It is to easy to for a home grower to germinate his own.

 

[bluter]

I think they will have hard time gaining a monopoly on cannabis seeds. It is to easy to for a home grower to germinate his own.

the real threat is the loss of land races due to over breeding.