dankstranger
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- Jul 12, 2014
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That's leaf rollers man. Those slimed leaves webbed together with the little brown worm inside is classic leaf roller behavior. In SoCal this often turns into budworm problems as summer goes on. They tie leaves with silk, feed inside, then the moth cycle ramps up into flower.
Hand pick and prune. Unroll those webbed leaves, squish any larvae you find, and clip the worst tips. Bag it and trash it, don't compost. Check at night with a headlamp, that's when you'll find more.
Switch from neem to BT. Neem doesn't work on caterpillars. Get some Bacillus thuringiensis like Monterey BT and mix 4 teaspoons per gallon. Spray tops and undersides, hit all the new growth. Spray at dusk because UV breaks it down. Repeat every 5-7 days or after rain until you stop finding new worms.
If pressure stays high you can rotate with spinosad like Captain Jack's Deadbug Brew at 2 ounces per gallon. Also spray at dusk and let it dry overnight to protect bees.
Get some pheromone traps for leaf rollers and budworm to monitor when the adults are flying. Won't cure your plants but tells you when to time your sprays.
Once you're in flower keep the BT going with evening sprays and watch for little brown poop near the buds. It's really hard to kill worms once they get inside buds so dealing with it now saves you heartbreak later.
BT every 5-7 days at 4 teaspoons per gallon, more often if pressure is heavy or after rain. Spinosad at 2 ounces per gallon at dusk only.
You caught it at the right time. Deal with the leaf rollers now and you won't have budworm problems later. Post another pic after a week of BT and we can see if pressure is dropping.
let your neighbors attract all of the moths!
