Junk's Growing Log

[SmithsJunk]

It's alright the wind is just doing some LST for you hahaha. Those Idunnoes sure took their time to show. Those treehoppers look tenacious. Dang bugs I wonder what they do not like.

The only thing I've found that works is going out every morning and catching and killing them by hand while its still cool and they're slow.

 

[justiceman]

The only thing I've found that works is going out every morning and catching and killing them by hand while its still cool and they're slow.

Thought insecticidal soap or neem would work on them but apparently not. I was reading that they really like cloves because they are soft and easy to eat. Maybe plant a bit of those to try and attract them away from the plants but I don't think they are a big deal unless a mass colony comes and sucks a lot of sap out.

 

[SmithsJunk]

Thought insecticidal soap or neem would work on them but apparently not. I was reading that they really like cloves because they are soft and easy to eat. Maybe plant a bit of those to try and attract them away from the plants but I don't think they are a big deal unless a mass colony comes and sucks a lot of sap out.

If they just sucked sap they'd be no threat because their eating does very little-no damage but when the females lay eggs they can kill branches and cause diseases. It's their egg laying parts that slice into the stems. Didn't have the problem with so many last year because I planted later. I hand kill 10-20 every morning this year. That's a lot on small plants. Plus, the more that are on the girls, the more show up. They sing. They're trying to turn my garden into a breeding ground.

I do like your clove idea but I'm concerned it might be like using food bait for rodents and attracting even more of them. I'm going to try this first, I bought a couple six packs ea of marigolds and petunias to put in planters between the girls(might add crysanthimums, lantanas, lemon thyme, lemon grass, and menthol). I'm using my grow pots and Lucky Dog soil mix. It will make them grow off the chain and condition the soil for better nutrient transfer when I use it again. The roots of some plants even help fight nematodes, like mums.

Breaking out the DE too.

 

[justiceman]

I did not consider the possibility of food bait for rodents. Good point. Your plans with the other plants should work out well and it’s always a plus to keep the soil web going by using some type of cover crops like those. Loving the DE.

 

[Rcubed]

If they just sucked sap they'd be no threat because their eating does very little-no damage but when the females lay eggs they can kill branches and cause diseases. It's their egg laying parts that slice into the stems. Didn't have the problem with so many last year because I planted later. I hand kill 10-20 every morning this year. That's a lot on small plants. Plus, the more that are on the girls, the more show up. They sing. They're trying to turn my garden into a breeding ground.

I do like your clove idea but I'm concerned it might be like using food bait for rodents and attracting even more of them. I'm going to try this first, I bought a couple six packs ea of marigolds and petunias to put in planters between the girls(might add crysanthimums, lantanas, lemon thyme, lemon grass, and menthol). I'm using my grow pots and Lucky Dog soil mix. It will make them grow off the chain and condition the soil for better nutrient transfer when I use it again. The roots of some plants even help fight nematodes, like mums.
View attachment 808335 View attachment 808336
Breaking out the DE too.
View attachment 808337

It seems like there's always something trying to thwart our progress. I've been noticing some leaf damage in my plants that I couldn't quite figure out. I have come to the conclusion that it's earwigs. Although these insects are somewhat beneficial, their population seems to be growing exponentially to the point where they are now becoming a pest. I'm not sure if I should just live with the leaf damage and reap the benefits of the aphid and scale eradication they provide or work to diminish their population. Have you ever dealt with an overpopulation of earwigs?

 

[SmithsJunk]

It seems like there's always something trying to thwart our progress. I've been noticing some leaf damage in my plants that I couldn't quite figure out. I have come to the conclusion that it's earwigs. Although these insects are somewhat beneficial, their population seems to be growing exponentially to the point where they are now becoming a pest. I'm not sure if I should just live with the leaf damage and reap the benefits of the aphid and scale eradication they provide or work to diminish their population. Have you ever dealt with an overpopulation of earwigs?

No, but I'll look into it. People don't realise that lots of creatures will do an emergency adaptation if their food source is threatened. There are predatory mites that are used for spider mite control that, in the absence of spider mites, will turn to the plants they're on for nourishment. Becoming the pest (though nowhere near as damaging). Ladybugs will eat nectar if no insects are available or if convenient.

Looks like 2/3 North American earwigs are omnivores and DE (diatomacious earth) helps control overpopulation. Get some food grade DE and a duster (like in my picture) and dust around the base of the plants. DE is the enemy of any creature with an exoskeleton so if you don't want to hurt non-flying beneficial insects, consider other options. DE works well against the ants that will protect and even place aphids on plants sometimes, for the benefit of harvesting their excretions. Hence the name "ant cows". The DE won't stop all aphids because in the absence of females, the flying males will spontaneously change gender and shed their wings.

 

[Farmer P]

It seems like there's always something trying to thwart our progress. I've been noticing some leaf damage in my plants that I couldn't quite figure out. I have come to the conclusion that it's earwigs. Although these insects are somewhat beneficial, their population seems to be growing exponentially to the point where they are now becoming a pest. I'm not sure if I should just live with the leaf damage and reap the benefits of the aphid and scale eradication they provide or work to diminish their population. Have you ever dealt with an overpopulation of earwigs?

I got earwigs bad. The diatomaceous earth works extremely well. The first night I put out my tomatoes they destroyed more than half, then I put the de and no more damage. And the good part is they seem to remember not to mess with my tomatoes. I haven't put any more for a month and a half and they don't seem even touch them anymore. I think all the half dead ones crawling around alerted the birds so now they like to hang around too which helps with all kinds of bugs, especially tomato worms.

 

[Rcubed]

I got earwigs bad. The diatomaceous earth works extremely well. The first night I put out my tomatoes they destroyed more than half, then I put the de and no more damage. And the good part is they seem to remember not to mess with my tomatoes. I haven't put any more for a month and a half and they don't seem even touch them anymore. I think all the half dead ones crawling around alerted the birds so now they like to hang around too which helps with all kinds of bugs, especially tomato worms.

Cool, I have some DE. Those earwigs are getting in my artichokes too.

 

[SmithsJunk]

I got earwigs bad. The diatomaceous earth works extremely well. The first night I put out my tomatoes they destroyed more than half, then I put the de and no more damage. And the good part is they seem to remember not to mess with my tomatoes. I haven't put any more for a month and a half and they don't seem even touch them anymore. I think all the half dead ones crawling around alerted the birds so now they like to hang around too which helps with all kinds of bugs, especially tomato worms.

Cool, I have some DE. Those earwigs are getting in my artichokes too.

I love DE. All natural, no pesticides, not even natural pesticides but still works great. It's also beneficial to soil mineral composition. I don't see many earwigs in my garden. It's much too arid and rocky here. Most of my pests are winged, web slingers, or hitchhikers. I think my treehopper problem comes from a cherry tree about 100' away but those little bastards are super attracted to my girls. Looking around my trailer you can see why.

The plants around here do not kick down nutrients easily. Most have hard, fibrous, thin, waxy leaves. That makes my girls a tender succulent buffet.

 

[SmithsJunk]

Grow Log 6/16/18 Daily

Added marigolds and petunias today to deter pests.

 

[SmithsJunk]

Just some more garden pics with the flowers...

We're using this soil to fill in the hole over my new septic tank and it's killing me. What a waste of excellent soil. The redwood and pine pieces in it are black like charcoal.

 

[SmithsJunk]

I just fixed the hot water heater inlet in my trailer this morning. The hardware store didn't have the grey pipe so they helped me convert. These fittings were bada$$. I messed up on one of my measurements but the connectors unlock when pressure is applied to a little cuff that sticks out. So I didn't have to buy another connector. Just release it and make my cut again. I was thinking these would be great for plumbing in a grow that changes often. They're like a plumbing Erector set. The couplings run $7-$20 ea but compared to buying new fittings and all the labor building or reconfiguring they'd quickly pay for themselves. Even if you're only setting them up once, they cut down on labor and time so people who hurt like I do don't have to tax themselves so hard to build a watering system. If I ever get my hydro build going, I'm likely using these for the lion's share of its plumbing. The pipe I used handles up to 100psi, is flexible, and made from memory plastic so it will return to it's shape if it becomes overpressurised and swollen or crushed. Bonus.

 

[SmithsJunk]

Grow Log 6/17/18 Daily

 

[SmithsJunk]

Grow Log 6/18/18 Daily

 

[justiceman]

I can feel your pain that top soil you are using to fill in the septic tank area looks like good stuff. How are the companion flowers going? They look to be having a fun time out there :cool:

 

[SmithsJunk]

I can feel your pain that top soil you are using to fill in the septic tank area looks like good stuff. How are the companion flowers going? They look to be having a fun time out there :cool:

They're taking off pretty quick. A forest rat (deer) jumped my fence and stuck it's foot in one and a stepped in one of the smartpots. Looks like it jumped in there only to find nothing tasty. In my experience, they don't eat pot but it's a b^tch to grow any roses or veggies around here.

 

[SmithsJunk]

Grow Log 6/19/18 Daily

 

[SmithsJunk]

It seems like there's always something trying to thwart our progress. I've been noticing some leaf damage in my plants that I couldn't quite figure out. I have come to the conclusion that it's earwigs. Although these insects are somewhat beneficial, their population seems to be growing exponentially to the point where they are now becoming a pest. I'm not sure if I should just live with the leaf damage and reap the benefits of the aphid and scale eradication they provide or work to diminish their population. Have you ever dealt with an overpopulation of earwigs?

I hit my girls with a combination of Garden Safe insecticidal soap and diatomaceous earth a few days ago. I dusted the leaves with the DE this time as well. I dust cloud proofed them with my bellows duster.

Since then I misted them with a couple pulls of the insecticidal soap every morning. Between that and the flowers I think it's working out really well, even better than I expected. I only found two bugs, one random leafhopper and a treehopper that I think was dead. I didn't check before I crushed it but it was really easy to catch and didn't try to get away.

I think I may have found a winning combination (for me and my area). My girls are happy and I'm not seeing any fresh bites or freckles on the leaves. I hope this is a sign of no spider mites this year. Since I've only had one pot garden, l don't know what it's like to grow my own weed without spider mites. That's kinda f^cked up, hehe.

 

[Rcubed]

Yeah, I'm trying to be proactive instead of reactive this year. I put down some DE and also some shallow food containers with old rancid olive oil. I was able to control the earwig population a couple of years ago when they were getting out of control. Luckily I don't have a leafhopper problem but I'm noticing that my salad garden with mustard greens, and assorted lettuces are attracting some cabbage butterflies. Maybe it's a good thing as I haven't seen them by my pot plants at all. I'm guessing that if I keep this stuff going I'll have a good decoy to go along with the BT that I'll start spraying very soon. I have to get after these earwigs though. I found a bunch of them inside a ripening tomato a few days ago.

 

[SmithsJunk]

Yeah, I'm trying to be proactive instead of reactive this year. I put down some DE and also some shallow food containers with old rancid olive oil. I was able to control the earwig population a couple of years ago when they were getting out of control. Luckily I don't have a leafhopper problem but I'm noticing that my salad garden with mustard greens, and assorted lettuces are attracting some cabbage butterflies. Maybe it's a good thing as I haven't seen them by my pot plants at all. I'm guessing that if I keep this stuff going I'll have a good decoy to go along with the BT that I'll start spraying very soon. I have to get after these earwigs though. I found a bunch of them inside a ripening tomato a few days ago.

I have cabbage moths fluttering around and on my girls but they don't seem to bother with them.

I think what made all the difference this time was the dusting of the actual plants with DE. Unlike other means of control DE is safe for consumption (just try not to breath in a lot of the dust), so it could work on your leafy veggies. Also putting a solo cup full of DE covered with cheese cloth in the fridge will slow wilting by absorbing ethylene gas from any fruit that produce it in the fridge with them. It will extend the life of the fruit themselves too. It's what they impregnate those green bags with (I've heard).