Parasites attacking? Chop it or leave it?

[SpitRhyma]

I have decided to start growing outdoor again. This year I only grew 2 plants that had a very rought start. After leaving them outside and forgetting about them I found they had grown pretty big (right next to each other). About another month went by and I forgot about them. I remembered them 1 day and went out to water them and check on them.... it was now just 1 female plant. (I guess it had taken over the other one)
It was getting too tall (neighbors can see it). My neighbor's a weenie so I don't want him to know I smoke.

So I started taking care of it and pulling it down sideways... at one point it folded so bad I couldn't straighten out the kink anymore... so it grew solid with the fold in it. Now it's a wierd S shape and has TONS of huge buds. I've been fertilizing it with lots of random shit. I noticed it has patches of black mold in parts of it.

I suspect this is where a parasite clutched it's eggs. In the past I've had this happen to my outdoor plants near harvest where insects leave eggs or larvae in random parts of my buds. This time the plant has quite a bit of blooming left. They've destroyed quite a lot of the plant. Should I just chop off all the infected buds from the lowest point of infection? Or will this stress the uninfected parts too much?

I've been told to *never* prune a canabis plant after it has been flowering for over 2 weeks... This big girl has been flowering for quite a while now...

I live in Southern California

 

[Phedrosbenny]

I prune them all the time later than 2 weeks in flower with no problems yet.

 

[SpitRhyma]

'Preciate the response but what are your thoughts about the brown spots, do they spread because I leave them or do they spread cuz they're gangsters?

1 year I found this green bug that was very similar to a grasshopper in anatomy but smaller and had a red spot on her sides. At 1st I thought it was cute that the bug didn't mind the aroma of my plant... I called her GRASShopper -- I thought it was wierd when I saw her on the plant like every time I checked on it. Then 1 day she was gone... I noticed my plant had a weak tip. I took it off to find that the inside of the stems were FILLED with eggs. I've heard/seen hollow canabis stems before but never thought an animal could fill them up with eggs. I couldn't find any holes where it had gone in from but I was sure they were eggs. I harvested nonetheless... I found small green caterpillar type worms in the plant... ALIVE!!!

I can't describe how horrific it is to break up a bowl on ur table then suddenly see it moving as you're reaching for your pipe/papers.

Next year I grew like 5-6 plants outside in big pots. They were huge... I probably had well over a pound... EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM turned 100% brown and were filled with brown eggs. This time they eggs crumbled like dirt. I threw all of them away outside my house in the mountains. Never checked to look for worms.

This year I grew in the ground and realized what I was doing wrong with bud size before... My budds are HUGE. Like 3-4 inches in diameter and they're not even matured yet (white hairs)

Tomorrow I'm going to trim all the bad crap off. I hope this saves some of my weed :-(

It's just a shame to thow away so much stinky weed. I can smell it in my entire backyard and my backyard is pretty big.

---

BTW: You should consider leaving a couple plants unpruned after they start flowering and compare. I noticed you mentioned that 24/0 grows 33% faster than 18/6 but you didn't mention it stresses the plant out. When people grow indoor they are usually aiming to get the maximum thc % from their budds.

 

[argoagro]

Go to the store & get yourself some insecticide. Maybe some BT (for caterpillars) and something else based on neem oil. Read the instructions, many you can't spray and harvest to soon after. Research it as I don't have much experience, I've never had an insect problem that caused anything other than a few holes in leaves here & there.

 

[el dub]

Take care of your plants during the growing season and you won't have quite the number of problems in the end.

lw

 

[SpitRhyma]

I chopped the budds and realized the problem has pretty much spread throughout the entire plant. I chopped off the worst parts and threw them away salvaging only a few green tips. This is sad.

In response to the person who suggested insecticide... the budds have turned completely dry and brown. Many of the stems have rotted out and bent over.

I found a giant green caterpillar resembling the babies I found in my previous plant. Actually I've seen these caterpillars in other parts of my backyard consuming an entire butterfly plant.

I've even fed them to my pet crab as a form of vengeance. Actually I even found a set that had purple, yellow, and white bands. I called them the laker worms.

Anyways thanks for your help guys but maybe next year I'll use insecticides.

Oh and El_Dub... you're a complete moron... how would taking care of my plants prevent parasites? Really you think too much fert. or not enough water would attract parasites to my plant? No... it's the plants good health that attracts the insects.

The plant had a good 5' circle of compost around it with no weeds/plants. I'd say that's good enough care given the circumstances of my backyard.

 

[headband 707]

If you actually see a large cluster of bugs in one spot. Take a bag hold the bag under that spot and cut that cluster of bugs out. It's called a mother cluster or a spot where the bugs go and huddle for warmth etc. Whenever you see insects under the leaf starting to cluster like that either spray them off with water /soap or I would prefer to just remove them manually. peace out Headband707

 

[headband 707]

'Preciate the response but what are your thoughts about the brown spots, do they spread because I leave them or do they spread cuz they're gangsters?

1 year I found this green bug that was very similar to a grasshopper in anatomy but smaller and had a red spot on her sides. At 1st I thought it was cute that the bug didn't mind the aroma of my plant... I called her GRASShopper -- I thought it was wierd when I saw her on the plant like every time I checked on it. Then 1 day she was gone... I noticed my plant had a weak tip. I took it off to find that the inside of the stems were FILLED with eggs. I've heard/seen hollow canabis stems before but never thought an animal could fill them up with eggs. I couldn't find any holes where it had gone in from but I was sure they were eggs. I harvested nonetheless... I found small green caterpillar type worms in the plant... ALIVE!!!

I can't describe how horrific it is to break up a bowl on ur table then suddenly see it moving as you're reaching for your pipe/papers.

Next year I grew like 5-6 plants outside in big pots. They were huge... I probably had well over a pound... EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM turned 100% brown and were filled with brown eggs. This time they eggs crumbled like dirt. I threw all of them away outside my house in the mountains. Never checked to look for worms.

This year I grew in the ground and realized what I was doing wrong with bud size before... My budds are HUGE. Like 3-4 inches in diameter and they're not even matured yet (white hairs)

Tomorrow I'm going to trim all the bad crap off. I hope this saves some of my weed :-(

It's just a shame to thow away so much stinky weed. I can smell it in my entire backyard and my backyard is pretty big.

---

BTW: You should consider leaving a couple plants unpruned after they start flowering and compare. I noticed you mentioned that 24/0 grows 33% faster than 18/6 but you didn't mention it stresses the plant out. When people grow indoor they are usually aiming to get the maximum thc % from their budds.

One way to aviod this is what is called sacrifice plants being planted around the cannabis plants and things suck as Marigold which deter other insects because of their smell. The sacrifice plants attact the bugs that would go to your cannabis. Here in BC they actually use sativa as a sacrifica plant but there are others such as nicotiana plant, etc .I think it's funny how the insects are getting high lol.. This is one way of trying to stop this but it also depends on the insect itself so you have to find out what it is and what it wants and take it from there. I hope that helps peace out Headband707

 

[el dub]

You are losing plants plants to insects and I'm the moron? Take care of your plants by spraying with insecticide during the growing season.

lw

 

[headband 707]

You are losing plants plants to insects and I'm the moron? Take care of your plants by spraying with insecticide during the growing season.

lw

No your a "moron" for using insecticide but hey to each his own RIGHT LOL.....

 

[el dub]

So, I'm a moron for treating my plants with an organic, biological agent that deters insects from laying eggs on plants or feeding on the foliage?

Hope you enjoy that cat shit/mold in your pristine buds.

lw

 

[headband 707]

So, I'm a moron for treating my plants with an organic, biological agent that deters insects from laying eggs on plants or feeding on the foliage?

Hope you enjoy that cat shit/mold in your pristine buds.

lw

Bro WTF are you talking about LOL LOL cat shit mold LOL sorry I don't have that LOL.. but hey sounds like fun lol.. As far as treating your plants with boilogical agent bro knock yourself out LOL..The more we learn I guess ... PEACE Headband707

 

[el dub]

Cat shit mean caterpillar shit. Its what the cats leave after eating the plant material.

Btw, moths fly onto the plants to lay eggs that hatch out to be caterpillars that eat plant material, leaving a trail of shit that turns to mould.

Is that plain enough for your system to digest without irritating your ego?

lw

 

[headband 707]

Cat shit mean caterpillar shit. Its what the cats leave after eating the plant material.

Btw, moths fly onto the plants to lay eggs that hatch out to be caterpillars that eat plant material, leaving a trail of shit that turns to mould.

Is that plain enough for your system to digest without irritating your ego?

lw

LOL relax as we are all in different regions with different insects and different problems .. Nothing you say is going to hurt my ego lol it's just a board and this is just a plant and these are just suggestions take them or leave them it's up to you..Now I think I will smoke a fatty and listen to tunes..... PEACE AGAIN Headband 707

 

[SpitRhyma]

LOL relax as we are all in different regions with different insects and different problems .. Nothing you say is going to hurt my ego lol it's just a board and this is just a plant and these are just suggestions take them or leave them it's up to you..Now I think I will smoke a fatty and listen to tunes..... PEACE AGAIN Headband 707

Hey I appreciate the update! I want to point out that I posted this thread and not El_Dub.

BTW: The reason I called El_Dub a moron is because his "advice" was to "take care of my plants" -- I had mentioned how I kept "forgetting" my plant and I thought he was just trying to state the obvious: "keep an eye on ur plant" and I was like "dude I can stare them down all day and night... the insects aren't gonna care..." They'll still crawl in and disappear.

--

Now to answer ur question: I didn't find a mother cluster. Unfortunately almost all the budds are damaged badly and some are damaged more than others but not so much that I would assume they are the "mother cluster" -- it seems like these insects are spreading like minorities....

For next year I will try growing marigold but the thing is... nothing stinks more than weed. I mean this plant could be smelt whe I stepped outside and was way stinkier than marigold.

I just don't get why my weed plants always get affected. I mean in a backyard as big as mine they should find plenty of other plants to attack unless they're strictly canabis pests.

I may have to take el_moron's advice and use insecticide but I want to do things your way...

The whole pointing of growing OD is to make something out of NOTHING. Like LITERALLY nothing...

I'm talking chicken-shit, egg-shells, and water. If it needs more money to be spent on it I'd just rather buy from the Canabis Club or something. In my local store, I heard the manager talking to a customer saying that the only organic insecticide they have is $50 for the minimal ammount which I believe was about 3 grams. I'd be willing to spend just $50 on a plant as big as the one I had to sacrificei but I'm sure using El_Dumbass'es method it would be A LOT more than that.

And now El_Dub:

Cat shit mean caterpillar shit. Its what the cats leave after eating the plant material.

Btw, moths fly onto the plants to lay eggs that hatch out to be caterpillars that eat plant material, leaving a trail of shit that turns to mould.

Is that plain enough for your system to digest without irritating your ego?

lw

I think that may be exactly what I have since my area is filled with moths. I mean if I leave my window open at night I get at least 3-4 moths. But if I have to buy shit from the store to grow mediocre weed, I can buy from the Canabis club. And I called you a moron for not being clear in ur post... not for any other reason