First time Outdoor, 2011, Organic Cali bud FTW!

[Butte_Creek]

predatory nematodes is exactly what your looking for ^^

the predatory nematodes are watered into your medium and once present target only the bad bugs. they squeeze inside of the bad bug's body and reproduce and consume the bug from the inside out.

it's natures remedy to "bad" bugs.



edit: mosquito dunks don't phase root aphids ime. predatory nematodes will though hunt the aphids. you have to order the predatory nematodes offline, hydro store, or nursery. get em quick, keep em cold, and use them as soon as you get them. they have a short shelf life and must be kept very cold.

 

[Zarezhu]

Yes yes, thank you. My local OSH carries nematodes. I'll definitely try a few applications, they won't hurt none.

The dunks will at least work for all of the fungus gnats, and there are LOTS of these guys. Next year I'm going to have to prepare myself for insects much earlier I believe. I didn't have a problem until all of them hatched at once, it opened my eyes up a bit lol.

I'm also gonna go out and purchase some Bayer Tree and Shrub Protect, which is a systemic containing a chemical that is known to control aphids fairly efficiently, as well as cheaply and safely. This seems to be my best bet as it stays in the system for 60 days and will definitely be out come chop time. Attack these guys from all corners.


EDIT:
We've been hit with a couple of days with temperatures in the hundreds. The first day, the leaves were cupping slightly and the plants weren't as erect as they normally are. However, the second day, it didn't phase them and they've been growing GREAT since.

I top dressed 2.2lb's of Peruvian Seabird Guano (10 - 10 - 2) between the 6 plants a few days back. I'll most likely give them another top dress of High N guano right before the flower stretch, then switch to my PKs.

Still haven't foliar fed any of my plants, mostly due to lack of funding. Next payday I'm buying Brix Mix as well as seaweed extract and giving my plants a good thorough foliar right before sunrise. Also gonna wait till payday to install my irrigation and mulch a few of the pots. I might just do 1/4" tubing soaking the pots instead of 1/2" with drip emitters.

I've been HEAVILY supercropping each plant. Without the cropping, they'd be much much taller, and not nearly as round and bushy. I'll probably stop cropping in a few weeks, but I'm trying to train them as much as I can to optimize what I have to work with.

 

[nomaad]

predatory nematodes is exactly what your looking for ^^

the predatory nematodes are watered into your medium and once present target only the bad bugs. they squeeze inside of the bad bug's body and reproduce and consume the bug from the inside out.

it's natures remedy to "bad" bugs.



edit: mosquito dunks don't phase root aphids ime. predatory nematodes will though hunt the aphids. you have to order the predatory nematodes offline, hydro store, or nursery. get em quick, keep em cold, and use them as soon as you get them. they have a short shelf life and must be kept very cold.

I am not sure that I agree predator nematodes are the solution for Root Aphids. i know some people who truly wish that they were. From what I have seen, Root Aphids are nearly impossible to get rid of. There is a whole thread that I have not spent any considerable time reading but that is devoted to the subject. My opinion is based on what i have seen mates go through... I would be interested on any additional experience-based insight regarding the nematodes... I use them every year as a preventative against thrips. They are great for many bugs in the soil... it would be sweet if the nematodes work on the aphids as well. I should probably read that thread one of these days.

The coolest idea for controlling them I have heard (but not found any follow up stories of implementation) is to cultivate the Nasturtium plant in pots that are treated with Imidaclopridwhich is a nasty insecticide you would never put on your plants. The info i read suggested that the root aphids like the Nasturtiums better that cannabis and will migrate to their deaths in the treated soil. I have no idea of the effectiveness of this method, but its sounds like fun... sort of like creating your own Venus Root Aphid Trap.

If you have multiple bugs in your soil, the nematodes might be the ticket. Sounds scary

 

[Butte_Creek]

^ although root aphids are almost impossible to get rid of, i agree, the only thing i've used that put a dent in them was applications of predatory nematodes.


had them bad last year. i also watered in azatrol, since on the label it recommends a soil drench, and root aphids are on the list of bugs that it effects... i think that worked pretty well too, but i've read that azatrol can be damaging to the roots somewhere, forget where now, but i didn't see any ill effects on my plants from one soil drench. good luck, i know how resilient they can be.

 

[igrowkushbitch]

I have also used azatrol with great results. I only had to do one application with azatrol and I got rid of my root aphids. I went with a tsp per 5 gal.

 

[Endur]

Yo Zarezhu,
I am also using the Patio Plus Potting soil. I am pretty sure you only Fungus Gnats, from the PPP soil. Cant say what you might have contracted from the compost.

I used 2 Mosquito Dunks per 100 gallon Smart Pots, and spray with a perithian, ie...Don't Bug me.
I cut down the gnats population in 3 days, and only see a couple fliers a week later.
Peace
Endur

 

[Zarezhu]

@nomaad- I have been reading the thread on aphids for a few days now (mostly the beginning 10 pages and the last 10 pages of like 80 lol). The general consensus is to actually use Imid as a root drench. Kill them all off completely with one application, and never have to use it again. This will most likely be my route as we still have QUITE a ways to go.

Because it's a systemic insecticide, it says not to apply for 20-30 days before harvest, 45 days for lettuce. It's even used commercially on tobacco, supposed to be safe to smoke as long as it's applied in veg. Comes in a lot of products available at OSH and Home Depot too.

I LOVEEE the Nasturtium idea though. I'll definitely look into it :]


@Endur- Patio Plus has been working out great, I have no regrets as of yet. I only sprinkled half a dunk per plant, I have faith that they'll rid all the fungus gnats soon enough. However, it's definitely not JUST fungus gnats. Every one of my plants has bugs chilling in the soil. It asn't hurt them yet, but I fear if I don't treat them soon, come harvest they could be lethal. I'm fairly certain I'll be alright, I found them real early and I'm doing what I can :]

UPDATE- Check out these stems








And my neighbors rose garden up front. I spent all morning with a roll of landscape fabric and 18 bags of soil making sure he ain't ever gonna have to pull weeds again. He's in his 80's with a bad back and bad knee, glad to do anything I can to help him out.

 

[nomaad]

FWIW I would NEVER consume or approve for consumption any plant treated with Imid. Using it on mother plants is even questionable because it is systemic.

 

[Zarezhu]

Oh wow. You should check out the thread:

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=159960

See what they got to say and maybe let them know about how harmful it is.

 

[Zarezhu]

Sneak peak right quick. Update to come soon.

Here's my northern lights and purple cross, pink hair pheno =]

 

[Zarezhu]

Ok maybe another sneak peek.

Alaskan Thunderfuck, I love it. You see why I HAD to have 2 atf's this run? :]

 

[warthog]

nice flowers, but damn thats a tease.. we need whole plant pics they were looking really good last update

 

[Zarezhu]

Hey guys, figured I'd at least finish up this journal. Sorry for the subpar pictures, it's all off of my cellphone.

2 strains I ran were bunk (at least when it comes to outdoor). The Purple Northern lights cross moulded too easily, but has such a nice smell. Almost like fresh apples, but much stronger. Got roughly 1/2 pound off the the plant. I'm going to be flowering her indoors soon and I have much higher hopes. The bubblegum had root aphids that knocked this plant on it's ass. It still finished up, and it's my darkest purple, but only produced a half pound of small nugs.

Here's some of that ATF. Best smelling strain I have (so sweet), also the most resinous strain I grew. A lot of the bud's have shades of purple that accent the bright green. However, I won't be running ATF again unless in a black box. Too much mould, and it needs to finish in full sun otherwise it get's light and fluffy. Out of the 2 plants, I got maybe 3 pounds.



NYCD. Yeah buddy, mould resistant, super frosty, strong smelling (almost like a piercing mustard smell), huge yielder, bug resistant, and she grows very nice. Late finisher, I pulled mid November. It actually got fairly dense, which is hard to pull off with this specific pheno. Very proud of the diesel. Pulled roughly 3 pounds off the one diesel.



Was very little larf on the diesel, everything nugged up really nicely.




Purple Trainwreck x Hashplant. I'm desperately attempting to clone and reveg this baby. Will be the majority of my crop next year if I can save her. She grows extremely vigorously and with great structure, AAAND she's an early finisher. Has the distinct trainwreck smell, and is a very stoney strain. Huge yielder as well. Nugs came out rock hard. Picture does her no justice, especially with only the half assed trim on the particular nug. This lady was another 3 pounder.



I know you guys probably want to see full plant/garden photos, but when it came down to it, everybody stopped taking pictures. Just how hectic it is come harvest time, you have other things on your mind. Here's the only pic I have that's during that last month.

 

[Space Case]

Yea buddy, looks good bro!

 

[Zarezhu]

Thank you! I definitely feel like I stepped over a huge milestone this year. All of my patients love what I'm coming to them with. I never knew 100% organic bud could be so outstanding, it's definitely humbled me.