MotherLode Gardens 2017

PDX Dopesmoker · Sep 16, 2017

OvergrowDaWorld said:
Im getting viciously raided by cats/worms this year. Its the worst Ive ever seen it!!! East Coast.
Picking them out by hand is doing the trick, but I got 60 from within the buds on a small plant before they cauzed any major damage.
Thats a whole lot of fkn worms!
This whole crop would probably be a total loss if I dont go every other day and look through each and every budsite. Takes hours and hours but is sooooo worth killing them all! Incredibly hard to find them too if theres no rot yet. Just open up your buds abit and follow the poop trail.

I've been hanging mothballs near my plants at night to try and keep the caterpillars away. They type of caterpillars I get causing me problems on the pot plants is the same kind that eats my petunia blossoms. When I see partially eaten petunias I know that danger is near.

MedResearcher · Sep 16, 2017

redlaser said:
He claims to have not used an insecticide in two years. He doesn't claim to have zero pest issues, but very little.

Not that we ever used much more than Neem and Spinosad, but we haven't sprayed anything, not even neem in over 3 years now. Most of it is just isolation from contaminated clones and gardens, along with keeping the plants as healthy as can be and promoting a diverse eco system within the garden. Almost all of the time they come on clones, or hitch a ride on a wookie that works for 3 different farms.

Seems crazy to me all that crap people spray on their flowers.

For instance, year after year I hear about people spraying BT, or Spinosad for caterpillars. Deep into flower and over and over.

We use electric bug zappers for the caterpillars. They come from the grey/brown moths laying egss. So you hang a good large bug zapper or two somewhat near the garden, nice and early before flowering really sets in. You can get the big 1 acre zappers. Every night the zapper attracts and kills moths. Every moth that is zapped, is 1 less moth who can lay eggs. The first week you will kill hundreds of moths. So many you have to clean the zapper!

Can also use beneficial insects that will actually eat the caterpillar eggs if a moth happens to sneak in and lay them as well. Although the zappers work really well. Different seasons they can be more or less aggressive, and I don't have exact notes but I would guesstimate without using a bug zapper we would loose 5-15% from caterpillars, with a zapper less than 0.1%.

Recently we added a cat to the garden. Has been a great addition. The cat lives and eats in the garden, never goes to the house, barely leaves the garden at all. Daily I see its leftover kills. We had tons of birds stealing worms, and shitting on the flowers. Now the birds don't dare hang out, he has also been chasing off the squirrels and rodents. Was just a random free cat, but it has me thinking about specific breeds to protect gardens, sort of like how people use specific guard dogs, but garden guard cats!

Mr^^

OvergrowDaWorld · Sep 16, 2017

I was just saying that we gotta get a zapper to hang near trhe garden to kill the gypsy moths. They are so bad this year. Plus I dont think putting the plants by a pool helped any. I think the moths are drawn to the water or something. Gotta go today and pick them out somemore.

DAT · Sep 16, 2017

Oh don't let the mites get you down Screws! Try to stay positive and have fun this season . There was a really great thread I was following on THC Farmer by Caregiver Ken. It was really interesting to follow as he battled the russet mites. I will go back and review the thread and see if I can help you . Any good sunsets lately?

theJointedOne · Sep 17, 2017

bro just get the venerate and grandevo, spray the ven, then two days later spray the grandevo, then repeat...it will take care of your bug issue

im battling fusarium like a mutha....on my local mountain road it has demolished nearly all of a certain type of tree, not sure the type, but i could watch the progression start in late july, now all of that type of tree is just dead on the side of the road. Its not the quick type fusarium either, more of a slow death...i seemed to have contained it with many many drenches of mycostop, great white, myco madness, tenant, and hygrozyme

theJointedOne · Sep 17, 2017

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Graco-Magnum-X7-Airless-Paint-Sprayer-262805/100634350 this is what i got this year to spray, works great. Get a wand extension and an extra 50ft of sprayer hose..your set. Can mix up 5 gal at a time, or use a tote, sometimes i use a 20gal tote instead of 5 gal bucket

EasyGoing · Sep 17, 2017

That sprayer is what most pesticide companies in our industry recommend. You working on a hillside or flat land? I like my backpack sprayer, but it's a bit much for the average size person.

theJointedOne · Sep 17, 2017

EasyGoing said:
That sprayer is what most pesticide companies in our industry recommend. You working on a hillside or flat land? I like my backpack sprayer, but it's a bit much for the average size person.

Both, it works fine on either, no problem. I read up on the different spray tips as i was trying to get more flow out with some stuff, less with others. There are some informative videos on youtube posted by painters.

I use a backpack/handheld sprayer in the spring during propagation, but after they are in their full term homes the greco is just much more user friendly. The only thing about it is Im not sure if it harms bacteria through the pumping process. I think the good thing about the backpack sprayer is its a simple diaphragm pump, not much gets torn up in the process. Wish i had a good microscope

redlaser · Sep 17, 2017

EasyGoing said:
That sprayer is what most pesticide companies in our industry recommend. You working on a hillside or flat land? I like my backpack sprayer, but it's a bit much for the average size person.

I like my 12 volt backpack sprayer but at 4-5 gallons full some would not want to carry it. It will hit 11-12 ft w/o an extension.

I've had a commercial pesticide applicators license over the years for various plant related jobs, mostly to not get fined or hassled going from one job to another.

The bigger company's would use 3-5 hp Honda generators, a pump, and 250-500 gallon tanks to spray out of. They would use a battery powered reel to roll up the 2-400 ft of hose after it was done being used.

The spray guns were somewhat similar to the paint sprayers, but all metal, both the pistol type sprayers and the "trombone" type sprayers that were adjustable for getting really high into trees. Seems like they could hit in the 70-80 ft high range.

Noonin NorCal · Sep 17, 2017

I like my Atomizer fogger/sprayer, i just have a backyard garden, nothing like you big dogs

Shcrews · Sep 21, 2017

I got an ATV sprayer, but no ATV... so i fill it up and carry it up and down the hill myself. it's a 30gallon tank so i usually fill it about halfway and that's as heavy as i can manage. great workout that's for sure, and only have to refill it once to spray the whole garden, but by the end i'm exhausted.

Shcrews · Sep 21, 2017

flowering...

flowering...

Sirius x Maximus (south fork seeds):

Sprite (Black Lime Reserve x Ancient OG):

Shcrews · Sep 21, 2017

Native Soil

Native Soil

Shcrews · Sep 21, 2017

sunset.

sunset.

we really like this picture so i didnt want to re-size it:

Shcrews · Sep 21, 2017

flowering is going ok so far. Still seeing a little mite damage but nothing too extreme. We released 2 batches of predator mites, and have more on the way.. Also we've been spraying with essential oils and dr. bronners peppermint soap. Looks like we will make it to harvest without losing too much. I think we will skip the venerate / grandevo this year as it is a bit late in the flowering cycle.... still on the fence about it kind of, but definitely will add it to our regimen next year

not much left of this season.. we are working on finishing the final layer of trellis , preparing the drying area, and pruning fan leaves.. it is the homestretch. This property gets a ton of sunlight which i believe causes everything to mature quickly, we expect to be finished with harvest within a month.. Then it's time to trim flowers and make concentrates.

The seeds i made last year have outperformed everything else in the garden. Very happy about that. some of the Ancient OG f2's are simply massive, as well as the Black Lime Reserve x Ancient OG... plus the flavors are unique and the quality is superb.

~star~crash~ · Sep 21, 2017

HappyTreeFarm · Sep 21, 2017

that Sprite looks awesome! those hair colors are unique, great job dude. I'm not a big fan of seeds due to never getting consistent quality through the phenos, but I'm defiantly gonna try out some bodhi seeds this coming year, those Ancients are bigger than my Dreams! Im sure will hit the market better too. How do you feel about the south fork seeds you tried out? and whats your flower feed regimen? If you feel like sharing. Consistency is key and it shows;
nice work

bigherb · Sep 21, 2017

Much Respect you got some big ole Gorgeous ladies

1luvbigherb

EastBayGrower · Sep 21, 2017

Freaking HUGE... what do you think was your biggest improvement this year for plant health? Amino/micro foliars? Soil balancing?

I don't know if it's just me but your plants look wayyy bigger then last year, killing it!

Noonin NorCal · Sep 21, 2017

Looking good like always dude, coming down to crunch time. Did you ever get a picture of the flower/plant/weed you said that had mites all over, i think you said you were gonna post a pic of it. And a upskirt shot at one of those monsters

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