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Lipa Kreepa
Antisocial People Person


Registered: 09/17/09
Posts: 5,880
Loc: Where ppl are herded and ...
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Caterpillar assassination!
#23693780 - 09/30/16 11:15 AM (7 years, 3 months ago) |
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Okay... I've got a problem in my garden. Two day ago, I go check on my babies only to see that my smallest san Pedro has been totally raped by an assholr caterpillar. I mean seriously RAPED! The tip was chewed up on every rib and close to the base, it actually burrowed a hole and deep groove with all kinds of damage around it... I kid you not. The hole was large enough to store a lighter or two in there. The entire side where the hole was, was completely fucked. It went beyond the vascuilar ring in the center of the columb. It broke my heart so much ... Unfortunately for him, I saw him on there still munching. So of course I used a shovel and shashed the living shit out of him. I had to up root my baby and try my hand at grafting the tip and I'm now waiting on the rooted base to callous over for future planting.
I thought the nightmare ended there, but sadly it didn't . my tobacco plants which were the most lovely ones I've ever grown, are savagely being destroyed as well. It's a horrific site guys. There's still hope for them but not much time... In one or two more feedings, that cateppilar will have completely destroyed them! So I'm here for advice
I recently picked up a bag of one hundred percent diatomacious earth... I've read that this is effective in combating these fuckers. Yet how much is neccesary for treatment? Is it okay to do a heavy sprinkle around the base and lower leaves? And how often does one have to apply it for it to continue doing its job? And lastly, are there any other approaches I can take to fighting these fuckers off my babies which can be used in conjunction to the DE? Im scared shitless to think what would happen if they found my older San Pedros and ripped them up like they did with the youngest one I had
  
I could really use some help on this one. Thanks for your time yall
Peace and love
-------------------- LOVE LIFE AND LIVE IT HARD! 'Great Spirit, today, let me touch the Earth so the Earth can touch me.' "I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, 'If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.'" -- Vonnegut A monkey w/out his jungle is just an inmate-- lipa
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ferrel_human
stone eater



Registered: 06/26/09
Posts: 16,320
Loc: Texas
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Re: Caterpillar assassination! [Re: Lipa Kreepa]
#23693931 - 09/30/16 12:33 PM (7 years, 3 months ago) |
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Seek. And destroy. Alls i got to say.
Ive lost many to Assholius wormicus.
-------------------- Nature is my church and walking through it is gospel. It tells no lies and reveals all to those who look, and listen, closely. -Karode
 Looking for Mimosa tenuiflora seeds. Buttons for trade
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kactus.brand.g
Registered: 08/22/14
Posts: 6,886
Last seen: 6 years, 10 months
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Is this what they look like?
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ferrel_human
stone eater



Registered: 06/26/09
Posts: 16,320
Loc: Texas
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Quote:
kactus.brand.g said: Is this what they look like?

Ive killed several of those at the beginning of spring. They were eating shit out of my chili plants.
-------------------- Nature is my church and walking through it is gospel. It tells no lies and reveals all to those who look, and listen, closely. -Karode
 Looking for Mimosa tenuiflora seeds. Buttons for trade
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kactus.brand.g
Registered: 08/22/14
Posts: 6,886
Last seen: 6 years, 10 months
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Yeah man,one of those bitches can eat a full grown plant down to nothing in a day or so.
I just manually pick them off my plants,when I start seeing the signs,and I throw them over the fence in the neighbors yard
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ferrel_human
stone eater



Registered: 06/26/09
Posts: 16,320
Loc: Texas
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Why not just kill them? I had my son do the dirty work.
-------------------- Nature is my church and walking through it is gospel. It tells no lies and reveals all to those who look, and listen, closely. -Karode
 Looking for Mimosa tenuiflora seeds. Buttons for trade
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Spanishfly
$$$Rich€€€Bich£££



Registered: 03/19/12
Posts: 1,851
Loc: Spain
Last seen: 6 years, 26 days
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Quote:
kactus.brand.g said: I just manually pick them off my plants,when I start seeing the signs,and I throw them over the fence in the neighbors yard
And in the next day or so they find their way back to your tastier plants.
-------------------- I am currently BANNED from using Private Messages - so can anyone who wants to contact me do it via my Journal thread. Link is https://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/23831115 Maybe some mod or whatever might think this has now been long enough.
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Lipa Kreepa
Antisocial People Person


Registered: 09/17/09
Posts: 5,880
Loc: Where ppl are herded and ...
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Re: Caterpillar assassination! [Re: Spanishfly]
#23694339 - 09/30/16 03:25 PM (7 years, 3 months ago) |
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Yeah that's the culprit. I didn't see him at first because his green color blended in perfect with the growth tip of my heirloom Virginia tobacco... But ohh did I find him a d oh did he suffer. I went ahead and "tested' my DE on him. He def was getting fucked over bad. Unintentionally I stepped on him several minutes later... So he suffered but def did not get the full torture sentence he deserved. Regardless, he's out... And after that I wasn't playing around. I took some nice copper wire and made rings and ornaments for all my favorites... That takes care of the slimy fuck like the slugs and snails. The DE was then added along the trunks and bases of all the same plants/cacti. So I'm feeling good about things now. Seriously though if left one more day unattended, I woukldve lost all my tobacco plants. It's a shame BC I really love watching the butterflies swarm around the gardennin the morning, but I have zero tolerance for any destructive pests and vermin. That DE stuff is suppose to kick some serious ass, so I'm really happy I invested in a bag of it
-------------------- LOVE LIFE AND LIVE IT HARD! 'Great Spirit, today, let me touch the Earth so the Earth can touch me.' "I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, 'If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.'" -- Vonnegut A monkey w/out his jungle is just an inmate-- lipa
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kactus.brand.g
Registered: 08/22/14
Posts: 6,886
Last seen: 6 years, 10 months
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Re: Caterpillar assassination! [Re: Spanishfly]
#23694388 - 09/30/16 03:39 PM (7 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
ferrel_human said: Why not just kill them? I had my son do the dirty work.
Naw man,we all gotta eat,including animals,although I did get pissed,and smash a few.
Quote:
Spanishfly said:
Quote:
kactus.brand.g said: I just manually pick them off my plants,when I start seeing the signs,and I throw them over the fence in the neighbors yard
And in the next day or so they find their way back to your tastier plants.
Yeah,I have been told that time,and time again,but after I picked them all off and threw them as far as I could,none ever returned.
I had about a straight week,of picking them off,and then I never saw another.
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kactus.brand.g
Registered: 08/22/14
Posts: 6,886
Last seen: 6 years, 10 months
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Re: Caterpillar assassination! [Re: Lipa Kreepa]
#23694395 - 09/30/16 03:40 PM (7 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
Lipa Kreepa said: Yeah that's the culprit. I didn't see him at first because his green color blended in perfect with the growth tip of my heirloom Virginia tobacco... But ohh did I find him a d oh did he suffer. I went ahead and "tested' my DE on him. He def was getting fucked over bad. Unintentionally I stepped on him several minutes later... So he suffered but def did not get the full torture sentence he deserved. Regardless, he's out... And after that I wasn't playing around. I took some nice copper wire and made rings and ornaments for all my favorites... That takes care of the slimy fuck like the slugs and snails. The DE was then added along the trunks and bases of all the same plants/cacti. So I'm feeling good about things now. Seriously though if left one more day unattended, I woukldve lost all my tobacco plants. It's a shame BC I really love watching the butterflies swarm around the gardennin the morning, but I have zero tolerance for any destructive pests and vermin. That DE stuff is suppose to kick some serious ass, so I'm really happy I invested in a bag of it 
I knew that was the one!
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NDStepp84
Stellar nuclear waste


Registered: 04/23/15
Posts: 4,956
Last seen: 1 month, 4 days
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Re: Caterpillar assassination! [Re: Lipa Kreepa]
#23695452 - 09/30/16 08:59 PM (7 years, 3 months ago) |
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Man, small catipillers (which I suspect to be moth larvae) and fungus gnat larvae have been eating the hell out of my grafts and pereskiopsis, I was picking them off every day. I don't plan on eating of any of my plants so I loaded them down with systemic granules and spray, now if they eat on my plants they are committing sucide.
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"I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do. -Robert A. Heinlein
Links and teks ND's grow log and discussion Plant thread
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ferrel_human
stone eater



Registered: 06/26/09
Posts: 16,320
Loc: Texas
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Re: Caterpillar assassination! [Re: Lipa Kreepa]
#23695454 - 09/30/16 08:59 PM (7 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
Lipa Kreepa said: Yeah that's the culprit. I didn't see him at first because his green color blended in perfect with the growth tip of my heirloom Virginia tobacco... But ohh did I find him a d oh did he suffer. I went ahead and "tested' my DE on him. He def was getting fucked over bad. Unintentionally I stepped on him several minutes later... So he suffered but def did not get the full torture sentence he deserved. Regardless, he's out... And after that I wasn't playing around. I took some nice copper wire and made rings and ornaments for all my favorites... That takes care of the slimy fuck like the slugs and snails. The DE was then added along the trunks and bases of all the same plants/cacti. So I'm feeling good about things now. Seriously though if left one more day unattended, I woukldve lost all my tobacco plants. It's a shame BC I really love watching the butterflies swarm around the gardennin the morning, but I have zero tolerance for any destructive pests and vermin. That DE stuff is suppose to kick some serious ass, so I'm really happy I invested in a bag of it 
Ive bought DE. They say it works but i didnt aee a differewcw. Ants stilk came ans went as they pleased.
-------------------- Nature is my church and walking through it is gospel. It tells no lies and reveals all to those who look, and listen, closely. -Karode
 Looking for Mimosa tenuiflora seeds. Buttons for trade
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the_r3dz
Trich Propagator


Registered: 03/26/15
Posts: 5,709
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I never did it when I was a kid, so when I found one of these I threw it into a container with some dirt and peppers It's now cocooned in the dirt. I'm gonna keep it around till next year for it to turn into one of those lovely sphinx moths But i don't think I'll ever let it out into the wild since I don't want it to spread more
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MoonFarmer
peasant



Registered: 08/22/16
Posts: 2,293
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Re: Caterpillar assassination! [Re: the_r3dz]
#23695784 - 09/30/16 10:44 PM (7 years, 3 months ago) |
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I've been finding quite a few of these the last month or so. They wiped out 2 of my cherry tomatoes and almost stripped one of my heirlooms bare. I pruned it and a sucker has grown to be the main stalk. I like butterflies and moths but these bastards mess with my food.
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Edited by MoonFarmer (09/30/16 10:46 PM)
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Lipa Kreepa
Antisocial People Person


Registered: 09/17/09
Posts: 5,880
Loc: Where ppl are herded and ...
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Re: Caterpillar assassination! [Re: MoonFarmer]
#23695964 - 10/01/16 12:02 AM (7 years, 3 months ago) |
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Ferrel what strength did you buy? I sure hope it works. It seemed to stop that cat in his tracks... I guess I'll have a better verdict in a few days. Knock on wood, I never really had any ant issues, so I dunno. From the reading I was doing, some ppl swear by the stuff... Even to the the extent of treating mange in dogs and cats... But again well see soon. I sure hope it does the trick.
Seriously, I wanted too cry for what onr of those fuckers did to my Pedro. I'll try a d get a flick on here soon. That cat was black instead of green.
Its funny these last few months its been the snails and slugs, then it started to dry up and they peaced out, only to make way for these assholes! Ill keep researching alternate murder techniques in conjunction with the DE. Next season I'll be ready... Oh will I be ready
-------------------- LOVE LIFE AND LIVE IT HARD! 'Great Spirit, today, let me touch the Earth so the Earth can touch me.' "I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, 'If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.'" -- Vonnegut A monkey w/out his jungle is just an inmate-- lipa
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Plague_Wraith
Horseman


Registered: 07/22/15
Posts: 79
Last seen: 8 months, 20 days
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Re: Caterpillar assassination! [Re: Lipa Kreepa]
#23696175 - 10/01/16 02:28 AM (7 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
Lipa Kreepa said: I didn't see him at first because his green color blended in perfect with the growth tip of my heirloom Virginia tobacco... But ohh did I find him a d oh did he suffer. I went ahead and "tested' my DE on him. He def was getting fucked over bad. Unintentionally I stepped on him several minutes later... So he suffered but def did not get the full torture sentence he deserved.
I woke up the other day and noticed that 80% of one of my mint plants had been completely decimated in about a 6-8 hour period by one of those bastards. I could not figure out what the hell got to it initially because the plant had been inside and I didn't see the caterpillar right away. You aren't joking that they totally blend in with the plant. I noticed that there was dirt tossed outside of the pot and after carefully moving the leaves around with a butter knife I found the culprit clinging to a stem still eating. He must have been hiding in the potting soil. I ended up flushing him like a turd because I was so pissed. It seems that the Lowes around here is having a big issue with pests in the herb section where I got my plants.
I'm glad you mentioned tobacco plants. I thought that most wildlife would stay well away from tobacco (thought the same thing for mint to a lesser degree) so it's good to know that I should keep my eyes open for pests. 
To answer your questions, it is okay to do a heavy sprinkle around the base and lower leaves. You could really dust the whole plant and not have any issues. DE is extremely safe to the point that you can readily consume it if you felt so inclined or wanted to kill off parasites. DE acts like broken glass to insects so it should be spread around pretty well and not just poured in large lines. It does nothing to chemically kill anything. Instead, it physically kills bugs by causing nasty cuts that make them bleed out and/or dehydrate. I think of it like barbed wire. As long as it's present (not blown away by wind or washed away by rain) it'll keep working. Dusting from time to time isn't a bad idea but a little goes a long way and it does last. That said, DE becomes ineffective when it's wet. The morning dew can be enough to disarm the security it provides and that's why some people say that it's ineffective. This is good stuff to use in conjunction with just about any insecticidal soap. Hope that helps.
-------------------- Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured. - Mark Twain
Edited by Plague_Wraith (10/01/16 11:16 PM)
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Lipa Kreepa
Antisocial People Person


Registered: 09/17/09
Posts: 5,880
Loc: Where ppl are herded and ...
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Excellent post, thank for your write up PW I too have noticed my spearmint has been attacked by one of those little bastards as well tho not nearly as bad as w tobacco.
Okay here's an update.... Today I went out to "see how it was working..." Low and behold, I saw one. At the tip of one of my tobacco plants! "wait... How? Why? Wtf!!?" Is what I thought.... Then I said to myself, fine let's see just how well this stuff works. I took my fixed killer knife and scooped him onto the blade safely... Then I grabbed the bag of DE. I poured a little bump on him and proceeded to roll Him around in it... He kept moving. Didn't seem to phase him although I could tell it wasn't his favorite texture... So after several minutes, I came across a neighbor who inquired what I was doing on all fours, with a seven inch blade and a big bag of white powder... I explained my dillema and he told me that he had used thee stuff in the past... He claimed to like it but that it was tricky with caterpillars. He said if it works, it ain't goim to work instantly... Fuck. He reccomended some stuff called sevin dust... Said it would def kill em ... After a short bit of research tho, it seems like that's a toxic choice as it is neurotoxic... And I do plan on smoking the stuff... Soooo.... Yeah... That's out. I'm already quite polluted enough.
Came across this stuff recomended online called BT powder (or gel or conc liq). Don't quote me on this, but I believe its a type of pathogenic bacteria or what have you... So I went to the nursery and bought some. Suppose to be pretty safe and more or less the organic choice... The stuff is really nasty looking. A greenish blue very viscious liquid that sticks to stuff... So I mixed it up with some water in my little spray bottle and hit up the affected plants right after I watered everything... Geez, I even saw a little fucker chewing on a chive leaf next to my tobacco 
So of course... I took a moment to murder him... Then back to work. I finished the spray bottle up, as suggested on bottle and now I wait. I'll keep y'all posted... Even if there's nothing left of my tobacco tomorrow... I still think its worth sharing this info... Between all of us victims, I'm sure we can come up with somewhat of a viable solution.
The only issue with the Bt stuff, is that it can also take a minute to kill em. They need to eat the poison once or twice before they beat it. Well see... I'm still hopeful though... If not for these plants... For the small potted tobacco I'll likely put in its place.
All this noise really makes me want a greenhouse one day
-------------------- LOVE LIFE AND LIVE IT HARD! 'Great Spirit, today, let me touch the Earth so the Earth can touch me.' "I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, 'If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.'" -- Vonnegut A monkey w/out his jungle is just an inmate-- lipa
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