Megamoo's 2012/2013 Glog

megamoo · Feb 12, 2013

Did a bigger harvest today, once again anything with a bit of colour on it.

Same picture with labels

These are all the bad pods I could find. Much fewer than normal, good sign!

Look what the postman left for me today

Will release them when it gets cool tonight.

gasificada · Feb 12, 2013

Go the mites! :party:

Fancy styro and everything. Mine only come in a cardboard box. :mope:

But at least they're in a cool tube thing inside the box.

Which ones did you get? The californicus or the monties? Either way, good luck with 'em... hope they smash them broad mite bastages for ya like they did for me! (Just be prepared to have to release more a couple months down the track though....

).

megamoo · Feb 12, 2013

gasificada said:
Go the mites! Fancy styro and everything. Mine only come in a cardboard box. But at least they're in a cool tube thing inside the box.

Which ones did you get? The californicus or the monties? Either way, good luck with 'em... hope they smash them broad mite bastages for ya like they did for me! (Just be prepared to have to release more a couple months down the track though.... ).

Neoseiulus cucumeris
http://manchilipmser...uced/cucumeris/

It has a hankering for thrips and broad mites. Only for WA for some reason?

"for heavy foliage" hahaha perfect

gasificada · Feb 12, 2013

Ah, I've heard of cucumeris. They are of the same genus as californicus (neoseiulus). Might be pretty similar.

On the page you linked: "Go for overkill of pests by releasing often." <--- quality advice. I find I have to release every two months or so. Right now it's been a few months and broad mite are taking over again. Just going to leave it now until next season. No point as I have started culling plants (and will be culling most of 'em).

TheFanMan · Feb 12, 2013

hope you're saving the seeds from those perfumes, they look fantastic, got a close up?

megamoo · Feb 13, 2013

gasificada said:
Ah, I've heard of cucumeris. They are of the same genus as californicus (neoseiulus). Might be pretty similar.

On the page you linked: "Go for overkill of pests by releasing often." <--- quality advice. I find I have to release every two months or so. Right now it's been a few months and broad mite are taking over again. Just going to leave it now until next season. No point as I have started culling plants (and will be culling most of 'em).

I only wish I could see the carnage as they go on the rampage

TheFanMan said:
hope you're saving the seeds from those perfumes, they look fantastic, got a close up?

Got plenty of seeds. All those pods are only from two plants. They are very productive.

Took the shadecloth off today.

With the mite control in effect and the extra sun I expect to see a chilli avalanche.

PeriPeri · Feb 13, 2013

Blazing barnicles... that is the motherload! Never mind brown bears jumping through rings of fire... thats like burning grizzlies freefalling through rings of magma!

Blue Flames · Feb 13, 2013

Looking good mr moo , what's a box of those bad boys worth? Hope they rape pillage and plunder for u . Dropped my phone so trying to type on a smashed screen

Stefan_W · Feb 14, 2013

It looks great already, and it will be downright spectacular when it is all podded up.

megamoo · Feb 14, 2013

PeriPeri said:
Blazing barnicles... that is the motherload! Never mind brown bears jumping through rings of fire... thats like burning grizzlies freefalling through rings of magma!

Yeah it just keeps coming. And they plants are still not producing like they should.

Blue Flames said:
Looking good mr moo , what's a box of those bad boys worth? Hope they rape pillage and plunder for u . Dropped my phone so trying to type on a smashed screen

I litre which equals 40 000 mites is about $30. It comes in a bag of vermiculite which you just sprinkle over the plants. Obviously its too early to tell how effective the mites will be but I recommend the company just for the service and quick delivery alone.
http://manchilipmservices.com.au/

Stefan_W said:
It looks great already, and it will be downright spectacular when it is all podded up.

You will see when that happens

Lavatung · Feb 14, 2013

Wow your glog is going off dude! 5 pages since I last checked in. Nice looking pods brutha!! Lets do some swapping. I may have some you don't have yet. Probably not though. I hate those f**king grubs!!!!! Luckily the pods are ripening quicker than they can eat em

WalkGood · Feb 14, 2013

Great update Moo, nice harvest and can't wait to see pics after the mites do their job

Trippa · Feb 14, 2013

Holy testicle Tuesdays Batman!!! Nice harvest mega!!! Plants are looking spiffy and that box of mites may well mean even bigger harvests and plants!!

stickman · Feb 14, 2013

megamoo said:
Look what the postman left for me today

Will release them when it gets cool tonight.

Allright Moo... The gloves are off! Hurt 'em for me too...

Chiles are looking exceptionally nice since you took off the shade cloths. Did I say before how much I like the fact that your plants are at the perfect hight to harvest/inspect without bending over! Lol

Dot Com · Feb 15, 2013

nice decision to fight fire w/ fire. :hell:

The plants next to the new fence look quite nice as well. Ever tried a Jonah before? How hot are they supposed to be? Pretty hot right? I grew jamaican yellow scoth bonnet this past season. Very useful in many dishes.

megamoo · Feb 16, 2013

Lavatung said:
Wow your glog is going off dude! 5 pages since I last checked in. Nice looking pods brutha!! Lets do some swapping. I may have some you don't have yet. Probably not though. I hate those f**king grubs!!!!! Luckily the pods are ripening quicker than they can eat em

Thanks Luke. I've been so busy all the pods have been going into the freezer whole and unprocessed.
The grubs have started to decline. Either I'm controlling them by removing all pods before the larvae have a chance to mature and thus breaking their breeding cycle... or they are being controlled by other good bugs. There are wasps and hover flies and other bugs I can't identify. Good news there

WalkGood said:
Great update Moo, nice harvest and can't wait to see pics after the mites do their job

Thanks. Me too!

Trippa said:
Holy testicle Tuesdays Batman!!! Nice harvest mega!!! Plants are looking spiffy and that box of mites may well mean even bigger harvests and plants!!

I'm steadily taking over all available freezer space. I've even had to take some bags of pods to my parents house too. If production increases too much might have a real problem!

stickman said:
Allright Moo... The gloves are off! Hurt 'em for me too...

Chiles are looking exceptionally nice since you took off the shade cloths. Did I say before how much I like the fact that your plants are at the perfect hight to harvest/inspect without bending over! Lol

I can almost see their happy shock at suddenly getting a full blast of sun! There is a whole lot of new buddage sprouting up close too. I have to bend over to see under the canopy and find the hiding pods but its nothing compared to getting down on the ground! Raised beds are the way to go!

Dot Com said:
nice decision to fight fire w/ fire. The plants next to the new fence look quite nice as well. Ever tried a Jonah before? How hot are they supposed to be? Pretty hot right? I grew jamaican yellow scoth bonnet this past season. Very useful in many dishes.

The Jonahs are in that superhot range where its too hot to taste anything and my mouth just goes numb

I like the look of the JSBs, its a pod with personality.

Ok this update is about BUGS

Firstly I have these little things all over the place and don't know what they are. Look like a half size black ladybug, and move about the same way. Anyone know?

Hard to get a focused shot because they tend to crawl away from the camera. They don't appear to be causing any damage. Maybe a different type of ladybug?

These look like eggs of something.. don't know what.

Happy to see a few of these getting busy.

But sadly I know why they've come.

If you've been following my glog you might remember I said the ants were all over my plants but there were no aphids to be seen. Then I said they changed their mind and started farming. Now on further inspection it seems to be a different type of ant doing the aphid farming.
The original pollinating ants are smaller and the newer aphid farmers are bigger. That information doesn't really help me deal with them

but hopefully the old ants out-compete the new ants and force them out.

And of course there is a mite massacre going on which I sadly don't have any pictures of.

stc3248 · Feb 16, 2013

Freaking mites and aphids...always trying to EFF up a good thing! Good to see the ladybug and hope your little mite busters get busy too...dunno what the little black bugs are??? Your pepper hedge looks fantastic with the top down...more pics please!

DocNrock · Feb 16, 2013

Great looking harvest, MM! That T. Perfume looks to be wildly productive. Same with the Bih Jolokia. Glad you got the good mites and seeing the ladybugs out and about. Sucks about the aphids and their farmers. Not sure what the black bugs are, either.

Dot Com · Feb 16, 2013

I bet theres a % of loss due to infestations & weather when we grow outdoors. Similar w/ retailers theres a % that they write-off annually to theft & breakage. I'm a small-time grower so I don't know what the typical/acceptable range is concerning my favorite plants- peppers

. You still have your natural predators to release that will help mitigate some of the nuisance as well.

Stefan_W · Feb 16, 2013

I really hate mites and aphids. Great pictures though!