WalkGood 2013, 2014 and Beyond

thegreenman · May 4, 2013

Where's that Choco hab at Ramon? is it alive? lol

WalkGood · May 4, 2013

stc3248 said:
She's still kickin! Gonna make a comeback!!! Cool little ladybug too, and lunch looks fantastic!!!

I think you’re right, she’ll make a comeback but I’m now thinking I should have given her a smaller pot. Once she gets stronger I might consider bonsai, hehe. Ladybugs seem to be frequenting daily now but it seems there’s only one or two at a time, would be nice if I could have hundreds on clean up, lol. Thanks for food comment ^_^

Al-from-Chile said:
well - there is two sides to every story ... we have had y'day the first day of rain in about 6 months. Damn that was more than welcome, even though we are lucky to have water coming down from the andes in my "parcela" - so I manage to keep everything reasonable green in summertime ...

as always, your plants look way too good, the ol lady is coming back slowly but surely and the MoA got me drooling all over

1 abrazo,
Al

Thanks Al, we actually had the first full day of dry today, even though the weatherMon had predicted rain thru Tuesday. You’re right, everything is greener here too in summer

thegreenman said:
Where's that Choco hab at Ramon? is it alive? lol

Chris I’ve been busy away from home and haven’t been on THP till now. I up-potted it to a 3 gallon pot and will take it to a larger pot in a few weeks. I took 3 pictures posted below, I believe there are 3 Chocolate habs in that pot but didn’t have the time to separate them and I’m letting them grow as one, which will probably stunt the total height that it can achieve. Worst case, I could pinch off the 2 shorter ones, but it might be cool to allow it to go bushy. Don’t forget to call me if you’re on the east side, I either have a mature JA Hab plant for you or seed if you wish to grow next season. Thanks for the plant! ^_^

On another note, something is eating the leaves on my Trinidad Scorpion and I’ve not seen a thing on the plant. Could it be a moth? Late at night would be the only time I’d miss any pest/s. Does anyone know what does this kind of leaf damage? What should I be on the look out for? Is there anything I can do to stop it? All suggestions, even wild guesses will be welcome, thanks in advance.

Edit: Some of the tears could be wind damage but the holes are something eatting away :/

BTW thanks for stopping by and reading my glog

stc3248 · May 5, 2013

Those leaves look like my sunflowers do late in the season...finches are my culprit. They'll sit right on the leaf and pick until its only a leaf skeleton. Dunno if that's your issue or not, but most pesties will eat from the outside in with smooth edges to the holes.

StupidJerk · May 5, 2013

Maybe grasshoppers?

Jamison · May 5, 2013

Poor scorpion! Everything looking great. BTW your JA Habs are some fast growers man. Mine is just taking off like crazy lately!

GA Growhead · May 5, 2013

I was getting that a ton last year. I was thinking grasshoppers too, but never caught one in action.

StupidJerk · May 5, 2013

Do you have any tomatillos planted? The leaf eating pests prefer my tomatillos to anything else for some reason. They grow very fast and are prolific, and the leaf chewing doesn't seem to halt their production. Might be something to consider to draw the bugs away from the peppers.

Devv · May 5, 2013

WalkGood said:
ROFLMAO … it worked great for bringing in the swells On a more serious note, I’m happy you finally got some rain. For us today it wasn’t as bad as yesterday, only a short drizzle but that was at my house. I’m sure some out west got another good dosing.

Sounds like my egg method, no shock and a little calcium to boot, hehe

I'm gonna try the egg method next time I plant, can't hurt

StupidJerk said:
Do you have any tomatillos planted? The leaf eating pests prefer my tomatillos to anything else for some reason. They grow very fast and are prolific, and the leaf chewing doesn't seem to halt their production. Might be something to consider to draw the bugs away from the peppers.

Hmmm... taking notes here, something bugs like better than peppers...I'm all for it!

Ramon, welcome to my world, I'm experiencing the same thing. I do see some grasshoppers, but can never figure out for sure what's eating the plants...

Sorry to see the damage. i bet it's on the larger leaves right?

PeriPeri · May 6, 2013

Hi Ramon. Sorry to see the damage mate! Could be a number of things. Caterpillars. Locusts. Ants or Slugs/Snails. Possibly even Leaf Miners. I am going with slugs. Since they feed at night, you are less likely to see them. But an easy way to spot them is with any slimey trails they leave behind... in the morning. Problem is they borrow into the soil and can do just as much damage there. Good remedies is copper ring saround stem of plant and set into the soil (expensive)... beer traps set into soil (like - but make sure you dont get caught in one), grapefruit skin traps and ofcourse chemicals (poo). There is also a organic option of natural irritants like gravel, gritty sand, broken up egg shells (up your alley), hair , pine neddles and soot. Just a guess... but who knows! Good luck my friend!

JJJessee · May 6, 2013

Lotza good ideas here, Ramon. Beautiful snaps of pods in the rain!

WalkGood · May 6, 2013

stc3248 said:
Those leaves look like my sunflowers do late in the season...finches are my culprit. They'll sit right on the leaf and pick until its only a leaf skeleton. Dunno if that's your issue or not, but most pesties will eat from the outside in with smooth edges to the holes.

Have always feared bird attack on the plants because there are nesting wild green parrots three lots over from ours and I’ve had my eye out but have not seen any birds messing with plants. I think this damage is being done at night while I’m sleeping as I don’t see pesties during the day.

StupidJerk said:
Maybe grasshoppers?

I thought the same but lack of evidence, normally we get grasshoppers mid to late summer but I’m keeping an eye out. Do you know if they feed at night? I've always seen them feeding during the day here but maybe it's both, IDK.

Jamison said:
Poor scorpion! Everything looking great. BTW your JA Habs are some fast growers man. Mine is just taking off like crazy lately!

Good to read that your MoAs are taking off \o/ and thanks for comments ^_^

GA Growhead said:
I was getting that a ton last year. I was thinking grasshoppers too, but never caught one in action.

Did you trim off the damaged leaves? I’ve only done that to the worst ones that look like they may not function correctly plus to allow light to get at the smaller leaves under them.

StupidJerk said:
Do you have any tomatillos planted? The leaf eating pests prefer my tomatillos to anything else for some reason. They grow very fast and are prolific, and the leaf chewing doesn't seem to halt their production. Might be something to consider to draw the bugs away from the peppers.

I’m only growing Florida Wild Everglades tomatoes and they seem to be resilient to everything, guess it stands to reason cause if they weren’t they wouldn’t make it in the Everglades, hehe. BTW great idea and I will consider growing others but I'd hate to loose them to bugs ... I'll fight dem all, hehehe.

Devv said:
I'm gonna try the egg method next time I plant, can't hurt

Hmmm... taking notes here, something bugs like better than peppers...I'm all for it!

Ramon, welcome to my world, I'm experiencing the same thing. I do see some grasshoppers, but can never figure out for sure what's eating the plants...

Sorry to see the damage. i bet it's on the larger leaves right?

I think I’ve figured out the culprit, I’ll reply my guess below and good luck with the egg method, don’t forget it needs warmth and when you plant it the egg needs to be broken down to little pieces so it doesn’t hinder root development.

PeriPeri said:
Hi Ramon. Sorry to see the damage mate! Could be a number of things. Caterpillars. Locusts. Ants or Slugs/Snails. Possibly even Leaf Miners. I am going with slugs. Since they feed at night, you are less likely to see them. But an easy way to spot them is with any slimey trails they leave behind... in the morning. Problem is they borrow into the soil and can do just as much damage there. Good remedies is copper ring saround stem of plant and set into the soil (expensive)... beer traps set into soil (like - but make sure you dont get caught in one), grapefruit skin traps and ofcourse chemicals (poo). There is also a organic option of natural irritants like gravel, gritty sand, broken up egg shells (up your alley), hair , pine neddles and soot. Just a guess... but who knows! Good luck my friend!

This is a strong possibility and I thought snails too, keeping my eye out and might try the copper ting as I’ve done that before. Thanks for the ideas Lournes ^_^

JJJessee said:
Lotza good ideas here, Ramon. Beautiful snaps of pods in the rain!

Carl, I agree ... eveyone's come to the rescue with great ideas and thank you for thumbs up on pics ^_^

Thanks everyone, great ideas for me to keep my eye out for, I don’t know how I could do it without everyone’s help & suggestions ^_^

I’ve seen a few beetles like this (click here) flying around lately (similar damage IMO) but have never seen them feeding on the plants. Does anyone know about them and if they feed at night or 24/7? Once I saw this picture on the net I have a strong suspicion they might be at fault. I also killed a brown leaf hopper this morning on the Scorp but doubt that it could be responsible to all the damage as it’s on all my youngest plants now (only on a few leaves of every plant)

Strangly enough it’s not on our larger peppers plants at all o_O I will still keep my eye out for all your ideas as I’m not definitively sure of anything yet as I’ve not seen the feeding action take place. I’ll also try to wake up in the middle of the night to make a few inspections with flash light but I’m a sound sleeper, lolz.

I read that neem oil turns them off certain plants, I will probably give this a shot, what do you guys think? Can't hurt AFAIK ...

I found this link (below) that some of you might like. Scroll to the bottom of the page and pick your state to see a decent bug ID page http://www.insectide...isState=Florida

DocNrock · May 6, 2013

Been away for a few days myself so I've had some catching up to do. Things are looking great there in the tropics. Love the pod shots of the JA Habs a couple of pages back, and especially the black ladybug. Regarding the leaf shots above, I have had a few look like that, as well. I'm pretty sure it is from grasshoppers and/or crickets, at least on my end. Good luck!

WalkGood · May 6, 2013

DocNrock said:
Been away for a few days myself so I've had some catching up to do. Things are looking great there in the tropics. Love the pod shots of the JA Habs a couple of pages back, and especially the black ladybug. Regarding the leaf shots above, I have had a few look like that, as well. I'm pretty sure it is from grasshoppers and/or crickets, at least on my end. Good luck!

I think you could be onto something, crickets are quick, hard to spot and eat a night here AFAIK. Have you done anything to get rid of them?

Al-from-Chile · May 6, 2013

from your pdf ...

- Monk parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus) Native
to Argentina. These birds have formed colonies in Parrots and Parakeets in Florida 4
suburban areas on both coasts of South Florida.
Several thousand breeding pairs are now established.
Length is approximately 11.5 inches (29 cm).
Plumage is grey-green and brow, front of head,
cheeks, throat and upper breast grey with dark wavy
shading. Secondary wing feathers are blue. Monk
parakeet's nesting habits are different from most
other parrots. They will construct huge colonial nests
made of twigs with separate chambers for each
breading pair. They live in their nests all year round
and continue to add to it over the years. They nests
can become so heavy they can break tree branches

we got those here as well (if they are the same) ...

being argentine, they are most scandalous (tongue in cheek)

most people despise them, for their noise, but I actually always tell those people that i prefer the parrots noise over the noise cars make

got about 20 of them right next to my bedroom window

cheers al

WalkGood · May 6, 2013

Al very similar parrots but the ones here are mainly all green, a little red and there are other breeds too but the ones 2 doors over are the all green ones with very little color. I don’t mind the noise at all and I agree with you, much better than sounds of traffic. That said, if they get into my chilies they’re in for a world of hurt

I doubt it’s them cause they’re so big if they land on one of the chili plants they’d devastate it and probably eat up the whole thing :0

Dshlogg · May 6, 2013

Your plants are looking amazing bro. The leaf damage looks like slugs to me but I'm sure you would notice a slime trail. They love to chow down at night though. Besides that little nuisance, things look stellar!

WalkGood · May 6, 2013

Dshlogg said:
Your plants are looking amazing bro.

Thanks Daniel

Dshlogg said:
The leaf damage looks like slugs to me but I'm sure you would notice a slime trail. They love to chow down at night though. Besides that little nuisance, things look stellar!

You could be right although I haven’t seen slime trail but that doesn’t mean anything as the rains could have washed it off before daylight struck. I think the major damage was one or two nights and I’m not seeing much subsequent leaf eating. Although tonight I'll be closely inspecting thru the night, I can't afford to lose more leaves :/ Dam leaves look so good I’ve been tempted to eat a few myself

Can slugs climb up a patio table, I know that snails can as I’ve seen that and I’m always keeping a close eye out for them.

Minor update: I finally got all 3 Jamaican MoA Scotch Bonnets up-potted to their final pots and new location in da yard. Note the grass burned right down to the ground, wanted to make sure nothing sneeks up on them, hahaha. They're up on lifts to give me time to catch any snails or crawling bugs that might sneek up on dem -_-

Also up-potted the Chocolate Scorpion to her final pot, now I just have the Red and White Ghost left to do. The others (6 more JA Habs) can wait a few weeks.

Devv · May 6, 2013

Pretty plants my friend, so how are you keeping the bugs off them? Mine are getting hammered, I feel like digging them back up and potting them. Weird, they just go after the Chinense. The Annuum's are happy..

WalkGood · May 6, 2013

Devv said:
Pretty plants my friend, so how are you keeping the bugs off them? Mine are getting hammered, I feel like digging them back up and potting them. Weird, they just go after the Chinense. The Annuum's are happy..

I keep my plants either on walking stones, upsidedown milk crates or those brick things you see the MoA's on (up high off the ground). I'm also still spraying with mineral oil till that runs out (weekly or as needed) and think I'll be going neem oil next just to mix dem bugs up and keep them from getting use to it. As back up I have coffee spray bottle and soapy water solution too. That said, I found out the hard way not to use oil after coffee ... burnt the living tar out of a few leaves, lucky I didn't go nuts with either as it was only a spot spray.

Edit: before using the soapy spray now I water the plant first, allow it to soak up some and go to town on spraying, wait 15 minutes and mist off. If I don't do that I'll burn the leaves with the sun we now have. I'm also trying to keep a close eye on things as a major attack is always around the corner this time of year :/

Al-from-Chile · May 6, 2013

WalkGood said:
and think I'll be going neem oil next just to mix dem bugs up and keep them from getting use to it.

1+ for neem

I managed to fight back an @ssload of aphids with it ... its esp. good if you can do it preemptive ... I understand the neem oil gets absorbed by the plant and any sucking bug later gets a dose of it from the very plant's juices and turns infertile.

thats very much in line what i saw in my case ... unlike other pesticides that nuke the bugs right away, you only see fewer and fewer of them, as they simply cannot reproduce anymore ... iirc the life-cycle of an aphid is like 2 weeks - so if infested, you need to spray for at least 2-3 weeks ... so, no spectacular results, but long lasting ones ...

just make sure, the neem oil is warm, and disolve it in warmish-hot water with a drop of dishwashing fluid (to get an emulsion) --- I spray as hot as i can, as the minor droplets lose temperature nearly instantly.

needless to say, neem doesnt bother non-sucking bugs!

cheers
al