A Low Budget Micro TLA Grow - With Added LED - Two Cream Caramel Photo Period

[ajagunle]

Looks great Aja!

So do you brew cider as well? I like cider quite a bit. I'd love to learn how to make my own. That stuff is spendy!

Hi Meds, I don’t often make cider, I haven’t got good storage equipment and it doesn’t keep in a plastic barrel for very long and I am too old to be under the pressure of racing to consume 5 gallons, but it is easy enough, pm me if you would like some basic instructions!

 

[ajagunle]

Apologies for my prolonged absence, I found myself off the Internet unintentionally!

This has been my steepest learning curve so far!

I started to notice parts of leaves that were browning,

turning completely dry and crisp, I thought it may be light reflected from the Mylar surrounding the garden creating hot spots so I lowered the LEDs to prevent light falling on the Mylar and moved a fan from blowing on the radiator to blowing over the canopy, the heat build-up unintentionally dried a couple of Tops!

The Brown continued to spread so I looked in closer detail only to realise the Girls were riddled with Thrips, something I had assumed I had eradicated with heavy defoliation and frequent bedtime drenchings of Thrips Killer. As I had seen no further Thrips on the wing I was confident I had got rid of them, only to find that the flying stage is an optional part of their life cycle! They suck the juice out of the leaves completely, I removed as much infected parts as I could reach, including one or two small budlets and restarted drenching at sun down. I could feel a grainy or sandy texture to the leaves, possibly dried empty Thrips egg shells? I shall give the whole area a good steam with a wall-paper stripper before the next run! I suspended a CFL bulb over the garden so I can inspect with the LED switched off.

the tertiary growing tips that were at screen height at flip are still at screen height, in the ‘Thrips Zone’ as you can just see,

Only primary and secondary to fill the screen next time, better get busy topping! Some grow Tips have developed relatively unscathed and are beginning to thicken.

If the plant was standing up instead of being held on its side it would be about the same height as the main buds, so some stems have just about doubled during stretch.

 

[toker69]

Sorry to hear that! Damn that sucks.

 

[B A R]

Ah AJ those dag gone critters... DEATH TO ALL THRIPS!

 

[CannabisMeds]

Sorry AJ, I hope you got them all and can salvage!

 

[ajagunle]

Sorry to hear that! Damn that sucks.

Ah AJ those dag gone critters... DEATH TO ALL THRIPS!

Sorry AJ, I hope you got them all and can salvage!

Thank you all Folks, a successful grow as far as learning is concerned, I wish I was one of the Wise One’s (or Lazy?) who could learn from others mistakes!

I have taken some photos with the LED off (as I am sure someone helpfully suggested and then the comment wasn’t there?) and you can see there will be something croppable! You can also see how improperly prepared I was for flowering, great big holes in the canopy.

Underlines the value of a journal, being off line prevented a reader diagnosing a problem from afar, like Vick originally spotting the Bastards that are Thrips!

 

[KingJohnC]

I have used Monterey Garden Insect Spray with Spinosad and Monterey All Natural 3 in 1 Garden Insect Spray to kill spider mites and thrips. I add 3-5 drops per gallon of Ivory Liquid Soap as a surfactant to help the spray stick to leaves and stems better. I spray every 3 days alternating the 2 Monterey products for 2 weeks to kill adults and larvae as they hatch. Sierra Natural Sciences also makes 2 products to kill spider mites and thrips SNS-217C Concentrate and SNS-209 Systemic Insect Control.


https://ozbo.com Monterey Garden Insect Spray

https://ozbo.com All Natural 3 in 1 Garden Insect Spray

https://sierranaturalscience.com natural pesticides sns-217c

https://sierranaturalscience.com natural pesticides sns-209


here are 2 photographs of thrips

here are the different stages of a thrips development

 

[ajagunle]

Thanks King John! Do you know if you can add SNS 209 to a hydro reservoir? If it is designed as a root drench and is harmless to plants so I might risk it! I shall spray with a rosemary oil foliar spray every 3rd day. Talking to the Old School Veg gardeners in the village it appears that keeping them under control is the best I can hope for, eradication is not really possible once they have taken control, it is proving to be a painful lesson!

Thanks again for the Help Desk

 

[KingJohnC]

I believe that SNS-209 can be used in hydroponics, you can consult Sierra Natural Sciences to ask.

https://sierranaturalscience.com contact us

 

[ajagunle]

I believe that SNS-209 can be used in hydroponics, you can consult Sierra Natural Sciences to ask.

https://sierranaturalscience.com contact us

Thank you King John, I had a response from SNS today and I have ordered to add to the reservoir, from now on. From what I have read preventing them establishing in the first place is the only fail-safe so I will make it inedible to them!

Thanks again KJC!

 

[ajagunle]

The Cream Caramel Girls are fighting back, day 44 of flowering and there is some thickening.

I have been spraying every sunset with a Foliar containing Rosemary Oil and new growth is looking unaffected, I will continue to spray and add SNS 209 to the tank as soon as it arrives!

I replaced the CO2 generator with another Apple fermentation, I need to fit 2 demijohns in for future grows to stop the extreme peak and trough in CO2 supply.

 

[ajagunle]

I have searched on the Internet for something that will Kill the Thrips, I have failed so far, the SNS 209, which I have read is very 'successful', makes the treated plant very distasteful to the bugs and it says ‘they will move away to another plant’.

If the only plants in the Grow room are MJ plants where are they going to move to?

I shall get a flat leaf Parsley plant from the Green Grocer’s and put in the grow room as a Sacrificial Offering, when /if infested I shall destroy in the Woodburner and replace.

As there are no Thrips on the wing, I am unsure how they will migrate to the Parsley, maybe brush the MJ with the parsley?

 

[VictorVonDoom]

you can get predators that will eat them but leave your plants alone, her's a link pal

Most Effective Thrips Controls:


THRIPS PREDATOR MITES FACT SHEET & Release Instructions

 

[slogro]

Subbed Great looking grow

 

[ajagunle]

you can get predators that will eat them but leave your plants alone, her's a link pal

Most Effective Thrips Controls:


THRIPS PREDATOR MITES FACT SHEET & Release Instructions

Thanks Victor, I like this idea a lot! I spoke to a supplier and they are available in February so I ordered some and they will be here next Tuesday! Nature has a way of dealing with things where Man has failed.

I will also place 3 Rosemary plants in the room through which they might have gained access!

 

[ajagunle]

Subbed Great looking grow

&

 

[CannabisMeds]

Ok, so if you add these predator mites, then how do you get rid of them later? Wouldn't they still be a problem to have?

 

[ajagunle]

Ok, so if you add these predator mites, then how do you get rid of them later? Wouldn't they still be a problem to have?

A good point CannabisMeds, my thoughts were ‘to give myself as much chance of bringing this sadly depleted harvest home as I can’, SNS209, Rosemary Foliar Spray, Sacrificial Anode, Defoliation and a Predator, then steam clean the grow room to sterilise the area, I have some changes to carry out when the grow room is empty at which time I will also clean with diluted bleach. This will hopefully kill any surviving Thrips and their Eggs/Larvae and the predator mites.

The next round of plants will be fed SNS209 before going in the grow room and the whole time they are there, along with foliar spray!

My understanding of Amblyseius cucumeris is that they will ‘consume pollen’ when they have finished the extensive banquet of Thrips, I only have females in my grow room so I am ‘assuming’ this will not be an issue?

If you see another possible scenario I am letting myself in for, please speak out and don’t spare my blushes! Please!

 

[BigIrishDoode]

damn bugs!! i have had much luck in only getting spider mites twice briefly, neem oil extract did the trick, and i always use sns drench so my girls are not viewed as food to passerby scouts, neem is effective for many critters, good luck you'll get them theres also those hot shot no pest strips that use vapor i have not seen a bug since starting hi-brix methods another way plants are unappealing to the little teeth

 

[VictorVonDoom]

Ok, so if you add these predator mites, then how do you get rid of them later? Wouldn't they still be a problem to have?

Hey, predators are natures solution to problem pests. It would have been very silly of me to suggest it, if it means you keep having to get predators to kill the last predators.

They are not a problem to your grow during or afterwards. They will leave or die when their food source is gone chap. Have a look online, they explain a lot.

The type I think I put in your link ajagunle will eat the the pests above and below the growing medium