It’s curious how physical incapacity can push a person into considering undesirable options.

InTheShed made me think twice (thank you) when he posted his pertinent question about is it safer to use Pyrethrum or microwave your food in plastic :oops:. I was at a pretty desperate state to even consider the pyrethrum, and I was forgetting about bees of course (it is very harmful to bees, so if you use it you have to be super careful about when, and even then...).

I also looked further into it and intersteingly some of the concerns about pyrethrins are becasue of a hormone disruptor effect, not unlike the problems with plastics - which are massively escalated when there is heat in the picture. These are the types of things that can contribute to systemic problems which develop over time, so even if I don’t see any immediate bad effects, I’ll keep them out of my zone as much as possible (i’m not completely neurotic about it tho :))

We keep our Eden organic - and organic things can be toxic too, so it’s always good to investigate.

What’s not toxic though, is manual pest management. Sure, it is time consuming and physically taxing, but when you can it’s a really important part of IPM. We havent been able to keep at it much this summer because of numerous circumstances, and drought conditions don’t help.

Yestderday I rallied some collected strength and stamina and over a couple of hours I caressed every individual leaf on the White Widow, gently squishing mites by hand. It wasn’t overrun, but there were small amounts everywhere.

There are numerous minuscule jumping spiders all over it, plus the spiders we saw during pruning, so between me and them we have things fairly contained and nicely reduced in prep for the Green Cleaner, which will arrive today I hope.

Later today I will do the same “caress” to every leaf on the raised bed plants. I go branch by branch working my way up and aiming to inspect every single leaf.
:yummy: Intimacy...:meditate:
 
It’s curious how physical incapacity can push a person into considering undesirable options.

InTheShed made me think twice (thank you) when he posted his pertinent question about is it safer to use Pyrethrum or microwave your food in plastic :oops:. I was at a pretty desperate state to even consider the pyrethrum, and I was forgetting about bees of course (it is very harmful to bees, so if you use it you have to be super careful about when, and even then...).

I also looked further into it and intersteingly some of the concerns about pyrethrins are becasue of a hormone disruptor effect, not unlike the problems with plastics - which are massively escalated when there is heat in the picture. These are the types of things that can contribute to systemic problems which develop over time, so even if I don’t see any immediate bad effects, I’ll keep them out of my zone as much as possible (i’m not completely neurotic about it tho :))

We keep our Eden organic - and organic things can be toxic too, so it’s always good to investigate.

What’s not toxic though, is manual pest management. Sure, it is time consuming and physically taxing, but when you can it’s a really important part of IPM. We havent been able to keep at it much this summer because of numerous circumstances, and drought conditions don’t help.

Yestderday I rallied some collected strength and stamina and over a couple of hours I caressed every individual leaf on the White Widow, gently squishing mites by hand. It wasn’t overrun, but there were small amounts everywhere.

There are numerous minuscule jumping spiders all over it, plus the spiders we saw during pruning, so between me and them we have things fairly contained and nicely reduced in prep for the Green Cleaner, which will arrive today I hope.

Later today I will do the same “caress” to every leaf on the raised bed plants. I go branch by branch working my way up and aiming to inspect every single leaf.
:yummy: Intimacy...:meditate:
Kudos to you for your IPM approach.

I've had found that hitting infested plants with water under high pressure helps keep mites in check. It won't eradicate 'em, but it does help. If you give a shot, it does require hitting the undersides of the plants & leaves & doing so daily. The plants are tough, they can take it.

I'm not the only one to use the approach--I got onto it per advice of another local longtime grower & since then I've found that several other local, very good growers use the same approach, combined with a "do no harm" to predators strategy.

But that's in W. Oregon & I've got no idea if it works on the mites where you are, which could be different.

Best to you & your grow efforts!
 
Best to you & your grow efforts!
Thanks halped! I appreciate the encouragement:Namaste:

It’s great to have you in the garden too! :welcome: to my own private Eden!

And yes! The feisty hose approach works here too :thumb: I had it in mind but hadn’t been able to wrangle the pump hose into the garden to do it! All my garden hoses are gravity fed.

I’ve done the first round of green cleaner and there are lots of dead mites :) - once the green cleaner cycle is done (3 applications at diminishing strengths) I will hopefully be able to get someone to run a long hose for me from a pump connected tap I can get to. Then I will employ that powerful hose method for the rest of the grow, if I see them.
:hmmmm: Mind if I procrastinate over here? :ciao:I've got a bong and I 'm not afraid to use it -:bongrip: Hiding out, burnt out from doing.:Namaste:
Most happy if you do, dynamo my friend ... :love:

What’s in your pipe? I’ve been blue dreaming today ;)
::hookah:
 
That sounds nice :D

Are you blending in the pipe? ... or blending in the brain and body ?

Critical northern lights has potential to be very nice indeed...
:thumb:Bonging one then the other, the Critical Northern was very amber and I was going for a sleep med and ran it a long time. I'm still looking for "the" one.:rofl: but It still gets me high.:theband: :woohoo: Water system is fixed.:meditate::Namaste:
 
"Bred from complex parallels to combine allot of genetic material from proven male lines of outstanding pedigree since the 70s. This limited seed line has secrets in it if nurtured well and selected with all one`s senses. There are very practical indoor plants to be found and old school aromas waiting to be freed into life."

Info on "The Cure"

:Namaste:
 
Update: State of The Garden

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I’m coming up to that 2 week period since the first conversation about the Cationic Drench for the raised bed. To catch some folks up, Cationic Drench is given (twice in a row) during a particular bud development window and can trigger massive resin production (it effects the soil balance so as to stimulate reproductive growth). In a rasied bed, all plants have to be ready for it together.

These two plants ended up starting flower much further apart than ideal so timing the Cat Drench is tricky - it’s even possible I may have to skip it if the windows don’t cross-over.

I will post this in the Cat Drench timing thread as well to get the input of the wider DBHBB crew.

I think the Critical Mass (day 118+36) is nearing the end of the Cat Drench window. It’s been exploding the last 4-5 days building buds... It’s at 5weeks of flowering and I figure I’ve got till the end of this week before it starts to get too late. It’s a 6-8 week strain that will go 8 weeks easy here I think (there isn’t full sun all day so things go a little slower). That leaves plenty of time after this week to get some more Growth Ionic Drench in.

These pics are all yesterday at different times of day - I was out there so early for the Brix spray that the flash went off for a few and lit up it’s colas beautifully.



Then we got to the early light atmos...




And then later in the day, harsh sun, with the iPhone




:ganjamon:

Candida CD-1 (day 116+22) is looking very beautiful at the moment :love: but is barely entering the Cat window - I’d say definitely not there ye, even for an early one.







:yummy:

So it’s a slightly nail biting week ahead, of hoping the CD-1 gets a wriggle on before things become too late for the Critical Mass :nervous-guy: :laughtwo:

Worst that can happen is that I don’t give the Cat Drench at all - which isn’t the end of the world. But wow I’d love to see what the CM would do, it’s looking so nice and frosty already.

Any input from the other DBHBBers about how early I could get away with Cat Drenching the Candida would be great. Also whether I’m right that I still have time to get it in for the CM.

:passitleft:


Also on the state of the garden, the Green Cleaner is being employed successfully. I’ll report back about that in a week or so.

I spent some time staking and opening out the White Widow yesterday. I’ll update that in a seperate post.

:Namaste:
 
Update: White Widow - Day 116 (+27)

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This one is just rolling along - taking me along for the ride!

Yesterday I shoved bamboo stakes down the side of the pot and pulled the branches out a little bit here n there - opening up the bushiness to let more light in.



There is such a busy eco system that exists on plants. This one is it’s own universe! With all the little critters I’ve photographed on it over recent weeks i have imaginings of all sorts of interactions between them all. I wonder if the spiders from last week were gettin on with this unwanted grazer...



One morning, I found this amazing looking bug on it. I need to update my Predator thread so i’ll post more pics there and hopefullly get to identifying it. It is maybe a kind of kissing bug. It looks like a predator - it actually looks likt it would be great at grazing on mite eggs, I hope that’s what it’s doing. I didn’t manage to make out what it was doing but it seem to be hoovering something up... :D



Meanwhile - flowers grow...



Speaking of flowers. I mentioned the other day that some of the white stuff decorating the plants like confetti is Eucalyptus blossom petals. Eucalyptus is the tallest flowering tree in the world. These particular ones here aren’t the tallest in the world, but they’re pretty tall. I may have said already that I’m hearing the beautiful hum of bees form way up high whenever I’m in the garden. Way up high...

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Meantime, down at ground level, I pass by this rock between the deck and the garden every day. I’m often greeted by one of these lizards who live in a small family group somewhere under our house! It’s taken more than a year for them to get comfortable enough that they don’t skoot off as soon and in the last few days, I’ve managed to capture a few shots. They are surely keeping the large-spider population down, which makes them critter of the week worthy in any book! :love:

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Happy green gardens to all - thanks for stopping by :Namaste:
 
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