First Time Post: Long Time Grower

[Wally Dee]

I grew 4 big indica plants this summer. However, in August I noticed that the crowns of all the plant were turning yellow and dying off. I thought it was a lack of nutrients, but during harvest I discovered the the real problem. All of my plants had some type of burrowing bug in the centre of the trunk/stem (they were big 6" diameter stems). It seemed like the bug may have burrowed into the stalk right where a stem branched off. I've been googling and can't seem to find what type of bug it is. It seemed like it was a beetle or something like that.

Ideally, what I want to do is figure out how to avoid this problem next year. Any ideas what bug it was and what I can do?

Thanks

Wally

 

[Wally Dee]

i should point out that I'm growing outdoors in Southern Ontario Canada

 

[Wally Dee]

I see that someone had a similar problem - stink bug?

 

[Zembretti]

Hey Wally Dee good to hear from you in Ontario, I'm in the interior of British Columbia and this year I had 6 female plants harvested except one, a real landrace Reunion Island Mago Karot, reputed to be the most psychedelic of all sativas. It will be chopped in two days. It was grown outside until the middle of October then I brought it in to sit in front of a South facing sunny window for two more months to ripen. Admittedly it is a labour of love to grow tropical sativas in Canada, but it can be done. This is my third year and the results are worth waiting for. I pollinated one small branch in October (the father was a male Zamaldelica) and now I have about a dozen more seeds for next year.

Getting around to your question I've had stink bugs in the past but they never really bothered the plants much so I'm wondering if it was another species that did the damage. Maybe we are mixing up stink bugs and spit bugs, I definitely have spit bugs that live in a frothing, foamy of saliva they secret and live inside for protection. Using a magnifying glass I've also noticed extremely tiny bugs smaller than an aphid living in the budding sites, hard to say which type of bud is doing the damage. Here is a pic of my last plant.

 

[Wally Dee]

I didn't see any frothy substance at the nodes. But whatever type of bug it was, it burrowed its way into the stem of the plant. I'm just looking for some ideas on how I might be able to prevent that from happening next year. I saw some suggestions about using Neem oil and a medical bandage at the node sites. That sounds like it might help. Anyone have any other ideas? Maybe something at the base of the plant to keep bugs from crawling up the stem? Any ideas would be welcome.

 

[Pat Puffer]

Some people use tanglefoot? I believe it to be a sticky substance smeared around tge base of your plant's trunk. Another material of interest could also be petroleum jelly...vaseline. Insects have trouble walking over this stuff. i used vaseline this last year's outdoor season and it cut down on my Scale Insects (gross). It wasn't 100% but i probably could have kept applying. It got bushy and difficult to get to towards the end. Just a thought.

There are burrowing beetles and worms that like to seek refuge in our stalks. Neem works on critters chewing on our leaves. I am not positive about its efficacy at mitigating stalk chewing critters.

 

[Wally Dee]

Thanks PP. I'll try some of these ideas next year. I hear ya about getting into the node areas as the summer goes on. It gets difficult to get into a bushy plant and to the nodes when the plant is flourishing.

I'm guessing vaseline does not have negative impacts on the plants?

 

[Pat Puffer]

Nah. I smeared the heck out of my 2 plants in a huge planter that gets scale insects. My grow last year was infested. This year, ehh...1 plant had zero and the other some. It was better. I also applied at a couple of broken branches. Huge open wound and i filled it up with vaseline and no ill effects. I was scared the plant would wick up bad stuff or something. Its viscous and thick. That stuff wont flow in to the xylem & phloem of the plant...i guess. No pictures just pure assumption, as it worked for me. Again, not 100% and doesnt address the potential of a flying insect (moth or butterfly) that could have laid an egg or 25 and had larvae intrude your stalks.
Neem Oil is great. I use cold pressed and mix at 1 tsp oil / 1 lt water + drops of plant based soap. Spraying your plants with Neem keeps a coating on your plants flying insects find unsavory. Their tastebuds are in their feet. So when they land on your plants they taste the...azadarachin?...in Neem. It tastes bad, so they skee daddle and rattle.
Neither of these methods are 100%. Staying organic outdoors is tough business, but best for the environment.

 

[Stoneface Jack]

I know this is an older post, but since we're all gearing up for the outdoor season I thought I might chime in.
I don't know what type of insect it would be, but diatomaceous earth can be sprinkled on the soil around your plants to discourage the earthbound pests, and it is organic. That plus the vaseline on the stems should give you another line of defence.

Just a gripe, butI wish there was an option to use English spelling for the spell check here.

 

[Deketx]

You might have had corn borers . They like to burrow into the stalks and I guess everything above it dies.

 

[HydroponicFireman]

If you have correctly identified a bug problem then check my sig for Linda Chalkers-Scott notes and I bet theres something in there for ya. I would say from what I know is that sick plants get infested. You need to be aware of the plants health, things like enough silica (to build strong cell walls), the correct bacteria in the soil (for proper uptake), not over-fertilizing (common mistake) or over-watering (root rot which encourages pests) and over- or under-nutriating (encourages pests)

 

[SparkNShred]

...real landrace Reunion Island Mago Karot, reputed to be the most psychedelic of all sativas.

A man after my own heart. I read that that stuff is sometimes left to ripen for two years, on Reunion. So cool that you would try a landrace like that.

 

[Zembretti]

A man after my own heart. I read that that stuff is sometimes left to ripen for two years, on Reunion. So cool that you would try a landrace like that.

Thanks SparkNShred, I appreciate like minds.It really turned out to be excellent pot. The clearest cannabis I've ever had, and as I mentioned somewhere before it is like a pharmaceutical grade upper. French touch seeds sells the seeds, and 2 other Reunion Island strains. It takes time to grow it, and it is not super powerful but it sure was great for me.

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[SparkNShred]

Thanks SparkNShred, I appreciate like minds.It really turned out to be excellent pot. The clearest cannabis I've ever had, and as I mentioned somewhere before it is like a pharmaceutical grade upper. French touch seeds sells the seeds, and 2 other Reunion Island strains. It takes time to grow it, and it is not super powerful but it sure was great for me.

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Oh baby, that sounds great! Hat's off for your choice of a legendary strain, and for the patience to finish it. I so miss the tropical sativas of the good old days. Sigh...

 

[Zembretti]

A man after my own heart. I read that that stuff is sometimes left to ripen for two years, on Reunion. So cool that you would try a landrace like that.

Hey SparkNShred, today I finally transplanted this year's seedlings outdoors. I have six plants this year, four growing in the garden and two growing in pots. The reason two are in pots is because they will need more time this fall to mature and I will bring them in to sit in front of a sunny south facing window. I've done this three times before and the results were good. I expect the garden plants to get huge.

Last year one plant I grew in my garden a Beanhoarder cross of the real (not the Dutch version) Durban Poison, an unadulterated sativa from South Africa, and Big Freeze, a gigantic fast maturing indica developed in Quebec. The plant reached nine feet in height and yielded a pound of buds. So this year I'm expecting large outdoor grown plants. My plants are Bangi Haze (Fem), Powerplant, (Fem), Nepal Jam (Fem), and my own cross of the Beanhoarder DPxBF X my own Zamaldelica (Regular seed). The plants in pots are New Caledonia (Regular seed) from the South Pacific, and Purple Satellite (Regular seed). I will post more pics as the season continues.

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[SparkNShred]

Power to you, Z-Man! I have some seeds of the Dutch version, but live in too far north to try them. Plus my wife might...uhhh...object, shall we say, to a twelve foot ganja plant in the sun room. I am trying the auto Durban this season. We'll see how that goes.
Keep growing the pure stuff! Ain't nuthin' like the real thing!

 

[Zembretti]

Power to you, Z-Man! I have some seeds of the Dutch version, but live in too far north to try them. Plus my wife might...uhhh...object, shall we say, to a twelve foot ganja plant in the sun room. I am trying the auto Durban this season. We'll see how that goes.
Keep growing the pure stuff! Ain't nuthin' like the real thing!

Hey Sparkie I hear you about your wife objecting. My wife and I have to do some negotiating each fall when I bring plants indoors. The room with the best window is in her study.