Caterpillars, the crop killers!

[Family Man]

Hi there! I've been lurking on here for a good many years, but have never felt the need to make an account or post anything until now. I live in Oregon, and have been growing my 4 legal plants in my backyard for as long as it has been legal. Every year, the caterpillars attack my best plant! I always grow 4 different varieties, and the little fuckers consistently infest whichever one happens to be my best plant that year. The other 3 consistently go untouched by the caterpillars... How do they know? I'm really curious, do any of you notice that your best plants seem to be favored by the caterpillars? Is it just me and my bad luck? This is my first post here, I may slap up some pictures at harvest time if I can figure it out...

 

[PDX Dopesmoker]

Spray BT (Bacillus thuringiensis) to get rid of the caterpillars. Posting pot plant pics helps too

 

[AgentPothead]

Man a year or two ago there was a ton of caterpillar problems outdoor in masschusetts. I'll see if I can dig up the thread. And I haven't had caterpillar issues but BTI is good all around. If you end up with anything with spinosad in it be careful spraying anywhere near bees are, it's highly toxic to them.

 

[Family Man]

I wasn't really looking for a solution to the problem. Mostly just curious if others have noticed that their best plants seem to be what the caterpillars consistently go for.

 

[AgentPothead]

I wasn't really looking for a solution to the problem. Mostly just curious if others have noticed that their best plants seem to be what the caterpillars consistently go for.

Now that I don't know cause, knock on wood, I haven't had the issue. Lemme tag in Zeez

 

[Zeez]

Here is what the Massachusetts cats look like.

They dig right down the stalk and kill the whole plant.

 

[AgentPothead]

not if you know how to grow

Lmao why you talking shit in an outdoor thread about caterpillars when all your pictures are in a tent? Pests hit everybody outdoor. It's part of the trade off with all the free sun and water.

 

[Zeez]

I was out there every day closely looking the plants over for cats.
Even with that I still lost several stems. Fortunately the damage was contained at that.
I think moths lay eggs on the flowers and then it's just a matter of time.

 

[calisun]

Look for Bt it's Bt-k actually for bud worms. I like to use Monterey Bt brand. Don't get Bt-i that is a different strain. Bti works great for mosquitos gnats and stuff like that. Monterey garden spray is great too. It contains spinosad and stays on the plant longer. I only use spinosad if I am a month or over out on harvest. I use Bt within a month.

 

[PDX Dopesmoker]

Here is what the Massachusetts cats look like.

They dig right down the stalk and kill the whole plant.

View Image View Image

Thats terrifying, I haven't seen ones like that here in Oregon yet. We get these voracious green caterpillars that shit all over the place and cause budrot, but at least they don't maliciously destroy the stem. What do you use to prevent your kind?

 

[Zeez]

Thats terrifying, I haven't seen ones like that here in Oregon yet. We get these voracious green caterpillars that shit all over the place and cause budrot, but at least they don't maliciously destroy the stem. What do you use to prevent your kind?

We had a ladder out there and did it the old fashioned way. I can't find the other pic, but you can see like brown sawdust in the flower where they start burrowing down. Many were nipped in the flower and we lost several stems but non made it to the stems connecting to other branches causing major damage. The year before, 4 years ago, was our first outdoor grow after being indoor growers. We got wiped out by the cats.


Two years ago we built a greenhouse with roll up sides and screens, No more cats.

 

[yardgrazer]

I didn't realize this until a few weeks ago: Apparently Spinosad isn't approved for Cannabis crops? Can't remember why exactly, some serious sounding health risk, but it's made me rethink using it moving forward. Sucks because it is quite effective. BT is still okay though.

 

[Amynamous]

I got hit pretty hard last year by loopers.
This year, i used LST to produce multiple tops and i sprayed with BT a few weeks into flower. Keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[Family Man]

Hey, OP here. Thanks for all the responses, ya'll. However, none of them get to the heart of my question, which is, do they always go for the best, most resinous and developed plant, leaving the others unmolested, like they have consistently done in my garden every year since I started growing my own? They're the little green bastards that PDX Dopesmoker referenced.

 

[PDX Dopesmoker]

If you were a caterpillar and you had your choice of any bud to shit in, why not shit in the best? It doesn't cost extra, you'd be a fool to settle for second rate.

 

[DuskrayTroubador]

I've fared alright this year with respect to caterpillars, which have fucked up my day in the past.


One thing I did was throw sunflower seeds all around to attract birds. The birds also like to eat caterpillars.

 

[Family Man]

If you were a caterpillar and you had your choice of any bud to shit in, why not shit in the best? It doesn't cost extra, you'd be a fool to settle for second rate.

Good point PDX. Perhaps I underestimated the thought processes of these little guys! Maybe they're just connoisseurs looking to catch a proper buzz...

 

[Zeez]

They are sent by the government like Lyme disease. The millennial paraquat.

 

[BOMBAYCAT]

Every couple years I am making seeds of some MMJ I like. The damn caterpillars always go to the seeded buds. They leave the other buds alone. When I don't make seed, they leave the buds alone. Do seeded buds smell better to a caterpillar?

 

[thedudefresco]

Hey, OP here. Thanks for all the responses, ya'll. However, none of them get to the heart of my question, which is, do they always go for the best, most resinous and developed plant, leaving the others unmolested, like they have consistently done in my garden every year since I started growing my own? They're the little green bastards that PDX Dopesmoker referenced.

1.) The tallest Colas are most at risk because the budworm moth prefers to pay eggs at the highest point of the plant. This is because the caterpillars hatch and utilize a silk strand to lower themselves further down the canopy. If we imagine a traditional XMAS tree plant, you will want to spray the top with BT and check it with more frequency.

2.) While it would be fitting for these dastardly caterpillars to have minds of their own, and intentionally chow your highest grade buds, I am more inclined to think they prefer dense nugs, Periodt. Imagine you are a mommy moth, or a hungry 'pillar.... the densest nugs are usually near the top of the plant...they look pretty good for laying eggs on and for munching into and away from potential predators.