Early harvest to avoid bud rot...

[Medgrows]

H i all,
I'm experiencing some bud rot, probably because if some September rains we had. Today I found two buds rotting with caterpillars in them. From the photos attached, does it look like can harvest this lovely critical bilbo? She's on 42 days flowering today. Thank you all in advance

 

[_tessarecting]

Were you using B. Thuringiensis aka thuricide to treat the caterpillars earlier on? That should have prevented this but may be too late. Cut it if you see it spread...the pic looks good enough to me but sometimes you can get away with cutting it out and letting it go depending on climate.

 

[Medgrows]

Thanks for that tessarecting. I might go with cutting as I live in a very humid place and we get the odd thunder storm in September...the rotting buds were cut off and tomorrow I'll go through all my plants properly. Thanks again

 

[_tessarecting]

It will spread in humidity. I think a little premie is better than spotted with rot.

 

[Bud Green]

I have experience with bud rot. It's caused by moths that lay eggs on your girls when you have very humid conditions..
The eggs hatch and the little 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch caterpillars munch on your buds and cause 'em to rot...Carefully snip off the rotted buds and examine the nearby buds for the little pests..
You still have a lot of clear trichs showing, some cloudy and very few amber...
Post a pic of the entire top half of your plant so I can see how much damage you have.. If not a lot of damage, I would let them ripen a little more before harvesting...
I would rather lose a few buds due to rot, than to harvest your entire plant before it is ready...

 

[Medgrows]

Thanks Bud Green Sr. I've had another look this morning and I'm feeling the same. Found another little bud with rot on it. All has been cut off but again, I'm a bit worried and really don't want to be losing a bud per day...I'm adding a photo from a few days ago as a bit tricky at the moment to get another photo due to location and people. Once again, thanks in advance for the help.

 

[sutra1]

I'm with Bud Green on this. In my worst years I've lost about 20% to rot caused/aided by caterpillars. In my opinion it's the caterpillars feces that seem to accelerate the whole mess. I know, its sad to watch whole cola's turn moldy. I would just ride it out.

I used Monterey Spinosad this years as opposed to my usual Bt. Seems really effective.....

 

[Medgrows]

Thanks Sutra. Gonna go through my girls with a fine comb tomorrow morning....

 

[Bud Green]

Carefully snip off JUST the little infected bud, not the entire top..

Then closely examine nearby parts of the same overall bud for the little caterpillars. Sometimes you find them, sometimes, I think they have already morphed into a moth and flown away to lay its own eggs elsewhere.

I think sutra is right about the feces. It looks like tiny little black beads in your buds, and I think when the morning dew on your plant gets it wet, it turns slimy and accelerates the rot process..

Otherwise, your plant looks very healthy to me for this late stage of it's growth...

 

[Medgrows]

Once again, thanks for all the expert advice. Really appreciated. I've done as you mentioned Bud Green, only infected bits were removed. Just went through the whole plant, took off a few hidden small bits and the rest is looking good. Thanks for the reassurance. She looks good to me but Good to hear from someone experienced. Now to research best ways to dry and cure....;-)

 

[_tessarecting]

You're right about the feces. You want to check for them twice a day if you can I've seen them fall off of drying plants. Wasps destroy them if you can coax them to your garden. If you don't see it spread you're good, but when it does it's done. Usually last week of September in humid climates this tends to happen.

Lots of ways to dry it depends on your facility. Inside hanging from racks or grids with a woodburning stove, or fans and a dehumidifier. Keep it out of light and the temps steady and warm. Propane burners add up. It shouldn't take longer than 5-7 days if it does something is wrong and you need to step it up. Put all the bucked down dry product in air tight bins and process bin by bin or save in an air controlled environment until April like some people do. If you're big on curing: 10 minutes twice a day open jars/bags then seal - repeat for 2 weeks. Have fun.

 

[who dat is]

Have any of you guys used Actinovate to battle mold and PM problems?

 

[Medgrows]

Thanks again tessarecting. Will apply all knowledge into practice in hopefully a week. who dat is, sorry but no from me re actinovate but I'm super new at this...

 

[dickcorn]

Look for brown holes with frass coming out of it, if you find any chances are there's at least 4-5 crawling up and down inside of that stem. They munch around inside until they hit a bud and pop out wreaking havoc. I've had good luck cutting buds with those holes on there stems and allowing others to finish. They will travel at least a foot inside stem ime. Hope this helps but you could have a different kind of catipillar problem.

 

[Kygiacomo!!!]

Have any of you guys used Actinovate to battle mold and PM problems?

hey bro i been using it on my plants and so far im mold free. idk if its the actinovate,regalia,chitosan or salicylic acid or the combo of all things used. i went hard on the preventative measures this year,prolly a little overboard but i was/am determined to beat that fkn spore

 

[Medgrows]

Hi again everyone, thanks to the advice above my plants are still growing and are looking good. I think I'm either nearing or there in regards to harvesting. I'd like to ask, once again, your expert advice. Im posting a few photos of my trichomes. Please let me know if your thoughts re this plant's readiness for harvest. Thanks

 

[DJbigbud]

if still growing pistils, i wouldnt be in a big hurry to chop them... Better too late then too early imo.

 

[who dat is]

Hi again everyone, thanks to the advice above my plants are still growing and are looking good. I think I'm either nearing or there in regards to harvesting. I'd like to ask, once again, your expert advice. Im posting a few photos of my trichomes. Please let me know if your thoughts re this plant's readiness for harvest. Thanks [URL=https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=63418&pictureid=1498237&thumb=1]View Image[/url] [URL=https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=63418&pictureid=1498236&thumb=1]View Image[/url] [URL=https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=63418&pictureid=1498235&thumb=1]View Image[/url]

Were these samples taken just from the top of the plant or all over the plant? The top colas have a tendency to mature faster than the rest of the plant. That being said I think that you are looking pretty good for a harvest date with the amount of amber trichs you have. Some are even looking like they are turning dark brown/black. Again, if the rest of the plant is showing trichomes like that then it's time to stop watering, let them get dry enough that they are starting to wilt, and chop 'em down.

 

[tech1234]

I am running a little different plan for botrytis this year, I am actually about to write a thread on it right now. I will post a link in a minute.

 

[Medgrows]

Were these samples taken just from the top of the plant or all over the plant? The top colas have a tendency to mature faster than the rest of the plant. That being said I think that you are looking pretty good for a harvest date with the amount of amber trichs you have. Some are even looking like they are turning dark brown/black. Again, if the rest of the plant is showing trichomes like that then it's time to stop watering, let them get dry enough that they are starting to wilt, and chop 'em down.

The sample was from the side of the plant but from the outer ring so fairly exposed to light etc. Will give her a couple of days and cut her down. Any advice re drying and curing? Asking as haven't got a clue. Done plenty of research but I find that asking real people, not articles, gives the best advice ;-)