Oh the dreams of a new Grower, all the research, buying stuff within your budget, overly monthering the plants, for a Flawless grow with a great harvest. You Always get a suprizes and the curve balls is what make you a better grower, hands on education is the best in my book.
Well here is were i get to practice lessions learned, some of you mofos been getting thrips and I think you decided to send them my way, ugh. Very sad yesterday to find thrip damage as I was going to flip the lights. it is only visible in the photoperiod room as of now and I think I have caught it quick, from my experience I'm looking at 14 to 21 days they've been in there. I will cover my eradication strategy below but for now lets talk Autos.
Temperature and humidity in both rooms have been 69f /75f, 45%rh day and night no matter the temperatures outside and its going to be 23f tonight. I have one oil heater in each room running on low at half setting, lights are on 24/7 and dim down to 50% in one room and 80% in the other. I couldnt ask for a better environment so the new fan did the trick.
According to my Infinity controllers that is, but the humidity monitor on The Growers Choice does not Jive with two other units and I am concerned about which one is right, the infinity controller and my $20 portable one for the most part match, the Master controller is 15% diffent with the probes hanging side by side.
All the autos are at different stages of flower, two have the buds fattening up and look impressive, one has stop stretching or maybe it got the hint from the super cropping, lol. Shes developing nicely just a little slower, and one is just setting buddies. Still need to remove leafs on the plant that are in early bud development but going to wait just a bit longer giving them a chance to form. I do have a litte light burn, I have let a coulpe of the plants grow within 3" right under the diode bar, Im surprised at how close they can get.
Water every two day 1.25 gal when pots are light when lifted. Three feeds and then a sladgehammer flush.
I got Thrips last year and it was about this time of year(make sense! I have a warm comfortable environment when it's getting cold outside)that I started questioning weird growth and findings but not a bug to be found until January. I just let it go to early last year and by the time i had conformation it was to late, with a Perpetual grow and not sparying flowering plants there is no point in treating the problem only managing it.
This time Im hoping thing turn out better as I dont want to re-live the nightmare of ugly plant all season again, you will get to harvest with thrips just not the best it could have been. I have found one spot on three leaves on one plant only, its a salt looking, dried up saliva looking deal that is from the thrips sucking chlorophyll from the leaf.
steps:
1) cut the photoperiod plants back, Less places to hide and easier to treat most effectively, drop the temperature to slow the bug down. Autos just get lady bugs right now.
2) blue sticky traps to excess in photo room.
3) after a 24hr recovery from the butchering I started spraying the photos today with spinosad and will continue at every two days to four day for the next 14 days
4) release ladybugs in the photo room after spinosad application have ceased.
5) treat auto room and mother plans after auto harvest.
Thrips first appeared on the Grape Ape so most likely will dispose of the Clones, Showing me bugs like it over others plant I have.
Really sad I had to cut my plants back I was ready to flower some nice looking, health plants, I spent four hours trimming my plants meticulously looking at how I was going to train them after this. In the end all grows have problems some are larger than others and this is just a setback for me that is better to deal with now then later. remember folks it's not winning the race, it's finishing it strong.
till next week.
