deluxestogie Grow Log 2014

[Knucklehead]

I have been spraying Spinosad as rain permitted, but my leaf has continued to be chewed on. I finally saw some hoppers today and put out some garden safe Bug B Gone around the perimeter of the patch in the grass. I hope this does the trick, they have completely eaten the lamina away from two or three leaves, leaving only the stems and veins. I searched for worms every day and didn't find a single one. I think it has been hoppers the whole time. They can surely do some damage.

 

[deluxestogie]

Pest Fest 1 -- Addendum A: What to do before the baby comes

Hornworm eggs are a bright, pearlescent green.

You can never find just one hornworm egg. Look for the ones you missed.

Extensive research indicates that a hornworm egg is the size of Lincoln's chin.

A hornworm egg is easy to remove from the leaf surface, but you have to then scramble the egg. (Don't do it on the leaf.) I have difficulty popping one between my thumb and index finger. I place it on a small, flat pebble, and pop it with another small stone.

Today, I found about 20 hornworm eggs and a half-dozen tiny hornworms.

Hornworms appear in waves that last about a week, and recur every 3 or 4 weeks, typically 3 waves per summer.

Bob

 

[JessicaNicot]

do you get any june bug chewing? they always show up here this time of year for a little bit, chew some ugly scraggly holes for a couple weeks, and then theyre gone later in the season.

 

[deluxestogie]

June bugs, not much. Maybe they account for some of the mystery damage to small transplants.

But there is always an invasion of Japanese beetles every summer. They are finicky. They prefer my bramble leaves and grape leaves, leaving the leaves skeletonized. I don't recall any Japanese beetle damage to tobacco.

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

After spending most of the day weeding, and murdering newborn hornworms and eggs, the garden looks serene. I tossed all of my remaining starts, removing any temptation to tuck a few extras here and there. So there are one fewer items on the daily check list.

Bob

 

[leverhead]

Pretty garden and evening!

 

[Knucklehead]

Wascally Wabbit!

 

[JessicaNicot]

June bugs, not much. Maybe they account for some of the mystery damage to small transplants.

But there is always an invasion of Japanese beetles every summer. They are finicky. They prefer my bramble leaves and grape leaves, leaving the leaves skeletonized. I don't recall any Japanese beetle damage to tobacco.

Bob

I meant to say Japanese beetles instead of june bugs. they do chew on some of our tobacco. this year there are two strains they seemed to especially enjoy, but there is scattered damage all thru the field. I even flicked one today that had burrowed into the base of a flower.

 

[Chris A]

Bob, you are truly a "Gentleman Planter". All the notes remind me of what George Washington did at Mt. Vernon. What is the green space on the other side of your home? Farm field? Grassy knoll? Just curious. Love your garden patches.

 

[deluxestogie]

George Washington was possibly the wealthiest individual in America. An honest man, but filthy rich. I'm just a retiree with a backache.

To my east is a 2 acre pasture used to grow hay. To my south is a 50 acre hay field. To my north (across the road) is a 100 acre pasture actually used for grazing cattle. To my west is a neighbor with goats. It's what this part of Virginia looks like before the bulldozers and cement arrive.

I'm the broken down farmhouse in between all of that, and quite happy with the surroundings. But the McMansions are creeping closer.

Bob

 

[Knucklehead]

I meant to say Japanese beetles instead of june bugs. they do chew on some of our tobacco. this year there are two strains they seemed to especially enjoy, but there is scattered damage all thru the field. I even flicked one today that had burrowed into the base of a flower.

Plant some roses near by. I had about 50 Japanese beetles on one of my rose bushes that are growing in pots alongside of my "pet" tobacco plants also in buckets. Not one beetle on the tobacco but the roses were covered with them before I sprayed them.

 

[deluxestogie]

In past years, I would buy a Japanese beetle trap (a fragrant lure with a catch bag beneath). These are supposed to be placed at least 30 feet down wind of what you want to protect. The traps catch bunches of Japanese beetles, but my impression is that the traps just attract additional Japanese beetles that otherwise wouldn't come. What I've found to be more effective is to go out to my blackberries in the evening, grab a handful of beetles at a time (from the leaves), toss them firmly to the grass, then smear them beneath my boot.

If you stand beside a plant that has dozens of Japanese beetles on the leaves, you can actually smell their floral pheromone.

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

Pest Fest 2: early budworm damage

Budworms are notorious for poking a BB size hole into tobacco seed pods, and consuming all the seed. If they arrive before the seed pods have developed, they just munch little holes in the tiny leaves at the top of the plant. One itsy bitsy budworm can eat many small holes into multiple top leaves.

If you see this pattern of damage to top leaves, then closely inspect the growth tip.

Initially, the worms are nearly transparent, and about the size of a grain of rice. Keep looking until you find it. As they grow larger, their poop appears as a dusting of ground black pepper.

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

What a beautiful plant. This is one of the Swarr-Hibshman (cigar filler) varieties, of 3 that I'm comparing. This particular one is from the Nicotiana Project seed donation.

The coin is a quarter.

Bob

 

[Mad Oshea]

That Sir is one nice plant, Great job and thanks for the great pic. Mad-

 

[SmokeStack]

deluxestogie said:

"Pest Fest 2: early budworm damage

Budworms are notorious for poking a BB size hole into tobacco seed pods, and consuming all the seed. If they arrive before the seed pods have developed, they just munch little holes in the tiny leaves at the top of the plant. One itsy bitsy budworm can eat many small holes into multiple top leaves."

This 2014 is my third growing season. In the first growing season (2012), I had no insect problems. Last year's (2013) season, I saw some insect bites, but it was nothing to worry about. This year, my young plants are under attack. Is this a pattern (such that more insects are beginning to develop a liking to tobacco), or is it just an anomaly (the mosquito population this year is extremely high in Michigan due to the high amount of water)?

Also, to what does Swarr-Hibshman refer? You mentioned you are growing one of the varieties. BTW, your plants look immaculate.

 

[deluxestogie]

Pest Fest 2: Special Supplement

While sitting on my front porch this afternoon, I noticed a sparse cloud of what appeared to be bits of floating, white paper ash drifting toward the house. As the "ash" flakes neared the porch, two of them steered toward my tomato plants (at the corner of the porch), and landed on them.

I got up and looked at the tiny things. They were fluffy, white bugs. Their wings were sleek and transparent, like those of a flying ant, but their thorax and abdomen were surrounded by a fluffy, white down-like material.

After a tedious web search, I was able to identify them as the winged female stage of the Wooly Aphid. They live a wingless life on trees and shrubs for a year or two, then, in mid-summer, produce a winged female generation that floats off to lay eggs (for another wingless generation) on succulent plants.

I found it difficult to photograph them, since their fluff confused the camera's focus algorithm. But the three shots below were able to focus on distince, dark body parts.

They are also known as fairy flies. I killed them after the photo shoot.

Bob

 

[Mad Oshea]

How did You kill them little s*ts? Good thing You seen them coming!

 

[deluxestogie]

This 2014 is my third growing season. In the first growing season (2012), I had no insect problems. Last year's (2013) season, I saw some insect bites, but it was nothing to worry about. This year, my young plants are under attack. Is this a pattern (such that more insects are beginning to develop a liking to tobacco), or is it just an anomaly (the mosquito population this year is extremely high in Michigan due to the high amount of water)?

Also, to what does Swarr-Hibshman refer? You mentioned you are growing one of the varieties.

We tend to plant tobacco as a mono-culture. Many tobacco pests over-winter in the soil. The longer tobacco is grown in one general location, the greater the risk from all sorts of pests. Also, seasonal climate variations affect the populations of insects that peak at specific points of the growing season.

Swarr is a cigar filler. I suppose it was developed by a tobacco grower named Swarr. GRIN holds a single accession of Swarr. Swarr-Hibshman was apparently developed from Swarr. GRIN has 3 Swarr-Hibshman accessions: "Swarr-Hibshman", "PA Swarr-Hibshman" and "MS PA Swarr-Hibshman". I am growing out "Swarr-Hibshman" and "PA Swarr-Hibshman" from GRIN, as well as "PA Swarr-Hibshman" from the Nicotiana Project seed donation (don't know for sure what its original GRIN accession number is). When my Swarr-Hibshman study is completed, all evidence will be burned.

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

How did You kill them little s*ts? Good thing You seen them coming!

I always keep a loaded weapon nearby. I called out a warning, and repeated it twice, then fired.

They squish easily.

Bob