This is a New One on Me - Defoliation

[Shapshftr]

Mine are/were that pale green with a red horn. So that makes them tobacco hornworms, according to that webpage I posted. I was stunned to find them since I was checking my plants almost daily and saw nothing, no sign of worms or defoliation. Then one morning, BAM! I picked at least a dozen off of each plant. Then I sprayed heavily with BT. Next day I found some dead ones hanging off of leaves and laying on the ground below. But I also found a huge 3 inch one on a leaf underside. BT is very effective but has to be used regularly due to their continuing life cycle. Chickens would love them! Too bad I don't have any, YET!

[gorbelly]

Originally Posted by Shapshftr

I picked at least a dozen off of each plant.

Wow. They're not that big of a problem for me. I never find more than 1 per plant, and usually only on a couple plants.

Originally Posted by Shapshftr

Then I sprayed heavily with BT. Next day I found some dead ones hanging off of leaves and laying on the ground below. But I also found a huge 3 inch one on a leaf underside. BT is very effective but has to be used regularly due to their continuing life cycle. Chickens would love them! Too bad I don't have any, YET!

I've heard that Bt doesn't work on them unless they're still young. Once they get big, it's much less effective. Of course, once they get big, we can see them more easily and just pick them off. I would bet that their resistance to Bt differs by location, though.

[My Foot Smells]

Originally Posted by greenthumbomaha

It really strange how a hornworm found its way to that particular plant - Its in a row of 8 bucket containers surrounded by sand and facing a lake. Not much vegetation around that spot except cattails in the lake. Across the road I have my raised beds with weedy fields filled with insects behind. I checked for hornworms there and nothing, yet.

- Lisa

The sphinx moth lays the eggs sometimes in the strangest places. Maybe "she" didn't get around to more plants because a bat ate her. The 'pillar needs a bridge to keep on munching other vegetation. Maybe why the pepper got assaulted. Kind of like when you are hungry for a hamburger, but there is a hot dog in front of you - it will do.

[Ricky Shaw]

Hate me, but since the container makeover.

[b54red]

If they are too much of a problem you can spray with Sevin and wipe them out overnight; but you might have a few days wait to harvest. BT is good as long as they aren't overwhelming you and you don't need an immediate end to them. I had to use it once this year and it ended my problem by the next morning. The few that have come back have been handled well by BT.

Bill

[PureHarvest]

I am seeing grasshoppers and other beetles defoliate entire tree and shrub seedlings in a wildlife planting I did back in May. Nothing left but leaf petioles.

[gorbelly]

Originally Posted by PureHarvest

I am seeing grasshoppers and other beetles defoliate entire tree and shrub seedlings in a wildlife planting I did back in May. Nothing left but leaf petioles.

Grasshoppers can do a number on vegetation. Lots of things like to eat them, but not all ecosystems are in balance. Hopefully, your wildlife plantings will survive and help bring things back into balance.

[Shapshftr]

Originally Posted by gorbelly

Wow. They're not that big of a problem for me. I never find more than 1 per plant, and usually only on a couple plants.



I've heard that Bt doesn't work on them unless they're still young. Once they get big, it's much less effective. Of course, once they get big, we can see them more easily and just pick them off. I would bet that their resistance to Bt differs by location, though.

I read somewhere that Bt takes a while to kill them, I think slowly by starvation. IDK. But I do know that overnight I had dead ones and some were withering and turning brown already. I was pleasantly suprised, and VERY pleased to find so.

Also, we had very heavy rain right after I sprayed (2 inches), so I was afraid it didn't have time to be effective. I did increase the amount used from the recommended 2 to 3 tsp, to 4 tsps per gallon of water. Maybe that helped get the results I had. A week later, I still couldn't find any, but sprayed again to make sure I got them all. According to that life cycle chart I think I should spray every 3 weeks. But initially I will spray every week for 4 weeks to get ahead of the cycle.

What frequency schedule do you all use?

[Shapshftr]

Originally Posted by gorbelly

Grasshoppers can do a number on vegetation. Lots of things like to eat them, but not all ecosystems are in balance. Hopefully, your wildlife plantings will survive and help bring things back into balance.

I have seen grasshoppers destroy plants too. And those little asian beetles will completely devour all leaf material except the veins, leaving a lace curtain effect. That will kill your plants real quick too.

[greenthumbomaha]

The leaves grew back but no tomatoes yet, so this set the plant back about two weeks. I just saw the green guy half burrowed into the soil into the container. For sure I wasn't expecting to see what looked like half a green finger sticking up in the soil. From what I read I think the season is over for them eating leaves and they are going into the soil to pupate into moths.

If I don't see any buds soon I'm going to put the lid on that container for the winter and hopefully eradicate any larvae.

- Lisa

[Shapshftr]

No blossoms at all, or just no mature ones yet? I wouldn't give up just yet if there are blossoms. Maybe give them some potassium to get them fruiting. A little wood ash applied to the soil and watered in will give them a kick of K.

Mine got set back two weeks on setting new fruit from the hornworm damage. But the ones that were already there are ripening now.