The Cabbage Looper Caterpillar
So, I never heard of this bugger until I started harvesting. being that the plant is outdoors, I don't have the same private time to care for the plants, as I do indoors. Because of this, I didn't carefully inspect the back side of the plants that were not readily accessible. When I brought them inside for the preharvest pics, I noticed what I thought was bud rot. Dead clumps of dead spots on the colas. I removed much of four of my best colas, and discarded, thinking I took care of the problem. When I started rimming however, I quickly realized what the red issue was. My plants had a mid level infestation of cabbage loopers. At some point during flower, a moth laid eggs on my plants, which created these caterpillars that LOVE weed. My god! I can't believe how much damage these little things did. I found 7 of them imbedded in 7 different colas. Not wanting any trace of these pests in my smoke, I discarded anything near were I found them or any trace. I also discarded all the popcorn buds and sugar leaves, as I didn't trust that they were clean.
In all, I think I loss about ONE THIRD of my harvest! Damn! I was able to salvage a decent harvest, however, I have to figure this out before next season's outdoor grow. Anyone dealt with these pests before? Let me know if any secret weapons that won't affect my buds.
With that said here are some harvest pics. The buds are trimmed and drying in paper bags as we speak.
I am not going to cry over spilt milk, but will learn from it. I am thankful for the quality of the bud I did get. They are dense and sticky. I did lose a bit of the sweet lemon smell during harvest however, but I expect a good cure can take care of that. I am sure I have a decent yield from these two, so I can't be upset.
I'll post some dry bud shots next weekend, when I return from a work trip. Cheers!
