JT's P.A.C.T. Garden

[daruckis]

very nice!

[Snusdog]

What is amazing to me is that you had a Tobacco worm..................I mean was he just hanging out in the area on the chance that somebody would plant a tobacco crop in the Suburbs of FL? Where do you think he came from?

I mean does each neighborhood have a colony of Angolan Pomegranate Beetles just in case one of us happens to plant a pomegranate tree?

Crazy................ but the grarden looks great JT!!!

[lxskllr]

What is amazing to me is that you had a Tobacco worm..................I mean was he just hanging out in the area on the chance that somebody would plant a tobacco crop in the Suburbs of FL? Where do you think he came from?

I mean does each neighborhood have a colony of Angolan Pomegranate Beetles just in case one of us happens to plant a pomegranate tree?

Crazy................ but the grarden looks great JT!!!

:^D

That's what I was wondering! The garden looks great Justin. I'm interested in seeing the whole process from field to finish :^)

[justintempler]

What is amazing to me is that you had a Tobacco worm..................I mean was he just hanging out in the area on the chance that somebody would plant a tobacco crop in the Suburbs of FL? Where do you think he came from?

The hornworm doesn't live his whole life as a "worm" He's a caterpillar.

His mother flew in and dropped her eggs on my leaves. This is what the adult looks like:



DISTRIBUTION:

The Carolina Sphinx, Manduca sexta sexta (Wing span: 3 3/4 - 4 3/4 inches (9.5 - 12 cm)), flies in tobacco fields, vegetable gardens, and a wide variety of habitats from Massachusetts (two Maine larvae sightings in 2002: Berwick and Bailey's Island) west across southern Michigan to Minnesota, central Colorado, and northern California; south to Florida, the Gulf Coast, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and southern California.

http://www.silkmoths.bizland.com/msextsex.htm

[LaZeR]

The hornworm doesn't live his whole life as a "worm" He's a caterpillar.

His mother flew in and dropped her eggs on my leaves. This is what the adult looks like:



DISTRIBUTION:

The Carolina Sphinx, Manduca sexta sexta (Wing span: 3 3/4 - 4 3/4 inches (9.5 - 12 cm)), flies in tobacco fields, vegetable gardens, and a wide variety of habitats from Massachusetts (two Maine larvae sightings in 2002: Berwick and Bailey's Island) west across southern Michigan to Minnesota, central Colorado, and northern California; south to Florida, the Gulf Coast, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and southern California.

http://www.silkmoths.bizland.com/msextsex.htm

WTF. I have those things in my house. Seriously! Do you think they are after my 'nasal snuff' stash? It's not in the fridge but rather scattered out amongst several drawers, my briefcase, on dresser, ect...

[Snusdog]

His mother flew in and dropped her eggs on my leaves.

Women......................it's always the damn women

[bipolarbear1968]

WTF. I have those things in my house. Seriously! Do you think they are after my 'nasal snuff' stash? It's not in the fridge but rather scattered out amongst several drawers, my briefcase, on dresser, ect...

A little bug told me that they also love Odin's, Skruf Extra starks and Spanish Gem. Make sure that they are well hidden

[justintempler]

Some watering tips. I'm growing these in the hot Florida sun, right now it gets up to the mid-90s during the day. The soil here is naturally sandy so it doesn't hold moisture very long. If you don't water them enough during the day they will start to wilt in the sun.
They get 3 waterings a day. 10am, 2:30pm, 8pm. I use a wand on the end of the hose set to the shower setting. You don't want to water the leaves while the hot sun is out or you'll get sun burn spots on your leaves. You just water around the base of the plant and make sure the water starts to pool when watering and let it soak in. The last watering of the day (8pm) is the same except I give the plants a light shower and make sure to rinse off any accumulated sand off of the bottom leaves.

I've still got a few hungry caterpillars. They're easier to find later in the day. I guess they don't like the hot sun either. The Thuricide seems to do a good job of killing them. Besides spraying the top and undersides of the leaves make sure you concentrate on the stalk, the very top of the stalk where the new leaves unfold and the joints where the leaves meet the stalk. Most of the caterpillars are like the smaller one in the above pic. I don't know if they are younger versions of the green monster or if they are a different species but the Thuricide will take care of all caterpillars.

I dug out a piece of concrete that was at the back of the garden. I wasn't sure what it was or how big it was. I thought it might have something to do with the septic tank, it didn't. It looks like the leftover base for a 4 1/2" steel pipe that used to support one of those old 11 foot satellite dishes. It's gone now and gave me room for 2 more plants, so I'm up to 77 plants now.

Right now I planning a set of update pics around the 4th of July.

[Snusdog]

Impressive and thorough...............Thanks JT

Look forward to the update pics

Also next time you find one of the unknown catipillars......................stick in a jar and take it to a local garden center or nurcery..............they will probably be able to ID it for you

[zeb]

Wow thats a damn nice crop of tobacco,I fight those same caterpillars here in Ohio,they can wipe a tomato plant out in a hurry.

[jgrandmont]

Wow man,,,, that is cool.

[justintempler]

..I fight those same caterpillars here in Ohio,they can wipe a tomato plant out in a hurry.

That Thuricide works great for caterpillars, it took about a week to completely get rid of them. I found a tip that makes it more effective. After you've mixed your Thuricide add in 1 or 2 ounces of molasses per gallon. The molasses acts like food for the bacteria and will keep it active longer, the molasses also makes it stick more to the plant so it doesn't wash off as easily when it rains.

I had a bout 12 plants that got knocked over by a heavy rain lastnite, luckily none of the big ones. I might end up having to pull some of them, I'll give them a couple of days to see what lives. I still have spares.
I already started adding in 5 gallon of dirt per plant to help brace the base of the plant so I don't have a repeat when the next heavy rain comes.

They're growing like weeds.

Height - Tallest Plant
June 14 - 29 inches
June 16 - 31 inches
June 18 - 36 inches
June 20 - 40 inches
June 22 - 43 inches

[zeb]

Height - Tallest Plant
June 14 - 29 inches
June 16 - 31 inches
June 18 - 36 inches
June 20 - 40 inches
June 22 - 43 inches

Wow your plants are growing like weeds,my tallest plant is only two feet tall.What type of fertilizer are you using and did you use anything when you put them in the ground?

[justintempler]

When they were small I used some Miracle Grow for tomatoes.
The only fertilizer since transplant I've used is some 10-10-10 Hyponex. The rest is plenty of water and sunshine.

Height - Tallest Plant
June 14 - 29 inches
June 16 - 31 inches
June 18 - 36 inches
June 20 - 40 inches
June 22 - 43 inches
June 24 - 48 inches
June 26 - 51 inches
June 28 - 54 inches
June 30 - 61 inches
July 02 - 67 inches
July 04 - 72 inches - Nothing but rain and clouds, pics will be up when the weather co-operates. - a couple of the plants are starting to develop flower pods so it looks like they'll top out +/- 6 foot (not counting the flowers)

[justintempler]