Stochastic Contemplations.

[karstopography]

I have a red grape tomato plant that’s been almost completely denuded by a horn worm or two. I finally found one massive one and smushed it. I don’t know why they are so hard to see at times.

[Shule]

Maybe one day we'll train hornworms to prune tomatoes properly for us.

[EdieJ]

I used to think Hummingbird Moths were really neat - until I found out it was their offspring eating my plants. Ugh how I hate those things. There is at least one chewing on my Pink Ponderosa plants and so far we have not been able to find it. I have bT dust but if it doesn't quit raining it does no good

[MissS]

I used to think Hummingbird Moths were really neat - until I found out it was their offspring eating my plants. Ugh how I hate those things. There is at least one chewing on my Pink Ponderosa plants and so far we have not been able to find it. I have bT dust but if it doesn't quit raining it does no good

The tomato hornworm is only one species of Sphinx Moth (hummingbird moth). It is the only species that is considered a pest. I love when the P. modesta and the White-lined Sphinx start flying in the evening. As soon as the hummingbirds go to bed the moths come out to play and I enjoy watching them.

[pondgardener]

One year around the pond, I had some thick stands of wildflowers(penstemon) growing. One evening, looking out the kitchen window, I watched in awe as 20-30 of the white-lined sphinx moth, also known as a hawk moth, darted back and forth between the flowers. I initially thought i was seeing things. I never did notice any of the larvae, so they must have laid their eggs elsewhere. As far as tomato hornworms, even though I grow over 50 plants every year, I haven't noticed any for quite a few years. Maybe they don't like the low humidity(4%), that we are presently experiencing.

https://www.desertusa.com/insects/sphinx-moths.html

[worth1]

These horn worms have distinct differences.
Many dont bother tomatoes and have a specific plant they feed on.
I wish I would have taken a pictuer of the one yesterday so I could show the difference between the tobacco horn worm and the tomato horn worm.
But you can look it up on line too.
One has stripes the other chevrons.
Both will go from tobacco to tomatoes.
Rest assured this isn't my last horn worm of the season.
No horn worms today.

[karstopography]

I’ve had them on peppers. One pretty much ate up a complete small cayenne pepper plant before I smashed it. I’ll try to take a closer look next time to see which worm I have.

Basically, I’m fighting a losing battle trying to hold on to the remaining tomatoes I still have. Way More predators, way less tomatoes, not a good trend. I’ve given a dozen squirrels acute lead poisoning recently and yet I lost what appears to be my last Cherokee Purple tomato to a tree rat today. I went to pick a breaker Carmello only to find that it broke because a worm drilled right though the heart of it.

Chipping away are all these forces, worms, squirrels, heat. Cucumbers are on life support. Just a few green pods of speckled butter beans remain and I don’t see much of any blooms or other promising signs. I picked a bunch of peppers and that revived a few. Serrano decided it had better get back into the procreation game in a big way. My jalapeños never got any wind in their sails this year. Fresno never really gives up, dribbles peppers all summer long. My Crusader bells and Yolo wonder were such pleasant surprises. Healthy, productive, still setting. My chocolate beauty has yet to produce a single fruit, some serious disease has thrashed it all season. Odd, as it is right in between the super vigorous Yolo wonder and Crusaders.

I always wish I planted more of this and less of that. Then I get distracted by some seed or plant and forget to plant what it was that I wanted.

Garden isn’t quite as much fun as it was a month ago. Still, there are bright spots amongst the decay. My purple hull peas are now looking great and being all productive. My dozen or so Louisiana green velvet okra plants are gaining size daily. Thai Red noodle beans are reaching for the sky. South Anna Butternut squash has sprouted, one hill as an experiment to see where it goes.The smooth and ridged Luffa germinated, another one to satisfy a curiosity.

My fall tomato sets are up. I planted a few pepper and eggplant seeds too and those are growing, but not ready for the garden just yet. Transitions, ups and downs, one on the rise, another at the end.

[EdieJ]

We get the true tomato hornworms. So hard to find as they look like another slightly twisted leaf. If that was our only pest I could deal with them but I reckon we've only got another week or so before the hordes descend gonna coat everything with Surround and see if we can at least even our odds.

[worth1]

If a horn worm doesn't come along and eat all my blossoms again we will see if the Juliet and large red cherry can set fruit in this extreme heat.

[worth1]

News Alert.
Sick Sungold plant sets fruit in 100 plus heat.
I suspect large red cherry will too.

[worth1]

Got home last night fixed supper and went to bed after listening to a professor Bart D Ehrman talk.
Picked up my book tossed it down and passed out.
Life is rather complicated right now and very hectic.
I wish I could sleep for more than four or five hours, it is driving me nuts, I have so much on my mind and I cant seem to cut it off.

[Sue_CT]

That is what they make wine for, lol.

[matereater]

Sue. I think Worth is more of a Bourbon guy !

[worth1]

I always use up my wine cooking.
My problem is I can't stay awake long enough at night.
Timed it last night and I woke up at 2:00 AM.
That was 6 hours sleep.
When I wanted to get up at 4:AM.

[Clkeiper]

For all of you experiencing horn worm issues spray your plants with By. it works as well for hornworms as it does for cabbage loopers.

[EdieJ]

Yeah bT is good stuff. I didn't order any since I thought we had plenty left from last year. Oops the container I thought was bT was corn fertilizer. Not the same thing at all!

[worth1]

Last night same thing got up at 2:00 AM in the morning.
Had a drink of water and went back to bed to read my book.
Fell asleep and dreamed I was running giant sheets of green spinach pasta through a sawmill.
Woke up at 7:00 AM.

[EdieJ]

Apropos of nothing: bacon. Why can't they cut straight strips of bacon? No matter what brand I buy, it's always the same thing. Skinny in the middle and thick on the ends. Makes me crazy!!

[EdieJ]

[mention]worth1[/mention] And my husband thinks I have strange dreams (hiding in a closet with a clydesdale from someone!) How much pasta have you been eating lately?!

[worth1]

@worth1 And my husband thinks I have strange dreams (hiding in a closet with a clydesdale from someone!) How much pasta have you been eating lately?!

Not as much as I used to but I love pasta.
At one time my wife and I were so poor all we ate night after night was pasta because it was filling and cheap.