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Post by hedgeapple on Sept 30, 2021 19:48:57 GMT -6
Thank you. I've grown 4 red okras and this is by far the prettiest to me. |
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Post by hedgeapple on Jul 16, 2022 19:15:14 GMT -6
So... I've noticed several deformed flowers and pods on my ORB this year and my evening investigations with a flashlight have discovered the culprit: The Brown Marmorated Stinkbug  Interesting that they seem particularly attracted to ORB. I've launched several into the stratosphere with a merciless flick of the rude finger. |
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Post by woodeye on Jul 16, 2022 19:45:45 GMT -6
Good deal, glad you spotted the stinkbugs. I've had that problem with okra pods, it's like they sting the pod and it won't grow near the spot they stung it, then the rest of the pod keeps growing and it makes a curled okra pod. At least that is what I blamed the curly okra pods on.
Keep that flicking finger functional, in case you didn't get all of 'em... 
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Jul 16, 2022 20:20:43 GMT -6
Hedgeapple, you put a huge smile on my face today when I read your post. I've got the same problem here with the same bugs, curly okra pods, and yellow spotted tomatoes, ruined by their stings.
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Post by Tucson Grower on Jun 7, 2023 21:06:09 GMT -6
I managed to get only one plant of 'Old Red Blush' to germinate and grow. It's very first pod I self-pollinated and I'm saving it for seed increase.
Pic --> Edit: In its defense, the seed was quite old.
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Post by Tucson Grower on Jun 8, 2023 23:11:28 GMT -6
I now am having a problem with my 'Old Red Blush' plant. Ants are eating the pod I'm trying to save for seed. I even dusted it with cinnamon, but that didn't stop them.
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Post by hedgeapple on Jun 8, 2023 23:52:08 GMT -6
I now am having a problem with my 'Old Red Blush' plant. Ants are eating the pod I'm trying to save for seed. I even dusted it with cinnamon, but that didn't stop them. Ants are actually eating away at the pod itself? |
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Post by chrysanthemum on Jun 9, 2023 6:13:40 GMT -6
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Post by Tucson Grower on Jun 9, 2023 8:45:12 GMT -6
They do appear to be fire ants. Perhaps 'Old Red Blush' is sweeter than other okra varieties. So far the fire ants have been going after the nectar in all the okra flowers, but 'Old Red Blush' is the only one which they are chewing holes in, and actually eating a pod.
I will keep a close eye on this situation. I will definitely use poison bait, if I have to. Terro is a good brand, I've also used Amdro with some success.
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Post by chrysanthemum on Jun 9, 2023 10:09:03 GMT -6
I have used an Amdro Fire Ant Bait [sprinkled granules] in areas of my property well away from food-bearing crops. Reading the warnings about the hazards, though, I use it only when there is a major nest that needs immediate destruction. I don’t remember the active ingredient in it, but I don’t think it’s nearly as safe as the borax in the Terro. That’s why the Terro are my go-to baits for garden beds and the backyard.
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Post by Tucson Grower on Jun 10, 2023 8:18:16 GMT -6
Well, I just discovered the ants were also munching on one of my SIR F1 fruits. it was ate-up bad. First one side, then the other. In the past, with non-edible ant problems, I'd use Amdro. I have a dedicated electric coffee grinder, for poisonous things, I grind the granules to a powder (even the tiniest ants have no problem with it then). I'll most likely try the Terro, first.
Pics --> 
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Post by hedgeapple on Jun 10, 2023 9:45:37 GMT -6
Well, I just discovered the ants were also munching on one of my SIR F1 fruits. it was ate-up bad. First one side, then the other. In the past, with non-edible ant problems, I'd use Amdro. I have a dedicated electric coffee grinder, for poisonous things, I grind the granules to a powder (even the tiniest ants have no problem with it then). I'll most likely try the Terro, first.
Pics --> Thankfully I have never seen damage to pods by ants before, even when I have lived in areas that do have fire ants. I have seen ants on flowers prior to opening and after opening, but never actually eating the pods. I’d be watching closely to see if there are any varieties they don’t touch. That could be a point in favor of selection for your area. |
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Post by Tucson Grower on Jun 10, 2023 10:37:31 GMT -6
Looks like it's definitely poison time. I removed the SIR fruit they were eating, so they began eating the HH fruit, which was immediately adjacent to the SIR plant, they had been attacking. They are continuing to attack the 'Old Red Blush' plant - there is only, the one, for now.
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Post by Tucson Grower on Jun 10, 2023 10:59:31 GMT -6
There should be a biological way to eliminate fire ants.
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Post by chrysanthemum on Jun 10, 2023 13:16:03 GMT -6
Fire ants do seem to love okra flowers, but that pod destruction does look familiar to me. I have to admit that I’m surprised, hedgeapple, that you’ve not seen that with your time in Texas. Being from Virginia, I had long thought of ants as just a natural part of the garden with no harmful qualities. Having fire ants go after okra, corn, and even potatoes was definitely a shocker to me when I moved here.. I was driving back from a meeting farther out in the Texas Hill Country last month and was on a long stretch on interstate listening to an interview with a scientist who also ranches in Texas. He has written a new book on the ecology of the area, and the interviewed ranged over many topics. One was fire ants, and he was discussing a biological control that is being implemented in many areas. I can’t remember the details as I was giving a good bit of attention to the road at the time, but it did sound promising. He was discussing the fact that fire ants eat hatching eggs of reptiles, and that is really harming the populations of many reptiles in the Texas Hill Country. Here’s a link to the book that was being discussed. It’s a fairly long interview, but I do remember that I loved hearing the part about dung beetles. I also was amused that this scientist had named his ranch “Double Helix Ranch.” www.tpr.org/podcast/the-source/2023-05-18/exploring-the-natural-wonders-of-the-texas-hill-country |
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