How to Control Ear Worms in Your Corn Using Bt - Bacillus thuringiensis
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- čas přidán 17. 07. 2013
- One of the biggest problems in growing corn is dealing with ear worms. They generally enter thru the silks and start eating the corn long before you ever have a chance. One of the best ways to control ear worms is by spraying with a product that contains BT, Bacillus thuringiensis. This is one of the most common organic methods for dealing with the worms. BT is safe for people and animals. A couple of the products that contain this form of BT are Thuricide, and Dipel. The spray or dust will only last about a week, or less if you have rain. So don't forget to re-apply as needed. Keeping the worms at bay will allow you to harvest some very nice ears of corn.
More on BT : www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/ins...
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I didn't plant a late crop this year. I've learned that late corn is much more susceptible to insect problems. Fortunately, all of the early corn has done well. Thanks John.
That was a greatly helpful video. My wife and I have had a small garden for 20+ years running now and everytime I try corn worms show up. I heard of the spray used but never knew you do just the silk. Thanks for that. I was spraying leaves and coating it once over so to speak. When we move to Colorado we will have a 5 acre plot to play with, in ground greenhouse etc. I can only hope to do half as well as you. Nice work man. God bless.
Thanks dude this really helped. I live in Huntington Beach, California. I didn’t think I’d have to deal with this… but here I am. Thank you so much. I just finished spraying my silks.
I sure do miss you and your common since advice. Hurry back. We need you. Vivian Ann on the side of the mountain in NE Tennessee
You are so cool! Love your accent! Planning on corn this year. I'll follow what you instructed to do. Thank you so much for your know how. God Bless you and yours.
For sure. I've been eating sweet corn for a few days now, and it is some kinda good.
Yes it is. I use it a lot more often in the Spring trying to protect my cabbage and broccoli.
BTW thanks to you we just started our first 5 bucket hydroponic system. We love your videos. Thanks for the inspiration
I ordered some of that stuff for my cabbage and broccoli. Sure happy to know it is safe stuff. You are great, we appreciate you.
Thanks Bobby, Great practical advice for a heartbreaking problem.
Thank you!!! I’ve been looking everywhere for directions!
Yes mam, those are 2 good things to have around when fighting off insects.
Thanks. Bt is something that everyone should know about. It really does a great job.
I know what you're talking about. I see that once in awhile. They generally get the growth tip when it's about 3 ft tall. During that time, I don't usually do any spraying. But if it looked like they were getting out of control, then yes, I'd be spraying early and often.
I wish you could make a video everyday, I've learned so much from watching your videos thank you so much. This is my first year of growing sweet corn and I never knew about spraying for ear worm. Seems like I just got me a weekend project on the way. Ones again I appreciate all you do.
Yes sir, I agree. Corn can be a pain, especially a late crop coming in some time in August. The insects are horrendous then.
Thanks. I have used some Azomite, but not with any side by side comparisons to say for sure that it made a difference.
Great video Bobby. I am glad I have never had any trouble with these worms.
Bobby once again information when I need it. After losing my Cucumber and Melon Patch to some worms, I learned, and will try again. I am going to try a few rows of corn too, it is probably late, but I will try. Thanks again for the info!
Thanks. Great information. I miss you on here!
Thanks Bobby, growing our first corn for a few years here due to losing so much in the past.. Shall use the BT this time..
Cheers once more sir :)
Thank you for the info.I had some pretty corn ,but on the ends of it I had a lot of worms. I needed to know this. Thanks again and may GOD bless you!
Thanks for the video Mr. gardener. I used BT powder many many years ago and then I couldn't find it again. Thought about it this year and ordered some off Amazon...Liquid this time. Just wanted to make sure my memory was right...and it was. Silk time is the time to spray. I can vouch that BT WORKS! It's a a must for the home gardener. You did good! (Also for cabbages and tomatoes too. Squash. All that good stuff. Bullet shot tomatoes are history with this stuff!)
Note to the squeamish: For anyone who isn't a caterpillar this stuff is as safe as non-bleached organic Peruvian wheat flour. Safer than ground up cornflakes. USE IT! But use it as prescribed. If the worms get inside then it's all over but the yuck.
Dude you are a pleasure to listen too and very informative- thank you
Enjoyed the video. I have had problems with the worms eating my corn. Next year I will spray. Thanks
been using bt on winter squash and pumpkins for years (for borers). may try some late silver queen or peaches n cream and it good to hear this advice. thanks for sharing
Yep, that's some good stuff too.
Makes my mouth water just looking at that corn!
LOL.. I still remember his infamous "I'm all ears" statement. Classic ! Any time that I see moths flying around my garden, I pay attention to where they are landing. If I don't, I find out the hard way.
I just got one of the small sprayers and it works very well.
Thanks. You explained the Bt details quite well. Nice job. :)
From what I read, about a week, depending on rain. Yes, any type of worm or caterpillar that consumes it should fall asleep shortly thereafter.
I just watched this video and it's very informative.
I lost all my corn this year 2015 because of ear worms infestation. At least, now I know what to do. I would recommend this video. Thanks.
I like my corn nice and clean too. This is Reid's Yellow Dent. I grew Truckers Favorite a few years ago and it was similar, very tall with huge ears. I kinda liked the taste of it, but nobody else did. So I'm only growing this for the chickens.
Yes, Spinosad is a good option too.
Yes sir.... I spray all of my cabbage, broccoli, kale, etc.... simply spraying the top of the leaf surfaces is usually enough.
U r a blessing. Tyvm....I have sweet corn, in buckets on patio..and sooooo pretty.. I was needing to know, how to control the worms, when they start...hoping the directions will tell me, how often to
Spray
Good Info Bobby. Thanks
Greg
Those little buggers still got some of ours! I hit the corn several times but there was so much rain it was almost impossible to keep 'em protected.
Great demo Bobby!
Chuck
Dang thought you took your videos down i like you info on things thanks for sharing.
Excellent, thanks. Just the info I was looking for.
Thank you a lot. I have had big patches of corn in my garden, and they have all got infested with these worms. For me it was hard to find something on the Internet for this problem. I love your videos by the way too. :)
Thank you. I wasn't sure exactly when and where to spray.
Hi are you still making videos I haven't seen any new ones from you in a while.I always enjoyed watching your videos.
I like the small ones. They are perfect for spot spraying.
Am trying corn again this year. Last time it was full of worms, so now I know what to do....wish I had seen this the first time around...
I love the back sprayer. It's much easier to pump the handle and keep walking.
Thanks, I hope it helps.
Thank you for the information. Very helpful
I saw your weather forecast....just amazing how perfect things can be. Hit those silks and you should be in good shape. ;)
Your vids are great entertainment (next stop Hollywood!).
I'm putting in the dutch bucket system, based on your construction, but 5 gal paint strainers dont exist in Aust, so I decided to go with a 1 gal bag around a 6" plastic disposable flower pot (mouth down) the drain tube thru its side & bag mouth zip tied round the drain tube. The idea is to get a big surface area filtered, but have a cheap rigid frame inside a cheap ( & easily obtained) filter medium. I will also try layered fly screen
Great video on BT.!
Awesome advice!...now just add a couple drops of Amways spray adjuvant to each batch you mix. The miracle of making water wetter allows you to get more efficient and effective coverage.
BT is the best way to go; no doubt about it. Thanks
It would be close, depending on the variety. A quick maturing variety would be a good idea.
Oh, you have perfect timing! I'm so glad you posted this and I'll be out spraying tomorrow AM-thanks to your advice! I have some corn that has 2 main ears and 2 little side ears all forming on 1 stalk. I'm thinking that will make all the ears smaller. I'm not sure WHAT to do about that. I've never had that happen before. First time for this variety, though.
Thanks for the info, I did not plant corn this year but now I know how to bet those worms for next year :) have a good one sir.
Great advice!
Yes, unless it's raining every day like it was here. Then you spray when you can. It shouldn't affect pollination anymore than rain would.
BT is a gardeners best friend, it took care of my tobacco hornworms on my tomatoes this year. We work to hard to lose out right near the finish line! Vroooom! Goodbye worms, so long!
I haven't grown it, but I know of some people down south who have, and they love it.
Great video.
That's some great looking corn! Mine is only calf high and its been in the ground ages but I'm hoping I'll get some corn cobs to eat eventually!
Thank you for the video! This is my first year for corn and I didn't know any of what you said. I'll spray in the next 48 hours!
Thanks for the great video, Bobby! Thatis so everynice looking corn. Mine just started tassling at only five feet tall so i am hoping it will be okay. I have pampered the corn this year. :)
Good video, Thanks
Thank you for sharing your experience with us you save people money ,time and vegetables God bless you brother and may God pour out blessing on your crops this year we may need our crops more than ever with this virus upsetting our country.
I saw a study a couple years ago that said leave them alone. So I cut the suckers off half my rows, and left them on the others. I didn't see much difference in production. But it was a lot easier to spray and manage the corn that had been suckered.
Thanks, love your videos!!
Very helpful tips! Thanks. Hope I get an ear worm-free harvest this year 🌽
If you spray the silks as soon as you see them, and stick with it, especially after it rains, Bt will make a big difference in the number of worms you see. I use Thuricide, but there are other named brands that work just as well.
Yes sir. It'll take care of most any type of worm or caterpillar you can find.
Thanks for the info brother
Man...again...wish I could have seen this a week ago. I found worms on my corn this week! I pulled the ones off that I found and then sprayed them with the good stuff. Hope I get some ears like yours bro.
I'll be glad to pick you up on my way thru. I hope you're the one holding the sign "Will work for food !" I just brought in a bushel of maters for my wife to make salsa, and there's probably 3 or 4 more that need picking. Time to get back to work. :)
In So Cal, you should be able to replant most anything right now. If you're not quite sure, try some faster maturing varieties.
Bonito perfecto..thank you bro!!
I've heard of folks doing the injecting, but I haven't tried it. I generally spray the outside of the stem and that does the trick. The vine borers don't seem to be much of a problem around here. So that might have something to do with it.
thanksfor the info. ,was great
I haven't used Spinosad specifically for worms, but I think you'll be in good shape.
Awesome tip Bobby! I doubt I'll ever need more than my 2 gallon sprayer but that backpack sprayer is way cool! Question: Does BT stop aphids too? That's what got my corn last year.
Thanks MHP U the man.
Thank you very much. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge. Do you have any idea where people are getting the "Bt toxin" deal from? It's a topic that comes up any time someone mentions Bt. Obviously there are tons of articles online, but how do you clear it all up?
Bobby, all your subscribers still miss you! Life goes on, we know, but still.... just sayin'! Be blessed, you and your lovely missus!
Thanks Joe. I'd much rather shuck corn that doesn't have the worms too. After waiting almost 90 days, doing a few minutes of spraying is well worth the effort.
I've seen black smut a few times, that stuff that gets on the end of the ear. But it's usually only a few ears. I haven't seen any of it this year.
thank you
I usually put on some pounds during the winter, then lose it during the summer. It's hard to keep the weight on when it's 100 degrees and you have a diet heavy on vegetables and water. Thanks.
BT is a catch-all name. There are 4 types of Bacillus Thuringiensis. BT is a bacteria that has 4 sub-species, the most toxic to bees is BT aizawai. The subspecies BT kurstaki, israelensis, and tenebrionis have minimal toxicity to honey bees. So those are the ones to look for, if you want to spare the honey bees. I know that Thuricide uses kurstaki. It's what I use for cabbage worm and my collards never looked so good.
Congrats on your corn! Thanks for passing on your knowledge.
Thank you Bobby. Can you please make a hydroponic strawberry video?
Thank you!!! I’ve been so frustrated with my corn looking so beautiful only to find almost every single ear destroyed when I shuck it!!!!
Hope you come back to CZcams some day
Hi - love your shows. Wondered if you have tried anything else for corn spray since BT is an antibiotic.
Right on. Thanks for this information. Mineral oil works but it is labor intensive and 60 % effective at best.
A little bit of missing corn on the end isn't so bad. But when the worm has eaten down one side, that's a problem. I've used a knife a few times too. Fortunately, this years sweet corn was pretty clean.
Right
Great tips :)
I never used this before, but I have put a drop of mineral oil on the silk of each ear. Works good.
My wife's sister helped me shuck the sweet corn yesterday. And it was just like said... she didn't care much for seeing a worm. Fortunately, the worms were only about 1 out of 10. It rained almost every day while the ears were making, washing off what I had sprayed. So I was very happy with such low worm #'s.
Have you ever used neem oil and if so When would be a good time to spray neem oil on the tassels ? I heard lots of good things about it and it's organic, would you spray Before , during, or after pollination. It's had to tell in the video