Cotton Growth Mostly in Check, but the July Insect Lull is Beginning to Change.
7-21-2026
The 2026 cotton season has been dry although we have had enough moisture to keep plants growing. This has also been a low year for plantbugs. All of that may be changing as corn matures and then dries, plus the frequency of rain events has increased as well as the amount that we get per event. A big part of the shift is also related to the cotton plant’s susceptibility to damage from insects. The most susceptible period is represented by the week of bloom that it is in. It is probably more accurate to describe it by how many total reproductive nodes have bloomed. Plus noting the number of nodes above white bloom helps determine how close to cutout you are. After cotton has bloomed for a couple of weeks, it enters this most sensitive period to damage as the crop that we will harvest is blooming and turning into a young boll. Check into recent On-line Newsletter updates that help define week of bloom by planting date as well as offering strategies for growth and insect management.
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