Thought that would get you in. I have been fighting aphids with everything I have. Safers soap, DE, alcohol. They keep coming back. I am not one of those that takes all the leaves off, I haven't had spider mites. If I strip them all and keep the newest growth sprayed, will this take care of them? They aren't on any thing but my brugs.
argh! ongoing battle
Supposedly the DE is suppose to kill them.I thought about getting a powder puff to apply it.It takes a few days,the DE makes cuts in their bodies and dehydrates them.Me, I'm sick of fighting the pests and I have resorted to RAID.It works,And please ,no criticism,if organic doesent work,I pull out the big guns.I'm gunna save those babies!!!
I use safer soap mixed with neem oil. I think Cala does to and perhaps thats where I picked up the idea. I also use a systemic granular and from time to time I resort to a systemic spray as well. Malathion however has often caused my Brugmansia to drop leaves though so I only use that chemical sparingly and generally mixed in with neem or safer soap so its not technically the active ingredient, but more simply an addition. I bellieve Cala also mentioned using 50% alcohol solution, but I like my alcohol too much to poor it on my Brugmansia. Perhaps one could add a bit of alcohol to safe soap/neem oil to make some kind of concoction though.
1500 Ladybugs for $6.75 from Nichols Garden Nursery. They are in Oregon. Postage is $3.00 and you don't have to release all of them at once. They keep in the fridge.
Brugie, Is Nichols Nursury on the internet? I am going to get some ladybuds and let them go in the greenhouse. They would take care of lots of bugs, right? And they'd be around to put in my flower beds, too this spring. Gosh, I sure hope Billy (DH) doesn't look for a snack late one nite; I'll have to remember to tell him about them.
Yes they are on line.
http://www.nicholsgardennursery.com
Tig, try a houseplant insectide, or something like schultz vegetable spray. i had about 50 little grasshoppers on some kind of leaf on the deck the other day, used the house plant stuff. i have a couple of those huge 4 inch green/brown hoppers, guess they over wintered just fine.
That is funny, I didn't even catch that when I first read Eric's post. :-)
The bugs are terrible this year. Never had a problem before.
tiG, how far are you from Spartanburg, SC?
about 3 hours snow, why?? You let lady bugs loose in the house? what about those orangy ladybugs, my son is having trouble with them coming in, can I go catch them???
The neem/Safer's is good. Here are some other safe sprays: natural pyrethrum, alcohol(not the kind from the liquor store)/water with a squirt of soap, tea tree oil in water (I don't know how strong, I just dump some from the bottle in a quart sprayer, probably a 1/4 teaspoon or so), for mites cinnamon oil 1/4 tsp in a quart of water with a squirt of soap as a spreader, and if anybody wants some of this Perma-gard that I have send me your addy and I will send you a little of it.Perma-gard is natural pyrethrum mixed with diatomaceous earth and can be used dry or as a spray mixed in water. It kills the aphids, but they keep hatching and yuo have to spray several times.
DH just got a mini vacation in Feb. for not missing a days work for a year. He's talking of possibly taking a trip to SC to see his nephew and get out of this cold for a few days.I think he wants me to get a taste of the weather down there in hopes I may like it enough to move down there someday. LOL
tiG, I don't think those orange colored bugs are lady bugs. They sure don't help in my house, just put spots on the windows. They bite too.
that's what I thought Brugie, just wondered:) thanks!
Cala, how do you mix the DE with water? do you have ratio? I might try that next, I think maybe I'm missing them with the powder.
TiG, this stuff said use from one teaspoon to one tablespoon per quart of water. I use one Tablespoon and shake it often as I spray. It leaves a white residue on the leaves, but I can live with that. I tried sprinkling it on the leaves but couldn't get even coverage, plus it got more on me than the plant. Using the sprayer works much better for me.
tonights the night!!!!!! sing with me y'all!! gonna be alright....
tig, i read the DE thread, got some at HomeDEpot last Sunday. i used a small sifter like Sue recommended. now there is no sign of buggers anywhere in the house. the stuff works! thought to share that with u.
i allow my plants to dry on top between watering also.
Calla,where do you get the perma guard?I tried the tea tree oil ,maybe I didn't use enough.What about mixing tea tree oil, ,DE and a little soap(watch it explode)?I think Jack Daniels would just attract the little boggers,it does attract me!
When I mentioned Alcohol, I meant RUBBING ALCOHOL. The only thing I've had tea tree oil react with was a styrofoam cup and boy did it stink!! Melted that cup in a very short time. TTO shouldn't react with DE since DE is inert and a little soap "should" be OK to add.(wear a gas mask just in case?) If y'all blow something up by accident, I'll never live it down.
vic
Feb 01, 2002
Hey tiG...I'll sing ROD songs with you all night long. Love that man's music...Anyway, I ended up here after doing a search on aphids which are all over my roses. You can't even see the stems. And guess what, there are lady bugs all over it too but, it's like dh said, I think the lady bugs are outnumbered. Got some good info here though. I have sprayed all day with soap and water. vic
It just must be that time of the year. I've got aphids too. I spray with water/dish soap/cooking oil combo and that works, but you have to stick with it consistantly.
I haven't had an aphid problem but that may be because the 4 Brugs I have have all been allowed to go dormant in the basement. I did receive a sample of some organic seaweed with my order from Parks yesterday and wonder if this product may help those with aphids. The package claims to reduce red mites by 89%,aphids by 31% and leafhoppers by 77%. It also states that this success rate was achieved by growers who's who crops were already being cared for properly. Whatever that means. But this product might be worth looking into... I don't know if we can post commercial sites/products for references ...so I'll wait to hear from someone here more experienced than I am.
Renee
we can:) I think you're on to something, the brugs I have in the colder rooms that aren't watered regularly and just sitting aren't having these problems.
Thanks Tig...and Yes I don't have an aphid problem but I do have to watch for mites. They LOVE that dry basement climate. If I don't put labels in my plants...then I wouldn't know which was which; as they all look the same right now. 4 foot sticks!!! Just the other day...my kitty came walking upstairs with one of the labels in his mouth. I Had to get it back before he removed any other ones. That would be a serious ID problem for me.
The product is called: Sea Magic "the wonder elixer for everything you grow" Clever little line. The web address on the package is www.mrtomato.com. A 1 oz. pkg. makes 250 quarts of solution. Hope this helps.
Just wanted to add a comment about the organic seaweed My sister just retired from Zilker Garden in Austin Texas. This is a city garden which has thousands of visitors each year. To make a long story short - - she is a very experienced and knowledgeable gardner and uses organic seaweed on everything that she grows and transplants. I don't know about keeping the little critters away, but she has mentioned how strong and healty it makes the plants.