Here's a pic of a few of my brug plants. Only one has blossoms. And the ones on the each end look just plain sick. I feed them at least once a week with MG. Lots of "Y"s. Any suggestions? I watered them once a day during the hot days. Now that it's cooled off some they don't seem to need as much. I was afraid they were "water logged". Your professional thoughts? Thanks for the help. I appreciate it. "T" :)
I could be wrong and don't want to scare you but looking at the last one in the row? Have you got mites? Are the newer leaves turning under and sort of crispy?
Cala will look and tell me I'm nuts. Better wait for her.
Oh dear, you have mites. They are terrible this year. Use a good mite spray like Kelthane or Avid or make your own with alcohol, water and dish soap. BE SURE to spray UNDER the leaves too.
Liz, Cala must have only thought you were nuts this time...........
Okay, I need some brugs for dummies 101. How can you tell by looking that they have mites?
Joan (who's looking suspiciously at the brugs she still has in the house)
Joan J
Look at these pics and make sure you scroll down on the bottom part of the screen on this page.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=www.ext.vt.edu/departments/entomology/ornamentals/1-14.jpeg&imgrefurl=http://www.ext.vt.edu/departments/entomology/ornamentals/spidermites.html&h=485&w=719&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dspider%2Bmites%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26sa%3DN
hope it helps
Thanks Kell, I read the whole page and bookmarked it. I'm not sure about one of my brugs. I'm gonna do a little more research.
How much alcohol, water and dish soap to make the spray?
Sledder, sorry to butt in here like this.
You will have to wait for Cala to tell you that. I would be afraid to spray my babies with alcohol, but Cala is old enought now to be very wise, so I am sure she would not steer you wrong!
Liz, I would never say you were nuts, lol.
Kell, mix the alcohol and water 50/50 and then add just a squirt of a mild dishsoap like Ivory or Dove. Shake well and spray. It really works, the alcohol dries them out and the soap clogs them up. I've also used the Ultrafine Oil spray, which works by smothering them, but it burned the leaves really bad.
My friend Ruby said it's best to move them into the shade if possible while treating for mites, seems like they(mites) dont like the shade.
Now, who wants my problem.....mealy bugs? Darned things came from one of DH's tomato plants. The ants carry them around and "farm" them out on other plants. I've sprayed with Imidicloprid. I'm going to spray with pyrethrins and DE today. I've got treefrogs in the brugs and I'm trying to be so careful not to hurt them. They(the treefrogs) are pretty gentle and will let me relocate them to the little bucket pond, but they go back to the brugs.
I've sprayed them with Seven several times and it almost makes them look worse. And yes, the leaves are curled and turning brown. Bud oddly enough not all the plants look like that. Just certain ones. Is that common? Thanks folks!! And JoanJ, you can butt in all you want. The more questions that are asked,,the more answers I can get,,,the more I learn. Thank you!! "T" :)
Sledder, I have a hundred or so seedlings in one bed, only a few have the mites. Mites don't fly, they must crawl or be blown by the wind to where ever they are going. I think that's why the infestation is so bad on certain plants.
Okay, that would explain it. I had moved the "sick" plants to their current location thinking it was a sun problem. Is Sevin a good "bug" killer? "T" :)
I don't think it's a miticide. One must remember also to switch classes of chemicals so the bugs don't get immune to them. If an insect is exposed to one class of chemicals for it's entire life cycle, it develops resistance to that class.
Well now...I'm impressed!! Got ya!!
Thank you!!! I'll let you know. "T" :)
Guess those classes for my aplicators license paid off.
Susie,
Is that rubbing alchohol, or denatured(which is pretty STRONG)
Than you much, sure hope we get these little monsters under control, before they drive me "nuts"!
Rubbing Alcohol. I usually buy the cheapest brand I can find.
I was going to ask the same thing about the rubbing alcohol. I just noticed that I too have one brug with mites. will apply this lovely concoctions this evening.
thanks for the tips Cala. :)
Me too! Thanks.
I moved them off the cement driveway, HOT. Check each day, by hand, have found a few little black things, jump like fleas. Got to be quick, if you want to mash them, then they have little white things on back of leaves, might be eggs?
So if they don't fly Cala - I'm probably blasting them from one plant to the next with the hose. Ya just can't win!
Blasting them with the hose seems to work though. I'd keep doing it if it works.
