Natural mealy, gnat, aphids, & whitefly control

I was talking with a friend who sells wholesale and he mentioned using liquid dishwashing liquid and some type of cooking oil (canola or whatever) mixed together to control, gnats, whiteflies, aphids etc. He sprays weekly and said he's been using it over 25 yrs and it has worked for him. I wouldn't recommed using it inside tho:-)

Blessings,
Plantnutz1 aka Awanda

Any idea of the proportions? I have a hibiscus outside that has a bad case of whitefly.

Awanda...it really works! I use it on the citrus trees against the aphids....and the white flies...white spider too.

1 C cooking oil (cheapest you can find)
2Tablespoons of diswashing soap (NOT Ultra)

Mix together. Put 1-2 tablespoons of the mixture in 1 C. of water to spray on plants.

Best plan, too, is to get rid of the ants and you won't have aphids!!!

Aloha

Carol, glad to hear someone else is using this:-).

Plantnutz1 aka Awanda

That's the old fashioned way. We used to use this on Roses, and it worked 60 years ago. I have used Amway multi-purpose L.O.C. I have used Yardley's shampoo with coconut oil it worked really well, on the Hoya. I would think any shampoo that is made from natural ingredients would work well. I only used 1 tbs per gal of water. It killed the ants.

It is the "cure" we (Master Gardeners) recommend first, especially to folks who are growing organically. Really works. The "soap" works as a surfactant (spreader) and the oil suffocates the little devils! :o)

This is interesting. I'm going to try some of each in the mister bottle for each time I mist. My trouble is mealies and it seems to be helping. It saves from having to haul each one to the sink for a bath.

I use Murphy's oil and cheap brand of dishwashing liquid..

1 cup Murphy's oil, 2 tablespoons of dishwashing liquid, 1/2 cup of Alcohol mix in 1 gal. container and fill with water..

the insecticidal soaps sold are mostly made of Murphys oil anyway...

Seems to work great for me...

My Grandma used this on all her plants

Carol

This message was edited Jun 27, 2004 9:24 AM

We use this method in our big Nursery at the Huntington Gardens, and we have 80,000 plants. It works, it's safe, for us and the plants, and this is from people that don't call themselves experts but students, with Dr. degrees in Botany. They wouldn't have me spray a whole greenhouse of tropoicals with this soap mixture it it wasn't safe. Norma

Good point!

Should some cooking oil be added to the Murphy's Oil mixture?

Joan+

Joan, my understanding is that Murphy's is the only oil that's necessary. I've tried it, but I guess it has to be used regularly to combat the little boogers.

Has anyone tried Neem oil? That seems to have conquered my mealies. I think its natural too.

Christine

Whatever soap you use in this mix must NOT be an antibacterial soap. We killed a hibiscus using an antibacterial soap mixture that someone recommended. I think Dawn is safe to use.
Marcy

I would use the mildest you can. The soap acts as a wetting agent and the oil acts to smother the beasts and their eggs. HOWEVER...be very careful and do trials first. The plant also uptakes from the underside of the leaf (respires) and some are sensitive to having these ducts clogged...

Neem oil works the same way, essentially.

This is effective on the egg capsules of the 'white fly'...not the fly itself unless he/she is in REM sitting there and is unaware...they tend to fly off to go somewhre else.....

Just thoughts...

Neem is a great thing, it works on fungus, insects, and spider mites, so it is a great thing to use if you aren't sure what the problem is or if you have several problems at one. Its also organic, natural, non-toxic to mammals, smells good, and dries to a clear shine that dosen't seem to block plant pores significantly. What more could you ask for?
It also has a mild systemic effect when absorbed by plant leaves, AND can be used as a soil drench if diluted properly.
It can be mixed with insectecidal soap (or dish soap) if you have a heavy infestation and want a quick double-kill.

Thanks Carol.

Whoops!! I'd forgotten about not using antibacterial detergent - and that's all I use! I'd better go and buy something more gentle for my plants. Luckily nobody's complained about the last dose, except the mealies fortunately ... lol ...

Christine

Thanks Mark! However, I have to disagree about the "smells good" part of your post. I find that it smells like onions. Then again, I guess it depends on what odors you find pleasurable...lol....

Christine

You're too right, Christine. Some of my co-workers HATE the smell of Neem. I like it, unless I get it on my clothes and I have to smell it the rest of the day. It does get old quickly. Smells like tahini and orange rind to me. Still, it does smell better than funginex or Orthene, don't you think?

I'll take your word on that one Mark, but even the names of those chemicals "smell" - yuck!! Hmm, tahini and orange rind - maybe I'll take another sniff when I get home...
C.

Where does one buy Neem oil? I've heard of it but can't place it as to use.

Joan

Any good nursery or garden center should have it. It is also maketed as "rose defense" from one company, can't remember which. Green Light also makes one. These two are "clarified hydrophobic extract of neem oil" which is a fancy way of saying that it is processed to mix with water easily, and does not coagulate as easily as pure neem oil does in cooler weather.

Thanks for info. Joan

Joan, if you want to get it online, www.bustan.com carries it. And, if you want to go and check the place out, they're located just west of downtown Toronto. Yay, a Canadian supplier!!
Christine

Everybody seems to like guessing games. I've got one for all of you. If anybody can guess what this picture is of, you get the privilage of telling me how to get rid of it. Sorry, no big prizes.
Ann

It looks like little mushrooms!

Christina

A gingerbread cookie that's seen better days??? LOL

Thanks Christine for the link.

Joan

At first I was going to say H. imbricata. Then...hummmmm...there are some 'schrumes' growing on it...so I am going to say it is a clump of mold.

Ann,
If these are small mushrooms with some moldish thing on top of the soil I would spray it with Physan20 with the recommended dilution rate you can find here:
http://physan.com/

O.k. Everybody, I can't stand this any longer, I've got to tell you what this is.
I keep my potting mix in large garbage cans with a plastic liner. These cans are sealed from late fall until I dip into them the following spring or summer when I start doing some repotting. When I unsealed this can this morning, the first thing I saw was of course the mushrooms, which most of you saw right off the bat. What I was really referring to was the white stuff that was all over the top of the mix. When it started moving, it was scary. There were ants by the millions in that can and everyone of them had a white ant egg in its mouth (or whatever they carry them with). I was immediatly attacked by armies of ants, crawling up my arms and neck, trying to defend their stronghold. Talk about an "Ant Farm". Outside of the few mushrooms, I didn't see any evidence of fungus, mold or anything like that, so I just poured the can full of a Neem solution. Hopefully it will get rid of the ants and the mushrooms as well.
Annie

OH YUCK! We get ants taking up house in stacks of pots and things and they are a pest. I get 'em with SEVIN ...the powder.

Oh gack! I would have puked.....(and screamed).....

....and screamed and had a very long, hot shower. Then I would have had DH toss the whole thing into the garbage....YUCK!!!!! (okay, so I'm a little squeamish...lol...)
Christine

You guys must never have lived on a farm. It would take a lot more than some ants & their eggs to make me scream and puke. Ha.
Marcy

So, what about indoor spray? Since I keep most of mine indoors, what can I use to keep em fungus, insect etc etc free? I only have a few outside and so far nothing resembling anything, but I assume I need to spray them before I bring them inside for the winter!

Pray! Becky....

If it happens, it happens. Some hoyas are prone to fungi more than others, I find. H. obscura, sometimes H. lacunosa, H. cv. Sunrise are a few that come to mind...just know what to look for and zap it.

OK, but zap it with what? I am all for zapping away, but if there is a special zapper I should use, please lead me to finding it! :)

Becky, if I have problems with my plants, I take them outside to spray them and then bring them back in once they dry off a bit. None of my hoyas ever live outside. I think by zapping, Carol means to use whatever product that you find effective. I swear by Neem oil, but others have perfectly good products they use too. I've never had a fungus problem though (oh, great, now I've said it, I'll go home to find a fungus...lol...)
Christine

Christine, do you get your neem oil in the kind made for roses, etc at a nursery under another name like Mark said, or is it pure neem oil and you mix it with water? Does it come in a spray can, and if not...how do you apply it? I have the Tinactin, but am thinking of switching to the Neem if I can find a convenient kind.
Marcy

Ah, no, not very convenient Marcy. It's pure Neem Oil, and I mix it in a spray bottle with water and dish soap. I spray (soak until really dripping) all leaf, stem, soil and pot surfaces. There may be other products in the US that have Neem Oil in them though.
Christine