Has onyone had any luck with a natural spray made (tea) with tomato leaves. If so please let me know results. Thanks Txsdar
Spray made from tomato leaves
I've never heard of it. What are benefits supposed to be?
Help keep worms from your garden plants and aphids away. I made some and just wondered it anyone else and tried it.
Are these just leaves you cut from the plant and then soak in water? Sounds pretty neat. You might also try posting this question in the Organic Gardening forum. Hope someone comes along soon with a comment, I think lots of people are out (away from their computers) for the holiday.
I just made some the other day, but I haven't strained it yet. Had my kids smell the leaves before i brewed them, they said, yep, that smells nasty, it ought to kill the bad bugs... I have read about it in several organic books, so I am gonna give it a try this week. Why not just put a link in the organic forum over to this thread?
Tamara
I have had NO moths lay eggs on cabbage or brussel sprouts, so no worms of any kind eating there, and all the harlequin bugs (beetles) have been staying on the bok choy that is going to seed, which I did not bother to spray, and so I pick them off and drown them. This really worked. Next year maybe my cabbage will never get holey in the first place!
Thanks Txsdar
Yes Txsdar, It should do some good, as you know tomato plants are poisonous to humans, but not the fruit, as we well know. But at one time in history the fruit was thought to be poisonous too, and people grew them as ornamental plants. They are members of the nightshade family, along with many other common plants, such as potatoes and many others.
That is why the toxins should be harmful to some insects, but they will not be harmful to the tomato hornworm, since they eat tomato plants like there is no tomorrow, It will be interesting to see what happens. Josephine.
This message was edited Jun 20, 2005 1:55 PM
wow, I did not know tomato leaves were poisonous to humans.
They are poisonous, but only if you eat them, touching them is not harmful.
So is potatoe foilage. Also, spuds that turn green when exposed to too much light!
Yep, eggplants too I believe, all the "nightshade" family.
Ain't it cool what we learn on DG everyday???
Allright Guys! keep it coming!
Ok here is one more idea. I read where most insects and deer do not like rosemary. I know nothing ever eats my rosemary bush.
How about rosemary tea for spray. Also I cut and strip some RM branches and put them in the garden rows. Also sprinkled rosemary
needles over a okra plant that has little tiny tiny black critters on it.
Smaller than pepper even. Sprayed with tomato spray first. I think anything that other bugs do not eat would make a good natural spray. Marigolds etc. Any ideas from all you great people out there. Txsdar
All those things you have mentioned should do some good, they surely couldn't hurt. However, sometimes it is faster and easier to just give them a strong spray from the water hose, that will usually wash off most aphids. You might have to do it two or three days in a row, if they persist, take a spray bottle filled with water and a tablespoon of dishwashing soap, and spray them with it.
That will take care of aphids. With beetles and other bugs, a lot of the time hand picking them is the quickest and best method.
It is always fun to experiment, you might come up with something really excellent.
In the meantime, remember that you can not prevent everything, and that you are bound to lose some plants, but that's o.k. there are more where those came from.
Josephine
TxsdarI planted Rosemary near my cabbage to help ward off pests. There is a thread in the Herb Forum I started, with links to sites with recipes for herbal sprays.
I let extra radish go to seed, and it is supposed to ward off the moths that lay borer worms. I have been noticing that the tiny blooms are very attractive to hover flies, lady bugs, and other natural predators. And I have also found caterpillars and harlequin beetles on them lately and hand picked. There are so easy to see on that tall radish stem!
I keep large bowls or buckets with soapy water w/ veg oil in it, to dump the bugs in after I pick them off. Except the cats, I have been putting in the horse trough to feed the fish!
Frostweed, I realize 2dumb and I just repeated what you said, sometimes people gotta read it twice :-) I will change my username to way2dumber.... lol
vossner, when you make the tea, be sure anyone around understands you are brewing a poison, as it smells kinda cabbagey, and someone might think you were making soup. About 1/3 cup of the brew would kill a person, according to Drew_Corrin, probably less for children. I even made a skull and crossbones for my spray bottle, and my kids know what it is...
The best part about these sprays (besides the availablity of ingredients, the ease of use, and the low cost), is that they do not harm us, or runoff into water supplies, or disturb the balance in our soil, or hurt bees or other beneficials. Kinda gives you a good-all-over feeling when you use them!
Tamara
One other method I read about in organic gardening, is for when the infestation of bugs is extemely heavy and the area too large to hand pick.
The method consists of collecting a good ammount of the offending bug,
about 1 cup of them, put them in a blender, then strain the liquid, dilute it, and spray it on them. They say it is guaranteed to make the bugs flee or die, they cannot stand to be sprayed with their own juice.
Of course you would need a blender just for that purpose, and strong stomach or a mask.
I have never tried this method myself, but they say it is fool proof. I am not kidding, this is for real, and it actually makes sense, although it is not pleasant.
Yes, this is for real. Though I have heard many theories of why it works. And those bugs will never come back to that area again!
Though I am organic, I have NEVER been that Desperate LOL
TamaraFaye, you seem to be a woman after my own heart, where organic gardening is concerned. We need to visit with each other, it looks like we could have a great time. Josephine.
I know, I so missed NOT meeting you at the round-ups. But that is just life for me at the time, staying home...
You are an inspriation for natives. I decided this year to let wild native grasses take over the bermuda, even though they grow so much taller...
Thank you Tamara, may be one of these days we will meet, you never know.
In the meantime, keep up the good work. Josephine.
Josephine and Tamara, wish you guys could make the Austin Nursery Date, think you'd really enjoy a chance to talk to John Dromgoole. And his nursery is all about natives!
;-P
:->
Does that indicate an extended tongue way2? LOL
He is just mad cause he doesn't get to go! I don't either, but I have a friend who just returned from San Antonio, and when she gets over her dental surgery, she will tell me all aobut Sea World and the Japanese Sunken Garden!
Austin sounds like a blast maggiemoo! Maybe one day I can pretend I am retired, and take a bunch of road trips :-D
Maggiemoo, thank you for thinking of us, I would like to go to Austin and see the native plant nursery, that would be a lot of fun, plus I would be meeting you and a lot of other wonderful people, but at this time , I don't think I can, I will let you know if things change.
Josephine.
Raspberry, b/c I want to do that nursery and go to that butterfly class!!
If I could, I would come and get you, John!
Butterfly class??? Didn't know about that, now I'm gonna do a raspberry!
:>P
Now, now, the two of you could drive on down here and be a part of it, we'd love to have you! :-)
I'll take good notes, and if they have any hand outs, I'll get extras - or maybe I'll photograph and post them, so you can print them out.
July 16, right?
You got it!
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/519305/
Gordonville => Austin 265 miles
Fritch => Austin 554
I just realized something, TamaraFaye, I was in your neck of the woods May 28th, when y'all were having that really bad storm. It never dawned on me I knew someone in that area!
If I get to go to Fiesta this year maybe we can get together on my way up the last week of Sept or on my way back Oct 9 or 10. Fritch to Muleshoe would be a 138 mile trip.
A car pool might work for me.
John, I would be happy to pick you up, IF we were going. Sorry.
Dstartz, you can guarantee a REALLY bad storm on Memorial Day weekend! My worst storm was giving birth. And the same day, we were in the closet during a tornado warning!!!
I don't know when/where Fiesta is, but I know how to get to Muleshoe! Have you ever been to the Museum in Canyon? Or we could tour some feedlots, j/k...
I have family in Muleshoe too, ya'll have me homesick.
Hope I can get back out to meet Fritch this year. Will stop by John and Bettys on the way. Lots of family close to both.
sidney
;-)
Looking forward to meeting you both! And it looks like I will be in the DFW area the last part of July. A long-time friend (like a sister) from CA, who now lives in WA, will be in Dallas, and we are gonna get together. :-) Haven't seen her since 1982!!! I need to see if there are any RUp's about that time down there, would hate to drive all that way and not get to go to one LOL...
BTW, made some more toamto leaf spray. Hope it takes care of an infestation of Harlequin bugs!!! They are breeding on my CORN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow, Fritch! We should gather up a couple others and at least do lunch. ;-)
When???