Well Sat. I found mites on my plants again, I checked the weather, and for the next five days we are supposed to be in the 60s so I have taken the largest ones out on the patio, sprayed them good, and plan to leave them there for the week, just hope we do not get sudden storm with Hail like last Friday, got several dings in my car because I was out to dinner. I hope in another couple of weeks they can all go outside permanantly, and once again I can be in Brug heaven.
Doris
OUTSIDE
I hope you are right, Doris. Housing the brugs is getting old. I'll wait until after the first of May to put mine out. I only want to have to move them once.
Well, shoot. It is 77 degrees, so I pulled them out the garage door, but they are staying right there so they can go back in when necessary and I'm sure it will be. Those in the house may go out to join them tomorrow.
This message was edited Apr 10, 2006 3:11 PM
Hi Doris,
What did you spray you brugs with? Last year when I had broad mites out the whazoo, the only thing that really stopped them in their tracks was a spray of horticultural oil.
Neem is ok, but the hort. oil was the best. I use the kind that is ultra light (Eco-Oil) and can be sprayed in the summer. Now I did spray at greater than recommended rates and caused some to drop all of their leaves, but hey it did the trick.
If you spray the oil at greater rates, it might cause them to drop their leaves, but they will rebound quickly and be mite free. And at this time of year that would not be that big of a deal. At least they would be mite free as they start out the season.
I plan to move mine out this week or next. And when I do they will get a good dose of hort oil.
Did I tell you that I hate broad mites? LOL Of the many years that I have been growing brugs, last year was the first year that I had broad mites and I HATE them with a passion.
YES I sprayed them well with an all season oil that seems to work well, I am so tired of fighting bugs this year, I am hoping I can leave them out as long as it does not get too cold, but I will keep my eye on the temps.
Broad mites seem to come with the territory in south florida. It is a constant battle. I alternate between Avid, Ortho Systemic and neem oil. That does the trick as long as i am religious with my scheduled sprayings. Every once in a while I may see a red spider mite but usually it's just the broad mites. If you stay with them you can definately get them under control. I did.
I pulled some of mine outside too--Im tired of the bugs too!! Im going to spray them off too and repot some--knowing I will probably have to pull them back in a couple of times if it dips to low and night--boy what a good feeling!!!!
I've pulled my biggest out. It's whiskers and stands 7' tall with a canopy about 5' round. It was a struggle to get it out of the basement. I had planned to leave it out for a couple of hours, but broke a couple of branches getting it out, and ended having left it out for a week now. It's lost all it's new growth, not had any frost, but much rain and now sun. I'm hoping it'll make it stronger now that it's got to basically start over again. Oh well, live and learn. The others are still on my covered deck, putting out nice new growth.
Linda
Oh Doris, hail on your car? No fair!! Mites are the one thing that makes me question growing so many of these plants. There are so many great flowering other plants that do not get mites every 5 minutes.
We did have sun today, but it is going to rain the next couple weeks I hear. Our weather has been so bizarre! So wet!