Pollination and pepper spray

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White_Hydrangea Aurora, CO(Zone 5a) Jul 21, 2006

I've been spraying my plants with pepper spray and tossing Shakek-Away around. The hot pepper wax seems to be working at least a little at keeping the invaders at bay. But I've heard that zucchini and potatoes won't produce unless they've been pollinated, and I assume that what will keep the bad insects away will also keep bees and other pollinators away.

What do I do? If I stop with the hot pepper wax, the flea beetles and varmints will come back. Yet I don't want to do all this and then have no edibles to show for it.

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fly_girl The Woodlands, TX(Zone 8b) Jul 21, 2006

I know it's kind of late now, but have you tried companion planting? Catnip and sage, and there's others, are supposed to repel those nasty flea beetles.

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White_Hydrangea Aurora, CO(Zone 5a) Jul 21, 2006

I did try planting catnip, but the sprouts would get chomped almost as soon as they came up. Ditto the marigold sprouts.

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Horseshoe Efland, NC(Zone 7a) Jul 21, 2006

First off, don't worry about your potatoes producing or not due to pollination...they don't need to be pollinated to produce. (They don't even need to make flowers.) Zuchini does need pollination but I the hot pepper spray will have no effect on the bees that do the pollinating unless you decide to spray all the flowers. I'm assuming you are only spraying it on the foliage to combat the flea beetles?

I'm not familiar with Shakek-Away...what is that? Is it for rabbits or deer, or for insects/bugs?

Also, for flea beetles you can try dusting your plants with talcom powder. It sure helps me, you just have to keep it on the plants so dust them every other day or so. Once your plants get up in size they'll usually survive in flea beetle damage/attach.

Shoe.

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