Everyone here has complained at one time or another about aphids, spider mites, etc. I have wondered why I haven't had the problem. The only problem I have had is grass hoppers. I finally figured it out this morning.
We live in a tobacco farming area, so as a joke my husband planted 7 tobacco plants as his "crop." I was walking around this morning and look what I found. All the buggies have gone to these plants. We have not even had to spray our garden this year!!
He has had a bacterial infection and has been sick now for about 8 weeks, so he hasn't been able to take care of them. And I sure don't!! LOL!! Here is another:
edited cause I sure can't spell this morning!!
This message was edited Aug 8, 2006 7:39 AM
lol well now, we should all plant ourselves a crop of that, just to keep off our goodies
sorry to hear hubby isn't feeling well, hopefully he will be feeling better soon
Where do you buy tobacco plants? Anything to keep the bugs off my plants.
I have the darn ole grasshoppers to and they can eat up a brug in no time. I hate them critters.
Nasty little bugs! Hope DH gets better soon, no fun having summer infections, seem to go on forever in the heat.
At least that's a painless way for you learn what everyone is talking about LOL Your poor husband and his poor plants :-(
ILast year was really my first year big into plants and this year I got the bugs bad, I've had aphids, spider mites, flea beetles, hornworms, and lacebugs! What a horrible introduction :-(
So next year you trade tobacco seedlings for Brug cuttings. What a deal for everyone!!!
Thanks for taking the time to post the pictures and info.
Judy
Hmmmm I have been finding big green grasshoppers on my brugs. It is the first year I have seen them. I wonder if those are what are doing so much damage. I do occassionally find cats too, but since I have never had the grasshoppers before, they my be what is taking huge chunks out of the sides of leaves. I thought it must be snails.
I have no first hand experience with this to know what are the ins and outs, but I was told or read not to plant tobacco near brugmansia because of the common Tobacco Mosaic Virus which brugs get. I guess you could plant resistant varieties.
Kell, these are planted in the very back corner of the yard, no where close to my brugs, but they are really bug magnets!!
What a great and easy cure, Melanie. I just thought it should be mentioned in case someone wanted to research that angle before they planted it in their yards. I was also told/read not to plant brugs near tomatoes and datura due to viruses. How much risk is involved, I have no clue at all! It could so small a risk, that it wouldn't matter.
Melanie I used to grow datura near my brugs in TN. I loved that the hornworms ate the datura and left my brugs alone. I just figured it was luck but maybe there really is something to these experiences. Cool!
Hope your Sweetie gets well soon :)
Unfortunately broad mites don't like datura, wish they have taken a likin' to them instead of my brugs.
Let's see, grow the tobacco plants at the far edge of the yard, the critters eat on them, leave the brugs alone and then the tobacco plants can be put in the blender to make poison to spray on plants other than brugs. If that would would work what a wonderful thing it would be, it would be well worth trying.
Judy
Kell, you info bothered me so I went back and asked some of our local farmers about tobacco mosiac. They told me in this day and age it was possible, but not probable.
Now if they would only take care of the grasshoppers! Those things have eaten holes in everything!!
Thanks for the good wishes for my hubby everyone.
Melanie
