Hello all,
Could someone suggest a good spray
or other method of treatment for the following
problem?
My brugs are all doing well indoors, looking
good, healthy, etc. The problem is, a few of
them have itty bitty cobwebs on them, and if
I look very closely, appear to be covered in
an ashy / dusty looking something with a lot
of little black dots.
It is hard to describe, but whatever it is appears
to be sucking the life out of the leaf, I think.
I don't know what it is, but it can't be good.
Many thanks for any suggestions on what it
might be or how to treat it.
Thank you so much.
Karen Marie
Itty bitty cobwebs and dots. Suggested spray for Brugs?
Sounds like a good case of spider mites, to me. You might find something in these home remedies that will work http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/423312/ or you can purchase miticides that will help too. They range in price from cheap to very expensive.
I agree with Shirley. It certainly sounds like you have spider mites on your Brugs. Good luck to you.
Erick
1-2ml Canola oil + 1 ml liquid dishwashing detergent per litre of water (sorry can't do non-metric :-( !). Keep agitating it to prevent separation.
Spray all surfaces till dripping. Inspect daily for mite activity and repeat as necessary.
I didn't believe this would work until I tried it!
Lots of good ideas in that link Brugie provided too!
This message was edited Dec 3, 2006 5:21 PM
Oh thank you all!
I had to leave for a while and came back to three great responses.
Thank you so much!
I know that using just dishwashing liquid in water works great for killing aphids too. I keep a sprayer full on my patio and carry it around the yard frequently when I do aphid inspecitons. This gets them before they become a huge problem. My father ended up using about 10 gallons of the mix on his oleanders last year because the aphids got out of control. It did the trick.
Tammie
Just a few drops of dish soap in a spray bottle? Does it matter which brand?
Lemon fresh?
*grin*
WUVIE
Oh Mercy!! Take it from one who fought those buggers all summer because our extreme heat and drought killed out their natural enemies, fast action is absolutely necessary. Brugie's recommendation is right on with using Avid but it is expensive! If you can't afford it or feel it is justified I would go along with what Alistair advised because this is the first I've heard of his treatment and he knows his BRUGS. I hope to goodness it works for you, but also strip off all the big leaves, tie them off in a plastic trash bag, do not pass Go, head straight for an outside trash container. Be sure to spray up under each and every leaf.
Here are some threads on the subject:
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/626741/
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/643963/
I totally recommend moving them into a room or place where it will not freeze but were the temp is between freezing and 50F, higher temps and those mites reproduce big time. Please read my research carefully to understand the reproduction cycle of the mites. Spraying every 3-5 days is a MUST.
If it were me and I had several, I would also treat them with Bayer Advanced Rose 2-in-1 which has a systemic pesticide and fertilizer. I would hate to fertilize them in the winter but it's better than the mites killing them.
Good Luck,
Judy
This message was edited Dec 3, 2006 7:45 PM
Hello Judy et all,
Thank you so much for all of your wonderful advice.
I did a bit of research on Avid, but found information stating
it must be purchased with a government license.
I'll definitely do what I can. I'm relatively new to Brugs and
seem to be having a great bit of success with them, so I'd
like it to stay that way. LOL
Karen Marie
Mites! Argh! Best of luck :-)
I have used Bayer's Systemic for shrubs and trees on all my potted plants, and not one aphid, scale insect nor flying insect to far -WONDERFUL stuff!
I'll second the "Bayers" I'm buying a case in the spring :)
Bayers tree and shrub should not be used against mites. it's active ingredient is imidacloprid which greatly increases mites egg laying abilities. Please research this or call the Bayers 1800#.