Hi all,
Is there a systemic insecticide that is safe for hoya? I have a corner of my growing area that is covered with mealies and they are driving me nuts. Its tough to use insecticidal soap spray when the plants are wandering around a computer desk. If anybody knows one that is safe for Passiflora too, I would be very grateful! Thanks, and I am very jealous of the recent pics everyone is posting!
Cheers,
Mtntrtl
Mealies
Yep er deeders, Mtntrtl, there is a systemic safe for Hoyas. If you check older posts, most of us use Bayer Tree and Shrub as a drench. I must tell you that it is not recommended for potted plants. I guess we are a bunch of non confomists as we use it at the rate of 1 oz per gallon and it is readily available at your local Walmart, Home Depot or Lowes. If you are a label follower, which is a good thing, there is also a Bayer rose spray that has the same chemical. Thus far, my results with the BT&S have been superb.
I have also seen dysiston (sp?) granules and have used that in the past. I imagine it is all about what is available in your area!
Mel
I never knew it wasn't recommended for potted plants...the nursery people here use it all of the time...as I have for 3 years and never a problem. The mealies will continue to plague flowers, umbels, rachis because the chemical is designed NOT to go out there....
Carol
I use the disyston (sp.) granules that are available by bonide, and it works wonders. Just mix them into the dirt, water, and they kill everything - even mites. I also use them strictly indoors, with 4 cats, and a couple of dogs, kids, hubby.....no nerve or neurological damage that is noticible. HA!! Other than the fact that we are all a little goofy anyway........I am careful to not really poke around in the soil though, and my animals leave the hoyas alone.
This message was edited May 31, 2007 12:04 PM
Just FYI Carol, check the label. It says "for outdoor residential use only."
Sara, I stoped using Dysiston (or whatever) because I brought back memories of the days I managed a greenhouse and used Temik. That stuff is DEADLY and banned years ago! Goofy is good! Hey, if we wern't crazy we would go insaine!
I use the Bayer on my plants *while* they're outdoors during the summer, and have no pest problems when I bring them back indoors in the fall.
Someone on the other forum actually contacted Bayer about using it indoors, and she was told by them (not word for word, here) that it is not designed for indoor use and they hope people are not using it indoors.
Then again, another guy from GW (Jon of gesneriad fame) uses Marathon, (same main ingredient) and states that his mother used it year after year when he was a kid as a 'dunk'.....seems that I read somewhere that Marathon was no longer being sold to the 'public'?
Does anyone know anything about that?
I've used the Bonide granules in the past, too, with success, but haven't used them recently.
They smell so terrible, I just have a bad feeling they can't be good for us, but I don't know.......after the first time I used them I made sure to wear a dust mask so I didn't breath in the vapors.
The stuff I've been reading in the past few years really has me scared, as most people don't have any symptoms of damage from insecticides for years after using them.
I really wish we had some 'concrete' information on long-term use these systemic insecticides indoors....but I've yet to find any!
I use Marathon...in the gh AND BATS. Actually, Thelma (dog) drank from the pan with the BATS solution and nothing happened. Marathon is a slower release.
Thanks for that info Mel...
Thanks All! I will give the Bonide a shot, I know I can get it around here. Maybe my poor plants can stop suffering.
Carol,
I was just in my local orchid shop and saw a shipment from you on the bench (Woodsprite Orchids). Glad to see your plants up here in Maine and I am very excited to have someone local with quality Hoyas!
OH yes...he is such a neat fellow!!!
Carol
I use something called Merit for mealies and whiteflies but @ $65 for 2 ounces of powder I only use it when I absolutely have to!!! I was born and raised here and never saw a whitefly until last summer and it was a MAJOR outbreak of them. The merit was highly recommended so I tried it and it worked very well
If the infestation of mealies isnt bad I just use plaing old rubbing alcohol full strength sprayed on with a $1 spray bottle.
dmichael
Please do check the health hazards of the chemical ingredients. When I did a comparison years ago, imidacloprid (in the Bayer tree and shrub, as well as Merit) was much more "palatable" than disulfoton (in some Bonide products).
I recently discovered BATS in granular form at HD so I've started using that in my mud mix pots. (It will fall through and out of chc and bark mixes.)
I am sure alot of people use these chemicals indoors, and have not noticed any real affects, but that does not mean it is a smart thing to do. Are you all going to say you have never heard that things like this can be affecting you without you knowing it, or could take years to show up as a problem? This is not something to be taken lightly, these chemicals ARE bad for us, and bad for the enviroment. Maybe everyone should have to live in New Jersey for a while to understand the dangers of chemicals?? ....anyway, this plant will be right under someones nose at the computer desk. Not good.
The alternative ways of ridding ourselves of bugs may be a pain in the behind, but it is only one plant, not such a big deal....unwind it, take it outside and spray it with rubbing alcohol a few times. And in the future, you should know what to look for so that you can get rid of a few bugs before they take over and make you think of taking drastic measures.
I no longer grow any plants inside my home and when I did I never used chemicals on them but as i'm thinking about I dont ever recall having any problem with a bug of any sorts on a live plant inside my house.
Only when I began to grow things in my gh's did bugs and diseases become a problem. And since I was raised up around plants and have been growing them myself since I was able to fill a pot with dirt, I kinda sort of know what to look for when bugs move in and can get the problem cleared up before it gets out of hand.
I'm with Bhav on not using chemicals on plants inside my house regardless of what the lable says. You dont know what the long term outcome of exposure to those chemicals might be on your family or pets. You may not see pets playing with your plants during the day but neither did I when I grew them inside,but it was a differernt story at night when the lights go out!
I cant even keep a cactus plant inside my house right now for the 2 cats that I have, Gizmo doesnt care if it has thorns or not. If it's a plant and it's in the house, its' property of the cat and to be played with!!!!
I only use chemicals on my plants if and when I have to so yes I do keep them on hand. When mealies or an other type of bug appear I always use either straight alcohol or a mix of alcohol,water and murphys oil soap and this seems to kill just about any bug that i've ever had a problem with and it's safe to use. When I get a fungal problem with plants I either use a mixture of baking soda( a natural fuungicide)or so I was told, and water or dont laugh at this one, tinactin or desitin foot spray.
dmichael
this was supposed to be posted along with my above posting but I forgot to insert it!!
that must be Gizmo, the Cactus Eating Kitty. He's one tough cat. My cat eats a few blades of grass and pukes all night.
You see the pose!! And that facial expression that is just saying "go ahead an bring another one in here"!!!!
I agree about the chemicals. I only use the BTAS outdoors. I go so far as to take plants out of the greenhouse when treating them. I understand that we do not know the long term effect of these chemicals and do not use them in my home. Just FYI.... the active chemical in BTAS is the same chemical used in Advantage, Frontline etc. to treat fleas.
I use Neem Oil and rotate with straight alcohol when I see signs of mealies. Mostly I hand pick and squish. I can't use chemicals outside as we are on a well so I hand dig every single dandelion that pops up. Neem Oil stinks for a day or two after I use it but it does give the leaves a nice shine. Neem Oil is 100% natural and really does seem to help. So for those wanting something "stronger" than hand squishing and alcohol Neem Oil is an option. It is a pain to use but I have found that if I use VERY warm water and shake the bottle as I spray that the Neem is very effective.
Hope this helps.
Kim
Kim, thanks for that info on Neem oil. My H. cv Jennifer has bloomed (finally!) and I discovered mealies on every peduncle. I ran in and got the spray btl with alcohol and did them in. Unfortunately, the smallest group of buds promptly blasted the next day. Now I'm back to hand picking them with ultra-fine tweezers if I see one. I'll give the Neem a shot.
Barb
I've used Neem oil on my passifloras Mtntrtl. It worked really well. Many of the leaves gradually went yellow and fell off but I suspect that was due more to the spidermites than the Neem. I take the plants outside to spray them and then bring them in when they've dried. Could you do that so you don't have to spray near the computer? It's interesting that a couple of years ago you couldn't find Neem oil where I live, now this year I see that all the plant stores sell it and even Safer's sprays have Neem oil added to them.
Sandy
Thanks All! I almost always use organics, but it has gotten out of hand. Usually, I use neem and safer soap. But with happy vines crawling around my computer desk, I am beyond the spraying point. I also have a bunch of Passifloras that are serving as a mealie highway. I will try some of the systemics. We have two cats also, but my cats learned very young that green was the color of pain. They dont eat any of my plants, so I wont worry about them.
Neem is great, it works as a suffocating oil and also has a larval growth inhibitor. Saddly, I am beyond the point of organics. I usually release beneficial insects in my house during winter, so I hold off spraying until I move things outside. But I dont want to move these guys, I would lose half the vines. I also have had good luck with rubbing alcohol but need bigger guns this time. I never had a problem until I started working at a nursery, the little hitchhikers infested my whole collection.