...my brugs of infested leaves and still keep the blooms? (How was that for a topic heading?? I had to get your attention somehow! :-) )
I've been combating spider mites all summer and so far it's been an evenly matched battle.
I've been trying to stay organic with Neem and water spraying because of my small children, but now I think it's time to get out the big guns.
I've read about Forbid and Avid for spraying. What do y'all use as a delivery system? Should I buy a 1 or 2 gallon sprayer? And how do you get underneath the leaves? Getting the tops is easy for me as I am very tall. Do I need to put them in a "tent" of some sort?
Ideally, what I'd like to do is to strip them completely of as many leaves as I can, then spray. I'm hoping to leave them outside for at least until the end of October before putting them into the basement.
If you've kept reading this far, Thank you!! Any suggestions are appreciated.
LoraB
Can I strip...
I'm no expert, in fact I'm a newbie, but it doesn't take long to become a seasoned spider mite fighter when you have brugs around!
I strip leaves that are badly damaged.. It's easier to spray AND they won't recover anyway.. the new growth will be fine.
As for spraying Forbid, you don't need to spray the entire leaf like you do with Neem.. Just the top is fine. I only used a 1.5 gal pump sprayer in the beginning... Now I have a lil Black & Decker battery operated cordless sprayer and it's like the best thing since sliced bread! I don't know how I lived without it before!
Lora,
Joyce told you all you need to know, I used Avid, until I got Forbid, have seen NO mites all summer, will spray just before coming inside for winter. Ok to take leaves off, not to ruin the looks of the plant, but most bottom leaves. DH sprays with battery operated sprayer and can turn nozzle to go under leaves, but any he's missed don't get mites either.
Much luck, know mites are very pesky!
Gloria
Lora, I got my battery operated hand sprayer at Home Depot, I wanted to pick one up for a friend at Lowe's yesterday, but I couldn't find any there and of course no one around to ask. They are around 5 or 10 dollars and fit on a plastic gallon or half gallon milk jug. Every backyard brug grower should have one, they are nifty!
I was looking for that one AuntB!! I read your post somewhere about it and I would love to have one like that! Sounds so much easier! (Not to mention cheaper) I couldn't find it, and settled for the big one. I am going to keep looking though, it sound like a handy item for sure!
I went to HD looking and they had nothing! No sprayers, no Forbid, no Avid. I'm going to have to order something online.
AuntB, did you ever see that sprayer posted anywhere?
Darn. I didn't go to HD yesterday, and then today I was wanting to mix up some other bug killing stuff and I thought I had another one, but I don't.... I'll check out HD next week.... look here, mine was just the nozzle with tube and screw lid..... (long link, hope it works)
http://cgi.ebay.com/Cepia-1-Touch-One-Gallon-MOTORIZED-Power-Sprayer_W0QQitemZ120167269201QQihZ002QQcategoryZ75674QQcmdZViewItem
I bid on it.. thanks AuntB! It is a little smaller than mine (which I don't mind a bit) and I like the nozzle with the trigger instead of the button mine has. I've been to HD in two towns and couldn't find anything like the one you described.. but this one looks perfect!
I use that Bayer's 2-in-1 fertilizer with systemic insecticide. It keeps ALL insects off my brugs.
I bought mine last year, folks, sorry I didn't state it before....I've officially declared battle on White Flies! I used the bayer systemic, and worm castings and Safer insecticidle with bio neem and H202 mixture, and antistess 2000, and I tried some Greenlight Neem oil I got at lowe's Friday and there were still a few white flies this morning. It's been a month long battle and I just keep adding more "troups".