About the top 8 inches of my tequila Sunrise has been lopped off by something. It looks like it was cut by a twig girdler. Do those attack brugs? I thought they only got to mimosa trees. Don't know what got ahold of it. It looks like it has just been cut just below the y. I have it in a 3 gallon pot in my shade house and I thought it was doing well, it's only 8 months old. I don't see any other visible attacks on it or any of the other brugs. I have 9 others nearby ranging in ages 8 months to 3 months and they all seem to be healthy. Any suggestions? thanks...........
Susie
Tequila Sunrise problem
Do you have any grasshoppers? They are devastating my Brugs, eating leaves, branches and girdling trunks.
Just went out with a flashlight about 5 this am and found grasshoppers. Fixin to spray all in shade house and in yard. I guess I must have 20 in the ground and 6 in the shade house. About half have buds and about to bloom. Grasshoppers not a pretty sight.
Susie, I hope the buds get to open. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the grasshoppers don't find mine. I'm going to try systemic and if I can talk the nurseryman to sell me the NOLO, I'll use it. I have Neem Oil, but don't know if it would harm the tree frogs I have near the house. Will have to do some reading.
Oh, Susie, I hope you get all the buggers. Veronica, I'm curious about Neem and my little frog and toad buddies too.. Let me see what I can find on it, too. I think the hoppers aren't this far north, yet. (haha) That's all I'm saying about that, don't want to jinx myself.
Bettydee, I sprayed with neem oil last week and that did not seem to do the job with grasshoppers. Thats when I found the top sheared off. the other morning I sprayed with bug-b-gone and that seemed to keep them at bay. I sprayed my tomatoes as well as they had an infestation of stink bugs. Hated to use it as had to be careful I didn't spray my milkweed. I have several cats pupating on the milkweed. This morning I walked around the garden and inspected all my plants and did not see any ghoppers.
I had some systemic from last year and sprayed it last month but it did not seem to help. Don't know if that has a shelf life or not. All the buds seem to be doing okay.
Time will tell.
Have you seen any raspberry ants yet? Our county is supposed to have a heavy outbreak of them but I haven't seen any yet. I'm on the edge of Brazoria County and Matagorda Co.
We've had the raspberry ants for almost a year. I don't know how they could have skipped several counties to get here. All I can think of is that they might have hitched a ride when we've visited DH's mother in Houston. Earlier this year, they were after water and my laptop. For some reason, they left my DH's desktop alone. Now they are also after any bit of food as well. They bite!!! The bite is not anywhere near as bad as fire ant bites, but annoying just the same.
Neem is a contact pesticide. I haven't had a chance to do any research on neem, grasshoppers and frogs. I'm spending 10 glorious days visiting our sons in California. I've been told diatomaceous earth works and doesn't hurt frogs and toads, but I have found any literature to confirm or deny that. I'll just have to keep on looking.