Best organic pesticides?
rose_crazy
12 years ago
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TheMasterGardener1
12 years agohoosierbanana
12 years agoRelated Discussions
Need organic pesticide for squash and stick bugs
Comments (6)I didn't have stink bugs on my squash last year. Pyganic kills stink bugs. Its on the list of bugs this stuff kills. it cost me 50 dollars for a quart last season. The product is slowly coming down in price. I use it to kill tarnish bugs and jap beetles on my strawberries. its good stuff. you can see the list of bugs this stuff kills right here. http://www.mgk.com/Crop-Protection/PyGanic_1_4.aspx...See MoreBest organic pesticide for house plant soil?
Comments (11)Interesting. From Wiki centipede article: " Centipedes are found in an array of terrestrial habitats from tropical rainforests to deserts. Within these habitats, centipedes require a moist micro-habitat because they lack the waxy cuticle of insects and arachnids, and so lose water rapidly through the skin." Doubtful the soil of your plant is also housing enough critters to sustain centipedes, though possible. I wonder if they just find it a convenient place to stay when not hunting? If that is the case, repotting may or may not help if they are generally in the building and just hanging out in the pot. Keeping the soil less moist should make the pot a less habitable environment. Elevating the pot so air reaches the drain holes well (and are a bit harder to find if you're a bug crawling around on the floor could also help, if the pot is sitting on the floor (an assumption that a $50 tree is that big?) Some centipedes do eat organic matter, so if excess moisture is causing roots to rot, that could be attracting them as well. SM's are usually on the bottom of leaves, so any spray should be aimed there as much as possible. Are the leaves of this plant smooth (without hairs?) If so, wiping them with a cotton ball that is damp (not dripping) with rubbing alcohol can remove them. SM's can also be rinsed, if it's warm enough to take it outside and hose it down. If the soil/root ball is not 'shifty,' you can also lay it on its' side and do that in the shower. Try to avoid getting the soil soppy wet, I usually put the pot at the other end from the drain. For plants that get SM's while inside, it's usually an ongoing battle to keep them at bay until plants can go back outside. They can show up from nowhere, so prophylactic systemic treatment before bring in does not ensure your plants will not get SM's later....See MoreOrganic pesticide for large market garden
Comments (3)The only thing I've found to work with vine borers and cucumber beetles is row covers. Two summers ago I had basically no cucumber harvest and very little zucchini harvest, despite planting every 2 weeks. Last summer I covered winter squash, zucchini and cukes with row covers until the plants flowered - I even did a bit of hand pollinating to keep the plants covered longer, but that got old fast. I had a decent harvest of squash and cukes all summer long. I still had cucumber beetle issues, but no squash borers. I use spinosad, insecticidal soap, and Pyganic as a last resort. I keep bees and am very careful about what I spray. In the last few years there's been a push to use spinosad over BT as it's supposed to be more environmentally friendly, but it will kill bees for a few hours after it's sprayed, so I try to spray early in the day or when it's cloudy. I never spray flowering plants. Insecticidal soap can be very effective if you spray often enough to kill larvae. It only kills soft bodied insects so is safe around bees and beneficials. I only use Pyganic when I have a major infestation, such as the Japanese beetles that decimated part of my orchard. Or when I've reached the limit of applications with other pesticides. I think the organic rules only allow me to spray insecticidal soap 6 times per crop (I'd have to double check that), so I have to switch to spinosad and Pyganic by the end of the growing season. The other thing I use is Surround. It's pretty effective in my apple orchard, but I have to coat 3 times, and if there's a lot of rain I can't keep up with it. I've tried on cucumbers, but the plants grow too fast to keep them coated. Surround does work well on eggplant, providing that you don't get too much rain. I only used Neem once, and it killed some bees so I never tried it again. I think if you use some basic precautions it would be ok, but I was under the impression it was nontoxic to bees, and I was wrong. It definitely kills bees. The fungicides we use are Serenade and to a lesser extent, liquid copper. I couldn't grow apples here at all without Serenade, I also use it for blight and powdery mildew....See MoreHelp Identifying Pest & Organic Remedy!
Comments (1)That looks to be more of a disease organism rather than the signs of insect damage. Basil is particularly prone to fungal issues so best to avoid crowding the plants (provide good air circulation) and avoid getting water on foliage. And Google "basil downy mildew" to see if that might be the problem and the suggested controls. As a first step, I'd suggest just pinching off any affected foliage. If that doesn't halt the problem you could also try the Neem oil - it has strong fungicidal properties. And is considered a safe, organic product. Just rinse thoroughly any produce that has been treated before eating. I'm not sure I'd be much concerned about the leaf miners. The damage they do is just cosmetic. It doesn't harm the tomato plants so no need really to treat....See Morerhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
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