which preventative sprays????
 

anyone have some input on these three sprays im considering this year as a preventative measure to keep my crops in order.... Im not sure what to use to keep the bugs and diseases away.
Oxidate from Johnny seeds
Pyganic from Johnny seeds
and Daconil from Home Depot
;)

What to use depends on the species of plant and the specific pathogens and pests that plague them in your area. No one product is effective against everything and there is whole bunch of other products besides those three.

A number of people here use Daconil (Chlorothalonil) as a chemical preventative against foliar fungal pathogens on tomato, mainly Early Blight and Septoria.

Oxidate (27% hydrogen dioxide) is supposed to be effective against Botrytis gray mold, mixed results on other fungal pathogens. Their new version Oxidate 2.0 formula has the addtion of 2% peroxyacedic acid. They also have an more cost effective RTU version for home gardeners that doesn't require HAZMAT shipping. The concentrated version is dangerous to handle without necessary precautions by the user. Haven't heard any reports yet here on TV from anyone who has used it.

Pyganic is a brand of pyrethrin insecticide. Other brands out there that are the same thing or similar active ingredient (Pyrethrum) in smaller quantities. Works good as a knock down insecticide. I have some, wouldn't use it again unless there is an emergency infestation problem. It also kills beneficials if you spray it on them.

Thanks I'm mainly concerned with blight, stinkbugs, aphids and mildews as they were my main problems last year. I didn't take a proactive approach and they got the best of me. Would like to try to use a pump sprayer this year and stay ahead of the problem if possible.

Don't worry if you get ahead of one problem another one will pop up.:P

Bill

[QUOTE=threex;402543]Thanks I'm mainly concerned with blight, stinkbugs, aphids and mildews as they were my main problems last year. I didn't take a proactive approach and they got the best of me. Would like to try to use a pump sprayer this year and stay ahead of the problem if possible.[/QUOTE]Unfortunately I don't know a gentle solution for stink bugs. They are like flying Sherman tanks. I go out with a portable vacuum cleaner (Dustbuster) and try to pick up the ones I can. If I had to use chemicals, I'd go for Ortho Bug-B-Gon Max but it's not even in the same zip code as organic.

If you can catch the stink bugs in the nymph stage they are easy to kill with insecticidal soap but after that it is a battle. I use to knock them in bowl of soapy water but they have become militant in my garden. They fly at me like a bird protecting a nest.

I finally found something that works pretty well. It is EcoSmart Organic Garden Insect Killer. It has rosemary, peppermint, thyme and clove oil in it. You would think it would smell pretty good with all those herbs but it doesn't. If you spray a stink bug or leaf footed bug they start staggering around like a drunk and within a few minutes they are dead.

[QUOTE=threex;402543]Thanks I'm mainly concerned with blight, stinkbugs, aphids and mildews as they were my main problems last year. I didn't take a proactive approach and they got the best of me. Would like to try to use a pump sprayer this year and stay ahead of the problem if possible.[/QUOTE]

How big is your garden?

[QUOTE=kayrobbins;402569]I finally found something that works pretty well. It is EcoSmart Organic Garden Insect Killer. It has rosemary, peppermint, thyme and clove oil in it. You would think it would smell pretty good with all those herbs but it doesn't. If you spray a stink bug or leaf footed bug they start staggering around like a drunk and within a few minutes they are dead.[/QUOTE]Wow I am going to buy that stuff by the gallon.

I use a mix of molasses, hot peppers(hottest you can find), garlic, neem oil(or veg oil if out of neem), and un scented dish soap. For stink bugs google "2 litre bottle stink bug trap" I'm gonna try it out this year and see how it does along with hand picking. Keeping space between your plants and pruning will make them easier to find. The molasses in the mix keeps caterpillars and tomato worms away. The soap and oil will kill soft bodied stuff and the neem and garlic help with fungal stuff

[QUOTE=RayR;402576]How big is your garden?[/QUOTE]

I have 6 15x4 raised beds

We use Oxidate. My FIL bought it for the raspberries a few years ago (and I thought he was crazy! the stuff is expensive I think he paid $200.00 for a 5 gallon container of it) We love it. It works very well for controlling the mold on raspberries in the wet humid weather and it is same day entry I do believe. I think it would be usable in the tomatoes, too.

Pyganics is also VERY expensive. I think the last time I looked at it it was also in the 500-700.00 range for a gallon, but I have no idea what the usage rate is, we couldn't justify the initial cost to find out.

RootLoops, I tried the 2 liter bottle stinkbug traps last year.
I wouldn't waste your time.
I don't think I saw 1 stinkbug in the 8-10 traps I put out.
I had a stinkbug lure in 2 of the traps also.
Heck, I don't think I even saw a stinkbug near the traps.
I am going back to my cardboard sandwich traps this year.
Best of luck to you! :D

thanks for that info, could you elaborate on your cardboard traps? anything to help with stinkbugs is great!!!

[QUOTE=threex;403304]I have 6 15x4 raised beds[/QUOTE]

For the size of your garden you should look at more cost effective solutions.
For Early Blight and Septoria on Tomato I use [URL="http://www.naturalindustries.com/retail/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13&Itemid=3"]Actinovate[/URL]

For Powdery Mildew on cucurbits I've found Neem Oil and [URL="http://www.organiclabs.com/Images/LabelImages/Retail/3-in-1%20Quart%20Concentrate%20Final.pdf"]Organicide 3 in 1[/URL] to be effective controls.
Organicide 3 in 1 also works pretty well to control spider mites last season.
You can also look at a Potassium Bicarbonate fungicide for PM like [URL="http://www.greencure.net/"]GreenCure[/URL]

If you have any plants that are subject to a Downy Mildew infection, [URL="http://www.organiclabs.com/Images/LabelImages/Plant%20Doctor%20Back%20Label%20Booklet%20Instructions%20for%20Use.pdf"]Organicide Plant Doctor[/URL] works excellent. [URL="http://www.agbio-inc.com/agri-fos.html"]Agri-Fos[/URL] is another brand of the same fungicide. [URL="http://www.montereylawngarden.com/product_information.aspx?242000p=7c28ab97-ec13-4fbe-864a-d9da1e8d6bd2&240000p=27a64150-73f3-4300-b53e-fdb4dc9e6ed5"]Monterey[/URL] markets Agri-Fos in smaller quantities.

Don't have any experience with Stink Bugs, I've only seen a few of those last season.

[QUOTE=RayR;403515]For the size of your garden you should look at more cost effective solutions.
For Early Blight and Septoria on Tomato I use [URL="http://www.naturalindustries.com/retail/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13&Itemid=3"]Actinovate[/URL]

For Powdery Mildew on cucurbits I've found Neem Oil and [URL="http://www.organiclabs.com/Images/LabelImages/Retail/3-in-1%20Quart%20Concentrate%20Final.pdf"]Organicide 3 in 1[/URL] to be effective controls.
Organicide 3 in 1 also works pretty well to control spider mites last season.
You can also look at a Potassium Bicarbonate fungicide for PM like [URL="http://www.greencure.net/"]GreenCure[/URL]

If you have any plants that are subject to a Downy Mildew infection, [URL="http://www.organiclabs.com/Images/LabelImages/Plant%20Doctor%20Back%20Label%20Booklet%20Instructions%20for%20Use.pdf"]Organicide Plant Doctor[/URL] works excellent. [URL="http://www.agbio-inc.com/agri-fos.html"]Agri-Fos[/URL] is another brand of the same fungicide. [URL="http://www.montereylawngarden.com/product_information.aspx?242000p=7c28ab97-ec13-4fbe-864a-d9da1e8d6bd2&240000p=27a64150-73f3-4300-b53e-fdb4dc9e6ed5"]Monterey[/URL] markets Agri-Fos in smaller quantities.

Don't have any experience with Stink Bugs, I've only seen a few of those last season.[/QUOTE]
How does daconil measure up against these? The organocide reviews don't look that great on amazon. May try that actinovate though

To have the organic fungicide products work well, you need to be spraying them before you ever see an issue popping up. They won't eliminate or cure the fungal problems. The daconil seems to keep the fungus under control once you have the blight started, but you need to spray regularly for it to be effective. We sprayed every 7-10 days last year for control. If you see a plant that starts early in your patch pull it out and dispose of it. Then wash yourself off before touching any other plants out there. Start a spray schedule if that happens or start a spray schedule before you see anything at all.

Daconil is purely a preventative, it blocks the sites where fungal pathogens gain entry in the leaf. It washes off easily so needs to be reapplied after it rains. I don't use it myself, but a lot of people here use it with good results.

Actinovate is an organic solution, instead of a chemical you are applying a bacteria (streptomyces lydicus wyec 108), which populates the leaf surface and produces strong antifungal compounds that kill fungal pathogens. The bacteria as they grow and reproduce glue themselves to the leaf surface, so they are more resistant to washing off. It should however be reapplied every 7-10 days for reinforcement. It also is good as a soil drench in the root zone to protect the roots from pathogens. It also plays a role in plant nutrition by mineralizing nutrients in plant available form, for instance streptomyces lydicus produces siderophores that chelate iron for root uptake.

I don't put much credence in negative Amazon or YouTube reviews for a product like Organicide. The negative results is usually the fault of the user not reading the instructions carefully, not using the proper dilution rate for the particular crop, not spraying in the sun, not using it on certain plants that are known to be sensitive to the product, expecting it to be effective on pathogens or pests that it is not even rated for.
Cornell has tested it over the years and has found it to be very effective against powdery mildew and even Septoria. I can vouch for its effectiveness for PM on cucurbits, I've never had PM on tomato that I know of. I've not tried it yet for Septoria on tomato, but I just may try it in addition to Actinovate this year.

[URL="http://www.organiclabs.com/Research/Organocide/Cornell%20Biopest_Tomato_PreReport08%20V2.pdf"]Efficacy of Biofungicide Products for Foliar Diseases in Organically-Produced Tomato [/URL]

[URL="http://extension.psu.edu/plants/vegetable-fruit/news/2013/integrated-approach-with-resistant-varieties-and-effective-approved-protectant-yields-best-results-in-organic-fungicide-trials"]Integrated approach with resistant varieties and effective approved protectant yields best results in organic fungicide trials[/URL]

Nice post RayR! i always appreciate support for opinions.

So, 12 hours before a light rain over a couple of hours time, I applied a mix of Organicide and Actinovate in amounts as directed on the packaging. So, I'm wondering if I should go right back and reapply, or alternate with a different product, such as Daconil. (or alternatively antifungals like copper mixed with mancozeb) My question really is, did the 12 hours of application time before rain of Organicide and Actinovate "take" or did they wash right into the ground? We look to be dry for a week or more now.

So far, insects aren't killing me, so I'm focused on disease.

Dewayne mater

I use Daconil on most of my summer crops and it is fairly effective which is about as good as you can get down here where it is so hot and humid. I also sometimes use a copper fungicide. Both do a decent job of prevention but once a disease gets going the best thing to use is a dilute bleach spray which will stop most diseases or at least slow them down a lot; but it is not a preventative.

Bill

I hope and PRAY that stuff works on my stink bugs!! They beat my tomatoes down bad last year!!!


Greg

[QUOTE=Dewayne mater;403707]Nice post RayR! i always appreciate support for opinions.

So, 12 hours before a light rain over a couple of hours time, I applied a mix of Organicide and Actinovate in amounts as directed on the packaging. So, I'm wondering if I should go right back and reapply, or alternate with a different product, such as Daconil. (or alternatively antifungals like copper mixed with mancozeb) My question really is, did the 12 hours of application time before rain of Organicide and Actinovate "take" or did they wash right into the ground? We look to be dry for a week or more now.

So far, insects aren't killing me, so I'm focused on disease.

Dewayne mater[/QUOTE]

I don't rightly know Dewayne, the Organicide being made of Sesame oil and fish oil sticks pretty well to the leaf surface. When I used it last season, it was hot and dry so I didn't see it under rain conditions. How tank mixing it with Actinovate works, I don't know either. I was thinking of alternating Actinovate and Organicide on some plants to see if the results are the same, better or worse than Actinovate alone.
Since you mentioned Daconil, I wondering if the Organicide would block Daconil from adhering to the leaf sites or even prevent a copper from adhering to the leaf well.

After the bleach what fungicide do you start back with or do you feed with foliar spray??Do you mix; mancozeb, copper or chlora....?Is so how do you adjust the rates per gallon?Full strength of both ect.??

[QUOTE=rick9748;705111]After the bleach what fungicide do you start back with or do you feed with foliar spray??Do you mix; mancozeb, copper or chlora....?Is so how do you adjust the rates per gallon?Full strength of both ect.??[/QUOTE]

After the bleach spray I almost always follow up with a copper spray two days later unless I am having Early Blight problems and in that case I like to use Daconil. I haven't been able to find any mancozeb locally but would like to mix it with copper as a preventive for bacterial leaf spot on peppers which has been more and more a problem the last few years.

For stink bugs I have found that Permethrin, food grade diatomaceous earth and Dawn dish washing liquid work great as a spray but I have a good back pack sprayer that can handle the mix. I think it would clog up a small sprayer. This is the same mix I use on spider mites which have already invaded my greenhouse so this year I am going to be proactive. We have had a week of very hot weather nearing 100 each day with very warm nights and I'm sure the spider mites are about to hit me big time. I am going to go ahead and spray in the next day or so and see if I can prevent them from getting a good foothold on my tomatoes. I usually wait until I see them damaging several plants before starting to spray but this year I think I will start early since the weather has been perfect for them to start showing up. They are probably already on some of my plants but not bad enough to be detected yet and I am still having flea beetle problems so spraying early may kill two birds with one stone. I will probably also add a copper fungicide into the mix because I'm pretty sure gray mold will soon make an appearance on my black tomatoes and it also helps keep mildews off my squash and cucumbers.

Bill