Quote:
Originally Posted by b54red
First off if you haven't had a lot of rain and no disease symptoms are present then I would just start with spraying Daconil and applying BT as a preventative for worms.
If you already are seeing disease issues then use the dilute bleach spray late in the evening and then the next morning or night use Daconil or copper depending on the diseases you are seeing. I find that copper seems to work better for spot and speck diseases and Daconil for most others and some of the spot and speck diseases. I like to alternate them from week to week and use the bleach spray when necessary and as often as necessary.
If I have to use a pesticide I like to apply it the next day after the fungicide and only very late in the evening to avoid harming bees as much as possible. I sometimes use a mix of food grade DE in a soapy water solution (make sure to strain it into your sprayer to avoid clogging) with some Permethrin to stop stink bugs, leaf footed bugs, aphids, spider mites and whiteflies. The problem with this mix is it is not selective and will kill almost any insects good and bad so don't use it unless the problem is out of control or you beneficials have mostly moved on.
I also use Sevin dust at the base of squash plants on the stem to prevent Squash Vine Borers. I use a bulb duster and apply it along the lower stem below the flowers and am careful not to get the dust on the flowers. I also use Seven liquid spray for certain hard to fight boring worms like pickle worms on cucumbers and squash when necessary. I also use it to fight those minuscule leaf eating worms that show up in spring and early summer on tomatoes and peppers if they get bad enough and to fight the stem borers that can hit tomatoes and cucumber vines though I have only had them a few times over the years. When it is necessary to use Sevin it is better to only apply it as far up the plant as necessary to take care of the problem and thus avoid spraying too many of the blooms which can hurt bees and of course spray it only just before dark.
So far this year I have used the bleach spray on my tomatoes, peppers, squash and cucumbers 4 or 5 times already and have used Daconil on all of them around 5 times and copper a couple of times since the spot and speck diseases just recently started showing up. I have used no contact killers like DE or Permethrin yet and hope I don't have to but I had to use my mix twice last year because of a bad infestation of leaf footed bugs and stink bugs.
None of the things I use in the garden are toxic enough to really need protective clothing when applying but I do avoid the mist and will wear a mask if spraying when the wind makes avoiding some drift almost impossible. I wear glasses so have never gotten any spray in my eyes but if I didn't I might wear googles when spraying some of them. If I do get a bit on my skin I will take a shower after spraying. You definitely don't want to breath the mist of any of them or get any in your eyes so use care when applying any of them.
Hope this helps.
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Thank you, this backs up my thoughts.
I've noticed some varieties are less affected. Most of what I planted are OP. It's kind of funny, the first variety hit hard was Big Beef VFFNTA - I've had to pull all Big Beef but 1 plant and it doesn't look good. I have sprayed and sprayed and sprayed. Okra, beans, squash, peppers, eggplant, tomatillos in the same garden look wonderful.
The other half of our tomato plants in raised beds look way better.
We had too much rain daily for too long. While spraying bleach/soap water this evening, and looking at the plants, I couldn't help but think, It's time to start the Fall garden.