Information and discussion regarding garden diseases, insects and other unwelcome critters.
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June 17, 2016 | #46 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: San Diego-Tijuana
Posts: 2,594
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Lots of great nuggets of info in this thread. No more heavy pesticides for me. I've been using:
Spinosad sounds like a great addition to the arsenal. Whiteflies, aphids, tomato bugs, fungus and EB are my main enemies. |
June 18, 2016 | #47 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: VA - Zone 7A
Posts: 344
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I have a lot of plant leaves with a light dirt coating on them from the storm the other night. I want to spray Capt Jack's this morning. The ground is still really wet. However I am able to walk in the garden without mud sticking to the bottom of my shoes.
Should I wash off that dirt coating before applying the Captain Jack's Deadbug Brew™ Conc. by Bonide? I know it sounds like a stupid question and to me it seems I should wash it off. What I wonder is if it will really matter? I am sure farmers aren't out there washing off all the plants every time it rains. Anyway i am allowed 2 stupid questions per day and I am off to a good start. lol |
June 18, 2016 | #48 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: VA - Zone 7A
Posts: 344
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Well I took a new 1 gallon sprayer out and added just straight water. I ran through 2 gallons so far cleaning all the mud off my plants. I am not done yet, just taking a little break. Then it hit me that I should just hold up again on the spinosad.
If I am out there trying to get all the mud off first before spraying. Then I should just go ahead and use bleach, soap & water. Then come back with a insecticide and or fungicide after sundown or vise versa. Maybe this is one of the main reasons the bleach works so good then. I am sure if your out there with the bleach then you a certainly rinsing off all the mud you can as well. That's has to be a good thing. So I am switching to the bleach solution in order to wash off the mud and of course trying to keep the mold spores down. |
June 18, 2016 | #49 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: VA - Zone 7A
Posts: 344
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The sun came up a little to high once I got back out there. So I just stayed with straight water. All my plants are pretty clean now so I should be set for an evening spray.
I noticed it takes much more water to clean the plants off after a rain. I am sure i used 5 or 6 gallons of water at least to clean them all. The pepper's and tomato's weren't even that dirty other than dust from my dirt road. (Which is a whole other subject that I am studying). God only knows whats been applied on the dirt road in the winter from the County. One thing is for certain the dust from the road coats my garden every day from the a-holes driving to fast up and down the road. Anyway when I am spraying chem it only takes 1 gallon in my tank to do my whole garden. It's a 20x40 with some side plants in bags, half barrels & buckets ect. Just some thoughts before I make my notes for the day... Bill |
June 19, 2016 | #50 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Southeastern Pennsylvania
Posts: 1,069
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So far, I've never had serious pest problems on my tomatoes aside from some caterpillars that got into the fruit (and rodents, but that's a different issue). Sure, there was some minor foliage damage, but certainly not enough to endanger or really slow down the plant. Not like a hornworm problem, which can rapidly defoliate. So if I see caterpillars, I spray around fruit with Bt or spinosad. If I saw a major infestation with something like aphids, mites, etc., I'd use neem or insecticidal soap or something, probably. But if I only see a few, I'll leave it up to the predatory bugs to keep them in check. Partly because I like to keep the flora in balance in the garden and not do anything unless things are already badly out of balance, but mostly because all that spraying is time intensive and can get expensive, and I already have enough to deal with spraying regularly to prevent fungal infections.
I plant a lot of flowering plants that are supposed to attract predatory bugs and intersperse through the yard. Seems to work OK so far, and if not, I can enjoy the pretty flowers and their fragrance! I'm thinking of spraying the fruit with a capsaicin formulation like Hot Pepper Wax because we are overrun with squirrels and chipmunks this year, and I'm still worried that the voles might come back. |
June 19, 2016 | #51 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: VA - Zone 7A
Posts: 344
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I have never even heard of hot pepper wax. So that's a new tool in my arsenal. As i do have squirrels & stuff. Hum it does look expensive though. I wonder if I can make my own with my harvest of hot peppers this year for the next?
Thanks for the tip on that one! I finally sprayed the Capt Jack's last night. I so wanted to tank mix it with the Daconil. So i could cut out 1 more step in my spray program. I didn't do it thou, maybe a little later in the summer when I don't have so much to loose. I did spray a tank mix of Daconil & BT on the 15th with no ill effects that I can tell. I did see where the late blight has arrived here in Virginia. I had no idea that this is what caused the Irish Potato Famine from the 1840's. So I need to step up my bleach program. I am not even sure it will help... http://blogs.ext.vt.edu/ag-pest-advisory/ Regards Bill |
June 19, 2016 | #52 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Southeastern Pennsylvania
Posts: 1,069
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I haven't used it yet, either, but it looks promising. Yes, it's expensive. I figure I will try it this year, and if it's successful, I'll look for ways to make my own. I don't grow super-hot peppers, but capsaicin is pretty available in various forms as a supplement, topical, etc. Seems like a combo of capsaicin and oil (neem, if you also need an insecticide or for an antifungal boost) would do it, although it probably wouldn't have the same staying power against rain as a formula with paraffin. Getting the proportions right would be tough, though, but I don't think capsaicin burns plants the way it burns people!
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June 20, 2016 | #53 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: VA - Zone 7A
Posts: 344
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Quote:
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=35928 I hope i don't get into any trouble putting her post into this thread. Her spray regimen is of high value to this topic. Please forgive me... |
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June 20, 2016 | #54 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Illinois, zone 6
Posts: 8,407
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I just sprayed Spinosad. It looks like the quart bottle is only going to last long enough for me to spray twice. The Met52 is 3x the price, but goes 4x farther.
I just noticed the potato beetles that were eating my eggplant, which I sprayed last week with the Met52. It looks like they are still eating the plant, but I noticed the sun has faded their red shells to pink; they've been dead a few days. Met52 reminds me of the superflu from Stephen King's The Stand. |
June 21, 2016 | #55 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Alabama
Posts: 7,068
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Quote:
Bill |
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June 21, 2016 | #56 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: VA - Zone 7A
Posts: 344
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Thanks for the answer man. That certainly helps to confirm things better.
Here is a thread that all the usual op's are talking about gray mold. It's from the 2013 growing season. I see where another tank mix comes to light with copper and manzecob. Interesting read indeed... http://tomatoville.com/showthread.ph...rd+Copper+Soap I have been searching for a thread where all the different chemicals are broken down into categories. Meaning organic or not & maybe someone else's search-fu on here is better than mine. Surely someone has put together a list? |
June 21, 2016 | #57 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: VA - Zone 7A
Posts: 344
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It also seems that not all copper sprays are the same. There are certainly a few to name out.
Bonide Liquid Copper Fungicide Concern Copper Soap Fungicide Natural Guard Copper Soap SoapShield from Gardens Alive Southern Ag Liquid Copper Fungicide I am sure there are even more. Has anyone ever created a database for the home gardener? Can anyone name some more products? |
June 22, 2016 | #58 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: VA - Zone 7A
Posts: 344
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Another for the list...
DuPont - KOCIDE 3000 DF Fungicide/Bactericide 41.6% Copper Hydroxide |
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