|
|
Post by Alan on May 10, 2007 23:11:50 GMT -5
What is a good controll method? I have never found a good one that I didn't have to apply every two days and goodness knows I need some help with them right now since I just lost upwards of 400 plants.
|
|
|
|
Post by ohiorganic on May 11, 2007 16:37:26 GMT -5
Alan, What I have done for the past 10 years is the following: Put row cover on hoops over the seedlings (eggplant will not tolerate row cover straight on top of the plants) than Get a hold of www.Tanglefoot.com. Get some 16 oz or smaller water bottles (with lids) out of the trash, fill them with water and smear them with a light coating of Tanglefoot. Place every 3' to 4' in the row of eggplants. The way this works is the row cover keeps the FB's in the area and does not allow any new ones to enter. During the day the water filled sticky traps heat. At night the air cools down and the warm bottles are irresistable to the FB's and they hop on to them and stick. You should have 95% to 100% control in 48 hours. I use this for eggplants and arugula with great success, I have not lost an aubergine seedling since I started doing this and it also keeps the arugula very very clean. |
|
|
|
Post by bluelacedredhead on May 11, 2007 17:21:03 GMT -5
Oh Wow!! What an amazingly simple fix!! Thanks Ohiorganic.
The only issue I have with Tanglefoot is, once you've smeared that stuff on a surface, it's nigh to impossible to remove. Is the landfill the only solution for Tanglefoot treated surfaces, like apple traps or these Flea beetle bottles??
|
|
|
|
Post by downinmyback on May 11, 2007 17:46:49 GMT -5
Does this not caught good bugs with Tangle foot.
|
|
|
|
Post by bluelacedredhead on May 11, 2007 21:19:11 GMT -5
I use it on apple moth traps and sometimes on the trunk of the old apple tree. But it's just sooo annoying when the season is over, trying to find a way to store the traps with all that goo on them..I know. They tell you to scrape the goo off with a knife or a stick...So gooey knife or stick now is a problem?!?!
|
|
|
|
Post by ohiorganic on May 12, 2007 3:47:34 GMT -5
GardensAlive sez you can use vegetable oil to remove tanglefoot or you can smear it on plasic baggies when using it on hanging traps for trees and toss the bag, not the whole trap.
Yes Tanglefoot will trap some beneficials but under row covers this is usually not a very big issue
|
|
|
|
Post by lavandulagirl on May 15, 2007 13:29:16 GMT -5
For some reason Tanglefoot is hard to find in this area - finally got a tube today. All my saved up glass jars and bottles are filled up with water, and smeared with goo. I have also Tanglefooted my shirt to the goo gun. And some straw to my sandal. And my soap dispenser to the dish towel. Very nice. I'm pretty sure this is why I was on paste restriction in preschool. 
|
|
|
|
Post by bluelacedredhead on May 15, 2007 14:15:18 GMT -5
No worse than me using sticky paper traps to kill gnats?? in my bedding plants and getting the traps caught on the seedlings...ripped their poor little heads right off. Good thing I plant more than one of most things....
|
|
|
|
Post by Alan on May 15, 2007 18:20:04 GMT -5
Or me hanging yellow sticky traps in the winter greenhouse for white flys and constantly getting them stuck in my hair which is no fun! And it's kinda gross! ewwww...bugs! GRRRRR. And I raise worms?  |
|
|
|
Post by lavandulagirl on May 15, 2007 19:27:09 GMT -5
Perhaps we should start a recovery program for stick-um abusers.
"My name is Elizabeth, and I'm a goo abuser." (step one is always admitting you have a problem)... I can't progress til I can think of someone I've wronged through my habit. Maybe I should apologize to the person who has to use the sink taps after me. Can't be pleasant to stick to the faucet! Or the screen door handle coming into the house. Hmmm... the list may be longer than I thought. I might need stationery. And stamps. But wait! Stamps have sticky sides! Good grief! The Postal Service is enabling me to backslide! Everyone's against me... I think I'll go have a bowl of paste. And I can handle just one....
|
|
|
|
Post by bluelacedredhead on May 15, 2007 19:33:17 GMT -5
And just think Lav, if you don't put enough water in your oatmeal, you can have Goo for Breakkie too...EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWw This is Pastitively DisGoosting  |
|
|
|
Post by lavandulagirl on Jun 5, 2007 8:23:51 GMT -5
Okay, so the Tanglefoot is working, but there are still some flea beetles. I've never really dealt with this many before. The plants are continuing to grow, so I'm not too concerned, but I was wondering... will these bugs eat the blossoms and fruits? I'm going to put some more DE out there today, since I need to put it in the squash bed beside the eggplant. I'm not full-on organic, but as I've said, I prefer to be as close to it as possible. Is there a spray I can use before fruiting, if they indeed attack the fruits?
|
|
LoreD
gardener
Posts: 226
|
Post by LoreD on Jun 5, 2007 13:06:29 GMT -5
LG,
This is the first year that I have been using Surround and its working really well with the eggplants. Usually no matter what I tried I had plants with lacy leaves. This year the minute I saw the flea beetles I sprayed and haven't seen one since. Its been standing up to the rain. I only had to repeat once after it rained three times. A small bag lasts a really long time and its completely organic too.
I've never had a problem with the flea beetles attacking the fruit but it is safe to spray on fruit, just a lot of work to wash off.
Surround is finely ground kaolin white clay that is mixed with water and sprayed on the plant.
LoreD
|
|
|
|
Post by johno on Aug 11, 2007 23:17:15 GMT -5
I wonder if mixing DE with water and spraying it would work as well?
|
|
|
|
Post by Alan on Aug 19, 2007 21:58:16 GMT -5
I don't know, unfortunately this year I had to give up on my eggies and didn't get a single on off of the plants, I just had entirely to much else to do here on the farm, but next year it is going to be organic warefare on those little bastards since I plan on trialing about 10 varieties of eggplants.
|
|
