As gardeners we all deal with pests at one time or another, whether it be the lowly fungus gnat or the horrific spider mite. While many of us know about the "standby" pest management products, such as Organic Neem or perhaps Spinosad, there are also other options that work well to control insects in an organic garden, such as herbs like lavender or mints. What do you personally use for organic pest management? Do you regularly perform maintenance - whether you have bugs or not? What recipes or products have worked the best for you? This is an important subject in our hobby of organic gardening. Lets get some intelligent discussion going! J
On my first grow, although it was non-organic, I had used neem oil for spider mites which I did not like. I also made my own habanero pepper spray and spray with that for mites which was way better than the neem IMO. So if I ever come across mites again I will be choosing to make the pepper spray I am going to grow habanero peppers out just for that specific reason as well. I have heard of some other peppers can not recall the name right now but they are hotter than the habaneros, I am interested in trying those out some time.
Bhut jalokia (ghost peppers) Battling some mites now Jerry my man! Ill be stickin around for this one! If your considering organic stuff from the grow shop, cns 217 is some good stuff. Usable upto 3 days before harvest as a foliar. Almost had these bastards gone, the. I slacked off a bit. Lets see what good stuff gets brought up!
I had problems with mites a while back, actually, for about 3 consecutive grows. Never had an issue with fungus gnats, root aphids or any other pest than mites. Key word from the first sentence; had. I looked into organic/naturally derived pesticides, and I eventually wound up here after learning about plant extracts, or if your more the just buy it and be done type, essential oils. I'm not going to post detailed information on the individual compounds in the oils I use; I already did that in this thread here. What I will say is that you are only benefiting yourself and your plants by utilizing nature's own pesticides. Lavender oil, Rosemary Oil, Clove Oil, and Peppermint Oil all contain large amounts of natural chemical compounds that will decimate most "bugs". Another neat trick I learned from GC (who'd a thunk I'd learn something), is that by adding Chitin (crushed crab/oyster shells) and allowing the bacteria to break it down into chitinese makes for a wonderful repellant/preventative measure on soil based critters. Combined with neem/karanja cake and oil, there doesn't seem to be a need for anything else, at least imo.
the CNS 217 smells like rosemary so im assuming thats the active ingredient in that. also just did a watering with azatrol, also advertised as organic. and in veg ive been using neem as a foliar on water days. begingin to think the mites are building an immunity to the neem. thus the 2 new products im trying.
If I were to get anything, I would buy Rosemary and Lavender oils, steam distilled. Or if you have access to the plants, then make your own via steeping. Here's a couple links on steam distillation. http://infohost.nmt.edu/~jaltig/SteamDistill.pdf http://144.206.159.178/ft/553/73727/1264546.pdf
The active ingredient in SNS 217 is Rosemary; I discovered that after dropping 90$ on a bottle of theirs. It worked extremely well, but waaaaaaaaaaay too overpriced. So I did some digging, and discovered what a gimmick the whole pesticide industry is, along with nutrient companies; there is no need for them.
I use spinosad or pyrethrin based spray for mites but havs not had any mites show up for a couple months now ever since i ditched the bottle and have gone 100 percent organic I battle a fungus gnat here nd there butno mites.
I don't have first hand experience, but from what I've read and heard, applying a layer of diatomaceous earth about 1 - 2" thick as a topdressing will get rid of your fungus gnat problem. Or fine mortar/beach sand, though that'll probably cause poor drainage issues.
Great information guys. I came home last night to find, after over a year, the telltale little white dots on top of my leaves. Turning them over, there was clear (while using a magnifying glass) evidence of a very small amount of eggs on one of my plants. These are not the typical red spider mites, but are of an almost tan color. Either way, there was a very small amount of them and this, as you know, needs to be dealt with immediately. All of the rest of the plants in the flower room (there are 6 total) are obnoxiously healthy with no sign of mites. I took the one affected plant down into the cellar and mixed a batch of Spinosad (approved for organic gardening) and silica. I sprayed the living hell out of this plant - over, under and sideways until it was drenched and not a spot was missed. When using spinosad,, or any spray for that matter, its very important not to spray under light. Ive done it before and had the calyxes turn brown in an hour. By keeping the plant in the dark while the solution dries I had no ill or negative effects. This morning at 3am right at "lights-out" I made a second gallon and drenched the remaining 5 plants with the same solution just to be on the safe side. The one plant that got sprayed last night was now dry and went back into the flower room. Mites are the devils spawn - the bane of gardeners. Lil Bastards! Im sure I caught this in time. There was no webbing and the visual amount of mites I saw was small, but we all know how quickly these bastards can get out of hand. In several days this will all be repeated to break the egg cycle, but I believe I will be using a lavendar tea the next time. I'll decide then if a third application is neccessary and let you all know the results. Neem Cake teas, lavendar teas, organic neem oil plus the oils the GiMik referenced are all great pesticides. Please - keep your posts coming! j Please keep
Ive used organic neem cake and made teas by simply soaking and drenching and gotten fantastic results with fungus gnats. This is absolutely my preferred method - not only am I getting rid of the gnats but also gaining the massive nutritional benefits of Neems nutrient profile. j
Sounds even better than the DE, as long as it continually works. I've noticed my mites tend to build a resistance to the neem if I don't include the oils, as far as applying it via foliar spray. Seriously though jerry, check out the Rosemary oil, I bought mine online so I have some until I grow a couple this spring. My lavender/peppermint oils and some more rosemary oil just came in today, so I can finally have a complete protection coverage routine. One application and they're done. No more problems. l o l
Jerry I got hit with Mites hard and fast, knocked one plant completely out and this was right after my Kelp Booster meltdown, so she didn't have any defenses as is. I drench some rosemary I had in a seasoning bottle into some h20 and let her sit for 24 hrs, strained and added a 1' piece of live aloe plant as well as a teaspoon of Dyna-Gro Pro-TeKt. I also threw some stinging nettle leaf I had remaining into some h20 but I did a 5 day soak instead of 24 hrs, did the same aloe/Pro-Tekt. Within 2 weeks of alternating and applying every 3-4 days, not only were my plants standing and smiling but I have never seen another mite since. I think the only thing I would change would be using fresh rosemary, or organic rosemary oil, I need to try the lavender tea's I have even tried them yet, thinking my new balcony could use 2-3 of em HaGGarD
Yes X - exactly like Lilj said - they are Fungus Gnats. Neem cake tea applied several applications in a row, 3-4 days apart will take care of them and feed your plants as well. GiMik - I've noticed my mites tend to build a resistance to the neem if I don't include the oils, as far as applying it via foliar spray. There are several very important considerations here - first, there is neem oil from the hydro store, (Einstein Oil, Dyna Gro Neem Tree Oil and other bottled crap) which weighs in at around 1,500 PPM of Azadirachtin, the main organic compound that we gain as a our pesticide benefit, and then there is organic neem oil, such as those produced by Ahimsa (neemresource.com) and Neem Tree Farms from Florida. These organic oils weigh in at 4,500 PPM's and are cold-pressed. The extraction process is mucho important. See the difference? When you open these bottles or use the Ahimsa neem cake you will understand what I mean as soon as you open the bag or bottle. The second important factor here when using neem is the secondary, and, if necessary, the third applications. The first will take care of the actual insects. You're shit out of luck though, as soon as the eggs hatch on the underside of the leaves - thus the next application. The egg cycle must be broken or you will constantly pull out your hair. IF you use organic, cold pressed neem it WILL work, and work WELL, but you need to break the egg cycle. J
Haggard - as always, it's a pleasure. There is a product I want to play with that I am told is available right at Home Depot - "Eco Smart Organic Insect Killer". Insect Killer Concentrate for Lawns and Landscapes (32 oz. fluid concentrate) EcoSMART® Organic™ InsecticideOrganic Insect Killer Concentrate for Lawns & Landscapes Safe Around Children & Pets. Non Toxic •\tKills and Repels Over 100 Pests •\tUse on Lawns, around Home Perimeters, Ornamentals, Trees and Shrubs •\tTreats Up To 5000 Sq. Ft. •\tEnvironmentally Safe •\tWorks Fast!Kills by Contact PRODUCT FACTS KILLS AND REPELS Ants (including Carpenter, Fire Ants, Red Harvester, Pavement, Odorous and Argentine), Aphids, Billbugs, Caterpillars, Centipedes, Chinch Bugs, Cockroaches, Crickets, Cutworms, Earwigs, Fleas, Flies, Gnats, Japanese Beetles (adults), Millipedes, Mites, Mosquitoes, Sod Webworms, Spiders, Sowbugs/Pillbugs, Ticks, Wasps, Whiteflies and other lawn and landscape pests WHERE TO USE Lawns, Ornamental Trees, Shrubs, Mulch and Straw Beds, Around Home Foundations (Perimeter Treatments), Porches and Patios. SHAKE WELL BEFORE USING. READ ENTIRE LABEL AND USE ACCORDINGLY. Active Ingredients: Rosemary Oil……………………5.0% Peppermint Oil………….………1.0% Sodium Lauryl Sulfate………….0.2% Other Ingredients*………………93.8% *Water, Wintergreen oil, Mineral oil, Polyglyceryl oleate\t UPC Code I am told it works excellent - take a look at the ingredients. J
Please keep me updated on this! If you can get it right at homedepot I'll just get some on the safe side! Also these rosemary and peppermint oils? Where can you find them? In Home Depot and such or like wal mart? And when using these do you mix with water and just spray your plant? What are the measurements? BETTER SAFE THEN SORRY -Skunkyy