im not sure what it is. i thought aphids cause i saw ants but i didnt actually identify. on second thought i think it spider mites going by the way the damage looks. on the bright side, checked the plants this morning and found nothing! pepper plants that was looking really droopy and sad is now perky again, so im going to stick with the neem+lavender+soap for now.
Cinnamon works well on ants as a barrier Sccoby. They hate the stuff. Cedar oil works on them as well.
really? nice thanks mainah! was just about to head out to get something but i have both cinnamon and ceder oil! how would you suggest i apply this? spray on the floor and sides of the pots? spray the plants?
you got Borax? that is awesome for ants. they take it back to the nest and it kills them. theres directions online. worked well for one of my cleaning clients. she was using DE and still couldn't get it to stop but since they take it back to the nest it stops it entirely.
what about scale? i bet it could be that. i can't see your pics very well sooo... scale plants photos - Google Search
yeah I was about to say based on the nodules on the stem, and the frilly edges on the bug, and its pinkish hue, looks like scale or mealybug. used to be an old species of fuschia in the bay area that died off from an endemic mite years ago. in my garden there was a bush that must have been over 80 years old, and it was so strongly established that it somehow survived. but any starts from its seeds were beset by the endemic mite and subsequently killed by those pinkish bugs burrowing or sucking and forming those things on the stems. My first mmj grow was next to these fuschia bushes, and regular neem and spinosad kept the mealybug from ever spreading to the cannabis. One thing I would highly suggest is clearing the mulch away from the stems so decaying leaf is not contacting your plants stem directly. I also had 2 cannabis starts along with some mint that I threw out in the garden in february as soon as it went above 32 degrees just to see what would happen. same bug affected my mint and cannabis starts while they were stressed by the cold, ended up tossing the affected pot because the mint was badly hit. the ganja could have recovered but was too early in the season.
those nodules turned out to be roots lol! i just done spraying neem and hot pepper and left the cold mister on with cinnamon EO running for the night.,
I wouldn't spray cedar oil on your plants Scooby. With cinnamon, they won't cross a barrier of dry cinnamon so it's a good way to keep them out. Like ml said, soap works great on aphids.
hey scooby! i was thinking about those mealybugs and i think spinosad with some soap to help break down the waxy parts would really work. since it's covered in wax, its hard to get them with a contact spray but spinosad is translaminar and goes into the leaf tissue. pyrethrums have a long residual on the leaves so maybe that would be helpful. manual removal seems to be good too but don't compost it, burn it or dunk in some bleach water. or whatever.
cant get spinosad here, maybe in some product for hair lice. seems like these mealybugs are kinda hard to get rid of. i would just throw the comfrey, or at least throw it and just keep a root cutting, thing is i already added some leaves from another comfrey plant, which i havnt checked for bugs but most its leaves are in the no till so idk... for now im spraying neem, spike lavender, cinnamon (read its good against mealybug) and soap every day at lights out. gonna check tomorrow some place that sells mealybug destroyers.
i can order spinosad from amazon, not all products ship to my country but the ones that do are: captain jack dead bug brew Monterey Garden green light Southern Ag Conserve Naturalyte Insect Control there is also azamax but id rather not ship stuff to my house from GH.
Any fine powder will keep the ants at bay. Comet, diatomaceous earth, talcum powder etc. They hate getting fine stuff on their bodies. Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
Arbico makes a granular essential oil pesticide that has directions for ants. It says several inches wide in a circle around the nest. I think it's sugar with essential oils. If you take Epsom or sugar and add essential oil and mix it up, the oil doesn't dissolve the sugar or salt. How you make bath salts. Not too sure how they do it but that's what it sounds like. I think borax would work best.
morning folks! i ended up buyinh some professional grade anti ant stuff! shit comes in a syringe and isnt cheap but w/e. checked my comfrey plant again, checked every single leaf since it doesnt have many and only found mealybugs on some (and only young juveniles, no adults) so i took those leaves off and discarded them. also ordered some Southern Ag Conserve spisonad.
Arbico and Natures control are great pest control resources. I routinely introduce Arbico's Amblyseius swirskii and beneficial(predatory) nematodes, and Nature's Control's 'Triple Threat' predatory mites(three different species with slightly different environmental and feeding desires). The companies recommend that you sprinkle the predatory mites(including vermiculite) over your plants, I don't suggest this in flower, but it may be effective in controlling a broad infestation in your veg/nursery space. I usually transfer the bugs and vermiculite into coffee filters, and clothe pin them near the main stem, about halfway up the plant. Some of the mites like to work their way up the plant to feed, and others like to go down to the soil for more moisture, cooler environment and to feed on pests seeking a similar environment. I have maintained/managed soil dwelling beneficial mite populations for up to 4 months in smart pots, containing coco coir only and growing with synthetic fertilizers. I bet some of these would absolutely flourish in your organic, no-till setting. In my state we have Monterey garden's spinosad spray and Nuke-em(cinnamon and citric acids) as popular organic liquid pest controls. I usually don't need them, so I'm not very familiar with the pricing, but I do keep a bottle of each on hand just in case! Beneficial bugs can appear to be expensive at first, but I believe if you are a good enough gardener to maintain no-till organics, you can probably exceed in cultivating your own beneficial bugs after the initial purchase or two. It's similar to growing organically versus synthetic; organics(good bugs) may cost more immediately to prepare your soil, but that soil could last three or more years. Or you can go buy a short term, quick fix, bottle of nutrients(pesticides). If you are combating a pest that is uncommon to your area or that is well-established, it may be worth using strong pest control methods, but for common pests and preventative measures I always suggest looking into some of the bugs available. P.S. I usually introduce my beneficial nematodes 2-6 weeks apart from The other beneficial mites or insects, as I fear the beneficial nematodes could also attack the soil dwelling beneficial bugs I may have introduced before I get my money's worth from them. This may be an unnecessary step; I haven't done the research or applied at the same time to see if there is conflict between the two.