Pest Follow-up
I'm not sure what we're doing is working well. I'm also losing squash plants (and am dreading going out this morning to see how many I have left!)
Like I said in the previous post, I've sprinkled with DE and self-rising flour, but I'm really not sure that's helped. I think the DE probably helped with the potato bugs. And, according to TNFarmgirl, the S-R flour tackles Japanese beetles, which have made their appearance, now, so when I powder the beans, I go ahead and powder the squash, just in case it helps with the squash bugs (which, BTW, are now occasionally seen on the beans, too.)
The spray Keith came up with is about 6 tomato leaves, a couple of garlic cloves, a cayenne pepper pod, some ground cayenne pepper. Place in blender and fill blender to top line with water. Blend, add a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid to act as a surfactant, heat up a bit, strain well, and put in a spray bottle. This did seem to work, but I'm not sure about the dishwashing liquid and the tomato-leaf juice on growing veggies, so I've not used it in a few days.
A friend gave me a very helpful book, The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control from Rodale Press. I've not looked at a lot of books in this line, but this one seems to be the most helpful of those that I have checked out.
Hope this helps; if anyone finds out anything else that might help, let us know!!
Mary Susan
Like I said in the previous post, I've sprinkled with DE and self-rising flour, but I'm really not sure that's helped. I think the DE probably helped with the potato bugs. And, according to TNFarmgirl, the S-R flour tackles Japanese beetles, which have made their appearance, now, so when I powder the beans, I go ahead and powder the squash, just in case it helps with the squash bugs (which, BTW, are now occasionally seen on the beans, too.)
The spray Keith came up with is about 6 tomato leaves, a couple of garlic cloves, a cayenne pepper pod, some ground cayenne pepper. Place in blender and fill blender to top line with water. Blend, add a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid to act as a surfactant, heat up a bit, strain well, and put in a spray bottle. This did seem to work, but I'm not sure about the dishwashing liquid and the tomato-leaf juice on growing veggies, so I've not used it in a few days.
A friend gave me a very helpful book, The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control from Rodale Press. I've not looked at a lot of books in this line, but this one seems to be the most helpful of those that I have checked out.
Hope this helps; if anyone finds out anything else that might help, let us know!!
Mary Susan
posted by The Bradshaws at 6:51 AM
7 Comments:
Mary Susan,
Get some BT and a hypodermic needle. Inject the base of your squash (where the the vine borers are living...grubs) with the BT and it will kill the grubs and the squash will survive :)
Blessings,
Cheri
Mary Susan,
Thanks for the information!!!
grace and peace,
julie
Thanks, Cheri!
From the looks of things, it may be too late to save most of what I have right now, but I'll look for some BT and attempt to save what survives the weekend (if anything). Wish I could do it tonight or tomorrow, but our plate is too full for the next three or four days to even go shopping to look for BT! (Just where might one find that?!?)
Any good garden center should carry BT. (bacillus thuringiensis)
Cheri
Thank you so much, Cheri!; you are a wealth of ready information for which I am thankful!
Blessings,
Mary Susan
This is a great help! Thanks so much for sharing Mr. Bradshaw's recipe, we'll have to try it out.
We've been planting squash about every week or so to try and keep ahead of the squash bug. In previous years we've dusted, but I was trying to go all natural this year so I figure when they get bad enough I'll let them have the bush and I'll start harvesting from the new ones.
We've enjoyed your blog- Jane Boyd (Stephen's mom)
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