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HELP! I'm now in a battle...

*Screaming as I run for the car in a panic stricken state*

I just checked my plants to see how they are coming along in their new homes and what did I find...Aphids!!! And only after 1 1/2 days of being planted out.

I'm currently a wreck...

Off to Lowe's I went and found some vegetable powder that is supposeto kill about 12 different bugs including aphids. Then I bought a duster and dusted the heck out of all of my plants. However, I'm thinking now that the spray would have been easier and maybe better. I know a lot of you like neem and other natural measures, but I really don't care if I'm all organic or not. I just want the best and quickest method. I'm open for suggestions, please...

A neighbor suggested that I take some chewing tobacco and dish soap added to a gallon of water and spray the plants. Does this sound far fetched?

If there is a good type of bug spray that I can buy, what is it called and is it easily available?
 
Go the neem - it does the deed hands down. Look out for ants running up & down the stems too...sprinkle some ant powder around if they're there.
 
Thanks Bent...Where do I find Neem? Walmart? I know that I must sound panic stricken and apologize. BTW, I just check and that dusting of powder sure works quick, all of the aphids that I found appear to be dead (I think)...I just don't like how the powder makes the plants look, they all look like it snowed or that they have dandruff.
 
yup - anywhere that sells garden stuff will have neem & a little goes a long way - my 8 oz bottle mixes out to around 13 gallons.
 
bentalphanerd said:
yup - anywhere that sells garden stuff will have neem & a little goes a long way - my 8 oz bottle mixes out to around 13 gallons.

Thanks Bent. I guess I'm off to Walmart after I eat...BTW, what is the difference between neem and the dust/powder that I just used? It looks like the powder will take care of the aphids and ants, plus more.

Just being curious. I want to best in my arsonal...
 
i'm not really sure...i know the neem is a little oily so it stays on the plant for a week or two..also doesn't affect benificial bugs like lady beetles.
I use a dedicated ant powder around the stem of my plants...those little B*'s will hide the aphids underground until the coast is clear.
 
bentalphanerd said:
I use a dedicated ant powder around the stem of my plants...those little B*'s will hide the aphids underground until the coast is clear.

LOL...Who would have thought that the bugs are working together to attack our prized plants.

Would you wait to use the Neem until the powder is all off the plant or just go a head and spray, kind of like a double attack.

*Lets out a sigh of relief knowing that there are allies here*

BTW, I don't know what I would do with out the vast knowledge of this site and all who make this place that it is.
 
Pepperfreak said:
LOL...Who would have thought that the bugs are working together to attack our prized plants.

Would you wait to use the Neem until the powder is all off the plant or just go a head and spray, kind of like a double attack.

well i suppose a gust of wind or a shower of rain & the powder is gone...so go for it now.

*Lets out a sigh of relief knowing that there are allies here*

BTW, I don't know what I would do with out the vast knowledge of this site and all who make this place that it is.

You & me both Pepperfreak...and a few hundred others lol
 
Hey Pepperfreak,

the tobacco and soap thing is a mild deterrent as far as I know. There are a number of sprays out there that contain nicotine in them to deter bugs, so it's not far fetched. I dont know it if actually kills the nasties, or just scares 'em off.

Last year, there was a show on here called Vasilli's Garden (??) and a woman he interviewed emptied her and her neighbour's ashtrays -- particularly the butts -- in and around her tomato patches. bleaaah! But, I guess the high nicotine would keeps the bugs out, and the wadded up cotton may have held *some* moisture.

Good luck getting the aphids,

RS
 
i'm pretty sure neem kills ladybugs too... if i recall, you can ask AJ about that one...

ants help aphids out cuz they like the sugary liquid that collects at the base of the plant from the holes the aphids make.

i use safers 'end all' it's insecticidal soap and pyrethrin, i just can't ever find neem. before i picked that up i just used dish soap and water, spray one day, hose down the next, repeat ad nauseum. whatever you apply, make sure to get the bottom of the leaves too, that's aphid central.
 
DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY YET ON WALMART CRAP!

Go to a garden store and pick upi "Garden Safe Brand Fungicide 3". It's a three in one product that really workks. It is a fungicide, insecticide, and miticide and it's got neem oil in it. Just try to kill as many aphids by hand as you can then spray it.
 
Okay...Well I'm back from my trip to Walmart (sorry IGG) and bought a 20 ounce bottle of "Garden Safe Fungicide 3-in-1 Concentrate" and a 1 gallon sprayer. This sprayer make 3 that I own now, one has been used for some heavy duty weed killer and the other was used for staining my pepper beds. This one I'll keep just special for the peppers, I'm naming it my aphid cannon...LOL

Question...When I mix this up (2 Tablespoons per gallon of water) do I want to add any dish soap to it also? AND...I noticed a precaution on the label that says not to use it on newly transplanted plants, will this hurt my young plants and newly transplanted plants? ALSO...Should I go a head and treat ALL of my plants with it, or just the ones that I know have aphids?

I know, I am full of questions, but going into battle only half prepared is a sure way to loss the battle and I intend on winning not just this battle but the whole war...

Thanks again for everyone's support and help.
 
bentalphanerd said:
umm i hate to say it but im not sure a fungicide is what you're after, they're not really designed for bugs.

Oh...I should have mentioned that this is 70% Neem and is the only "active" ingredient listed. 3-in-1 is listed and as a fungicide, an insecticide and a miticide. It was also the only product that Walmart had containing Neem. I hope that it is okay...I'm so stressed right now, I keep thinking the worst (that all of my hard work and months of caring for these 'babies' are being ruined by these...these *astards. That I'm going to wake up in the morning and find 104 plants all laying over with a grayish tint to them) Boy, I think I better go grab a drink.

*Walks out of the room and grabs a beer from the fridge*
 
bentalphanerd said:
*Whew*

...well what are you waiting for...go nuke some bugs:flamethrower:

:cheers:

Uhmm...Bent...It's like 11:18 PM here. The neighbors already think I have lost it with 104 plants and all of them peppers...LOL...I can see their reaction now if I go out there with a flashlight and start hunting aphids.
 
Pepperfreak said:
Uhmm...Bent...It's like 11:18 PM here. The neighbors already think I have lost it with 104 plants and all of them peppers...LOL...I can see their reaction now if I go out there with a flashlight and start hunting aphids.

Sounds like an excuse :D ...& a darn good one at that :lol:

Gallon sprayer at dawn it is LOL
 
am i the only one amused that you went to walmart and got the exact product IGG said you didn't need to go to walmart for?

it probably just means don't transplant them then immeadiatly spray them, too stressful. if you're seriously worried use the dish soap alone tonight, hose them off tomorrow (soap only works on contact, it won't keep killing them) then rain down chemical death the next day, buys you time until they're less 'newly' transplanted.
 
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