seeds Seed Predators

[Hawkeye]

Thanks for the info Patrick & Siliman.Was not aware of the problem,now I can look out for them.

 

[stickman]

will soaking seeds in peroxide or bleach solution prevent these?

Yes it will. Check out the gardening tips for starting peppers from this "Amish" website. They have great seeds too.

http://www.amishland...garden_tips.htm

The other thing is to keep them well separated from more established plants that you are overwintering. We are overwintering plants in the house in front of a south facing sliding glass door, and have f-gnats in all the pots. We knock their numbers down with sticky traps and letting the pots dry a bit between waterings but they don't seem to bother the plants at all. If you sterilize the seeds with a chlorine bleach and water bath and only use sterile potting mix to start seeds you shouldn't have them appear in the first place unless you have them present in other nearby plant pots. That's why I start my seeds in my cellar in a grow tent.

 

[PIC 1]

You can also purchase "larvae" eating Nematodes......it's not cost effective but they'll clean out your soil.....

Greg

 

[PaulG]

Can you use neem oil for the soil and the larva inside the soil?

I would not use Neem in such a way that it enters the vascular system of the
plant. That means it's also in the flesh of the peppers you are going to eat.
Neem, IMHO should be a topical only. There is a ton of hype around Neem
Oil - Big growers, lots of marketing and suspect 'research'. It is not totally
benign. I know it's used for human consumption products in India, and it's
use borders on religion. Caveat Emptor.

 

[Siliman]

...I would not use Neem in such a way that it enters the vascular system of the
plant. That means it's also in the flesh of the peppers you are going to eat.
Neem, IMHO should be a topical only...

Hmmm, seems like 'topical use' would also result in getting into the plant's system--in fact probably more efficiently than through the roots. Hopefully anything applied now would be long gone by the time pods form. The product specifies a time frame for that.

I'm sure everyone would like to have a 'bad bug' free grow. But sometimes, especially indoors, you gotta pick your 'poison' or just lose that batch of plants. Proper ID of the bug and the extent of your problem is essential before applying the right counter-measures, and using little as possible.

The larvae-eatin' nematodes sound awesome. There are some great growers using completely natural methods. But I'm guessin pretty few and far between if you consider every aspect of a grow....

 

[theghostpepperstore]

This has been my first year using Neem and I agree that the product is a bit hyped. It does work, but after using it for a few months I have noticed that it seems to build up on foliage and gives it a waxy appearance which cannot be good for the plant's respiration. Also, the bugs will just eventually move to the next branch or next plant until they find a place to munch that hasn't been sprayed yet. I have tried spraying the top layer of dirt on a few plants to see if it would help with the f-gnats with no effect, but I can't say what effect drenching would have.

I just received a small bottle of AzaMax which I used as both a spray and drench yesterday. I can say that I saw zero f-gnats this morning when I was in the greenhouse, I will check again this evening and try to get a better idea of the results.

 

[PaulG]

Hmmm, seems like 'topical use' would also result in getting into the plant's system--in fact probably more efficiently than through the roots. Hopefully anything applied now would be long gone by the time pods form. The product specifies a time frame for that.

The only place I use neem is on pods at the first sign of chewing activity. I don't wholesale spray, or spray the leaves. From what I have read, neem forms more of a coating on the fruit, which disrupts insect feeding and metabolism rather than killing them outright. I also think it is easier to wash neem oil off the pods with some vegetable soap when they are harvested. If it is used as a soil drench, or sprayed on the leaves, it seems like that would guarantee that it is taken up by the plant. As with any insect control 'natural' or otherwise, caution is advised. Just don't use anything wily-nily. Every form of control has a possibility of unintended consequences.