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Serious problem in Florida and some solutions

So growing here in Florida poses several challenges, of which one I would like to mention and the solutions I found. Whiteflies and other pests are a real pain to deal with, and with a lot of these comes parasitic fungi of different types. There is a fungus in Florida that if you cannot get rid of whiteflies or aphids and others that produce milky secretions, it will just sweep in and wipe the plant out. I just had this happen to a Fatalii that had just reached peak maturity, and it almost killed it. Younger plants or ones with low nutrients or deficiencies will just get killed. I believe the fungus is attacking because of the sugars in the waxes and sticky secretions these bugs produce. So the source, the bugs needs to be dealt with. I have tried a lot of different things that are clean and non man made chemical based to deal with both the whiteflies, and fungus, and nothing has really been that effective. However, I developed a spray to combat the fungus and eliminate it, and the bonus is it will dislodge and irritate the bugs. Around the same time I found an all natural new plant based pesticide called Spinosad, which is in a product called Captain Jack's Deadbug brew. I was not expecting it to work, but it actually eliminated all the whitflies after just a couple of applications! So I highly recommend it, at least for whiteflies, although its supposed to kill a lot of different bugs. Here are the ingredients for a solution that will eliminate most if not all fungal infections:
Per gallon:
3 tablespoons 3% hydrogen peroxide
4 droppersful 1500 ppm colloidal silver(the weak stuff you get in most health food stores probably is not strong enough)
 
10 drops tea tree oil
10 drops oregano oil
10 drops lavender oil, all pure essential.
 
Put all these ingredients into purified water, shake vigourously before applying.You probably could add some dish detergent to emulsify it better, but I did not. I was able to stop an attack dead in its tracks using this combination. It wiped out the fungus without killing the plant or the leaves, and the plant has responded by putting out new growth and shedding those severely infected leaves. To use just completely spray the entire plant with it both on top and under the leaves intil it drips off. Do that several times per day for several days. I brought in a plant that was hit hard, and I hit it with this spray three times a day, for three days straight. It eliminated the problem.
 
I also discovered an amazing special fungus that can be added to the soil, which attacks and eliminates other pathogenic fungi. I have links to studies showing how when merged with a tomato roots structure, it prevented many typical problems, and cause the plant itself to develop resistant mechanisms for future possible infections. I am testing it right now, and so far after only two weeks application I am seeing results. With tomatoes, I both drenched the soil, and the plant. A tomato I am growing had developed a problem to which I was not sure if it was fungal related or something else. It was developing spots all over the leaves, which would cause the leaves to prematurely yellow and die. This issue has been resolved so far as a result of this addition. The plant as well seems more vigourous, and is now putting out better leaves, they are greener and larger as well. This vampire fungus is called Pythium Oligandrum. I am testing it out with peppers too.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18945162/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22977087
 
Now if I could just find a cheaper source for it, I could test it on a much larger scale.
 
Pythium Oligandrum is not an fungus but an oomycete. To put it simply, it's more like an algae that behaves like a fungi. The way the cell is build up is far less complex, hence the easy dispersions, reproduction and infection. Whiteflies are a pain in the ass and it's indeed the sugars in the excrements that feeds the mold, after which it easily infects the wounded (full of holes) and weakened plant. That's also why another oomycete (phytophtora infestans) is such a destructive micro organism. This is also exactly why this oomycete works so well to protect your plant from other problems. It's basically a very rapid infester that is far less deadly for plant, it simply boosts the plants own defenses. In the essence it's comparable to isolating a virus, weakening it and using it as a vaccination on people. Besides that it also "battles" with other threats, as it's a parasite (there's no use in killing a good host right?).
 
That might not be the most scientific explanation, but I tried to keep it understandable. The stuff might be expensive, but please keep in mind it simply reproduces extremely rapidly. Just buy a small pack and share it with other growers in your area. It won't take 2 weeks to completely saturate your substrates if it's damp enough.
 
Edit:  Don't buy more.. If you like it, just use some of the substrate and graft it into the other soil. It will simply reproduce.
 
Thanks for the explanation. It is a bit pricy, but I think it might be well worth it. I look forward to testing it out on peppers, and in particular in regards to vigor. Apparently it produces certain chemicals that excelerate plant growth.
Pfeffer said:
Pythium Oligandrum is not an fungus but an oomycete. To put it simply, it's more like an algae that behaves like a fungi. The way the cell is build up is far less complex, hence the easy dispersions, reproduction and infection. Whiteflies are a pain in the ass and it's indeed the sugars in the excrements that feeds the mold, after which it easily infects the wounded (full of holes) and weakened plant. That's also why another oomycete (phytophtora infestans) is such a destructive micro organism. This is also exactly why this oomycete works so well to protect your plant from other problems. It's basically a very rapid infester that is far less deadly for plant, it simply boosts the plants own defenses. In the essence it's comparable to isolating a virus, weakening it and using it as a vaccination on people. Besides that it also "battles" with other threats, as it's a parasite (there's no use in killing a good host right?).
 
That might not be the most scientific explanation, but I tried to keep it understandable. The stuff might be expensive, but please keep in mind it simply reproduces extremely rapidly. Just buy a small pack and share it with other growers in your area. It won't take 2 weeks to completely saturate your substrates if it's damp enough.
 
Oomycetes and algae tend to do that. A tea of some algae/seaweeds is even used as growth and rooting booster. Those are the hormones they use themselves to grow. Don't expect too much from it though, it stimulates defense and growth.. it does not create miracles and puffs of purple smoke and glitter. A basic mycorrhiza is far more effective in improving growth but won't fix the white flies. Think of pisolithus tinctorius, rhizopogon villosulus, rhizopogon luteolus etc. They should be more available and will not cost you as much (they are easier to cultivate in a controlled enviroment).
 
I have some thrips or some type of fly with like hundreds of little black pods on my hibiscus buds, and in the middle of the plant it has like these white milky secretions I noticed this a few days ago and made a strong soln of neem with some coco wet and sprayed every part of the plant. I hope it works :/
 
Yeah, growing in Florida can be a challenge. Be glad you aren't down here in 10b. It's dodgy in the best of years, and this hasn't been one of them. An unusually hot, wet winter means tons of bugs and fungal pathogens.

A word of caution when it comes to pesticides: you need to rotate them. Spraying the same class of insecticide repeatedly can actually be detrimental in the long term. In essence, it's artificial selection.

There are quite a few beneficial microorganisms that can be introduced to the soil to help ward off others. As a point of interest, the citric acid found in so many processed foods and cleaning supplies does not come from citrus. Do a search for Aspergillus niger and you'll see what I mean. There are quite a few micro organisms which produce secondary metabolites that serve as weapons in the endless competition for food, and which humans have harnessed for their own purposes.

You also mentioned Spinosad. While I haven't worked with it personally, it's supposed to be pretty effective; just be aware that insecticides vary in their effectiveness depending on how they're used (I seem to remember reading that Spinosad's effectiveness varies depending on the life cycle of the insect in question, for one). I've gotten pretty good result with the neonicotinoids (Thiamethoxam, Acetamiprid, Abamectin), but be aware that they aren't all indicated for the same insects. If you read about them, though, they're far less toxic to mammals than other classes of insecticides still in wide use, like Sevin, which is incredibly effective when it comes to knocking down a wide range of pests (as well as predators, which is counterproductive), but you really want to watch how you use it.

Last (but possibly most amusing), when I last spoke with my homegirl at Diamond-R about my ongoing battle with thrips, she mentioned Radiant SC as the thing that everyone and their grandmother is coming in looking for. One catch: it's $630 a gallon. That's right, I didn't add a digit. $630 a gallon.

I guess we know what those guys are growing and who they're growing it for.
Pfeffer said:
Oomycetes and algae tend to do that. A tea of some algae/seaweeds is even used as growth and rooting booster. Those are the hormones they use themselves to grow. Don't expect too much from it though, it stimulates defense and growth.. it does not create miracles and puffs of purple smoke and glitter. A basic mycorrhiza is far more effective in improving growth but won't fix the white flies. Think of pisolithus tinctorius, rhizopogon villosulus, rhizopogon luteolus etc. They should be more available and will not cost you as much (they are easier to cultivate in a controlled enviroment).
As usual, Pfeffer is spot on. Another caveat, though: mycorrhizal fungi tend to not like conventional (chemical) fertilizers.
 
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