I'm back, I plan on updating this thread this season! The original post will be updated in 2021!!!
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tutorial The Pest Guide
- Thread starter Cayennemist
- Start date
THP
Any way we can make this Editable? I would like to start updating the OP. Its sorta a pointless sticky if it cant be edited.
Any way we can make this Editable? I would like to start updating the OP. Its sorta a pointless sticky if it cant be edited.
Cayennemist said:
There is a time limit on post editing - see below
There is a time limit to edit posts. Read the fine print..rghm1u20 said:
Edit: See below.......
The_NorthEast_ChileMan said:
I'm aware, that's why I said something
There wasn't in 2014 when I wrote The Pest Guide, If that was gone, I could update it and maintain it. It would be a nice tool to have on here.
Cayennemist said:
If unlimited edits was part of the paid service, I'd join it. 
I put a support ticket in.
Any advice on getting rid of these pests that stick to the underside of my plants greatly appreciated.
Have sprayed with various combinations of liquid soap/vinegar/sodium bicarb, totally killing some of the plants in the process. I spray them off with water jets regularly but they always return.
Have sprayed with various combinations of liquid soap/vinegar/sodium bicarb, totally killing some of the plants in the process. I spray them off with water jets regularly but they always return.
Attachments
Seedy123 said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWFy8_FNnSo&ab_channel=CaliforniaGardening
I am a firm believer of foliar AACT for aphids and white flys. A lot of times pests are thriving on plants that are not super healthy.AACT makes a BIOFILM on plants that repels aphids and white flies as well as feeds your plants. I don't see it on here as much as I used to, seems like a forgotten art.
I plan on bringing it back in a BIG way in 2021!
There are lots of chemicals and oils that will get rid of them but at great cost. Even Neem oils can be harsh. I really like Dawn Dish Soap wash for aphids and White Fly's too. Dawn seems to be less harsh on the plants.
Mix a few drops of dawn in to a gallon jug of water and spray it on. I do recommend covering the soil, you don't want to kill your soil microbes!
I then use my fingers to wipe the leaves off. To do this quickly, makes your hand in to the "scissors" from rock paper scissors. Place 1 finger on top of the leaf and one on the bottom. Lightly push your fingers together and pull carefully not to hurt the leaf.
Note: Any leaves that look damaged should just be removed! they will likely die anyway and may be diseased. There are a few reasons why Dawn works so well, do a little research on it if you want to learn more.
P.S. Spider Webs also catch white fly's "Hint Hint"
Cayennemist said:
Dish soaps should NEVER be recommended for use on plants - especially Dawn. Like literally, ever. They strip all of the protective coating off of a plant's leaves, and open it up for bacterial infections, increased attack by insects, etc. You can actually kill all of the pests (and beneficials, too) and still end up with plants that have damage that looks like pest damage. Dish detergents are highly effective degreasing agents. Just like washing one's hands obssessively can lead to dermatological conditions, detergents do the same with plants - but with a much lower threshold. I have even gotten away from advising the use of soap, as soaps can also create leaf issues, and they also have very high pH.
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In fact, the one point that I would make about whitefly infestations - because they are particularly bad where I am at - is that the threat level seems to be highly determinant upon environmental conditions. For example, there is a time of year where I live, that whitefly is easy to control. That time is now. You could literally spray pure water on them, and they'd probably just as soon go somewhere else, to avoid being sprayed again. But come summer, when the temp is high, and the humidity is crushing, all the pepper plants, to some degree, will be struggling. (not necessarily struggling to live - just not growing as well as the cooler months, when oxygen levels are high) That's when whitefly get their foothold, and become one of the nastiest pests alive. It's also when I've discovered, that even conscientious gardeners, are prone to doing damage to their plants.
I'm not a believer in AACT as a foliar deterrent for pests. The caveat, is that I am not saying that it won't work somewhere else. The real problem that I've discovered in my time here, is that lots of growers run into issues with advice, because they got advice from people who have never left their own little corner of Gaia. What works for me, isn't always guaranteed to work for you, based on things like environmental factors. Gardening in the midwest, farther north of my home, and in the Pacific Northwest, has shown me a difference in strategy.
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I use the AACT for healthy soil. My primary use is actual soil. I wish I could believe it to be the miracle tonic that it's touted to be. It's great stuff, to be sure. But I spent an entire season trying to use it as a pest management/preventative, next to a plant that had Neem applied. There just wasn't any comparison. My biggest takeaway from that whole experiment, was that, in general, plant leaves just shouldn't be sprayed any more than necessary. (seriously, I stopped foliar everything, except pest management)
Im just sharing what has worked for me, in my climates.
Cayennemist said:
Absolutely, same here. it would be awesome if we had more regional participants, to help delineate the differences in environmental effects, based on climate.
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Nothing beats regional growing advice. I'm a little surprised that we don't have regional boards in a growing forum.
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I honestly wasn't trying to shit on your advice - just caveat it. I'm a very curious grower, and I have experimented with so many things. It took me awhile before I realized that the methods weren't always the problem. Often, it was just my conditions. And there are often slight differences, that result in vastly different results.
I will caveat that further, though, and say that while I can't take away anyone's individual experiences, I still don't recommend dish detergent. I do believe (from experience) that there are times that foliar applications of things like soaps or detergents, do cause damage that aren't readily obvious, when it shows up.
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Case in point: (I did this)
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I can reliably repeat this. I know EXACTLY what caused it.
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Case in point: (I did this)
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I can reliably repeat this. I know EXACTLY what caused it.
Was that Dawn?solid7 said:I will caveat that further, though, and say that while I can't take away anyone's individual experiences, I still don't recommend dish detergent. I do believe (from experience) that there are times that foliar applications of things like soaps or detergents, do cause damage that aren't readily obvious, when it shows up.
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Case in point: (I did this)
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I can reliably repeat this. I know EXACTLY what caused it.
It was actually Dr. Bronners. But I follow-up tested, on another plant, with dish detergent (7th generation brand) after the fact, to try to validate the damage, for which I had no other answer. And I got the same result. I used the Dr. Bronners at a rate of 1Tbsp per gallon, and the dish detergent at 1/2 that dosage (since detergents are far more potent). I didn't previously use any detergents in my garden, because I've always heeded the recommendation to not do so. (I mean, they literally use the stuff to take crude oil off marine life in tanker spills)
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Most likely, this was even worse in my climate, due to the heat and humidity. I also suspect that the less temperature delta one gets between night and day, tends to exacerbate certain effects - and our summers see less than 10 degrees night and day difference, on any given day. Indeed, I know people that use soaps and detergents that haven't experienced this type of damage. But i suspect a whole lot more have had it, that didn't know where it came from, seeing that they were already treating a condition that had malformed foliage as a side effect.
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Most likely, this was even worse in my climate, due to the heat and humidity. I also suspect that the less temperature delta one gets between night and day, tends to exacerbate certain effects - and our summers see less than 10 degrees night and day difference, on any given day. Indeed, I know people that use soaps and detergents that haven't experienced this type of damage. But i suspect a whole lot more have had it, that didn't know where it came from, seeing that they were already treating a condition that had malformed foliage as a side effect.
solid7 said:
I am in Malaysia where the temperature rarely drops below 25 deg C and tops out around mid 30s. Humidity is pretty high all year.
When I started growing my plants about a year ago I followed advice about over watering, but soon found out that daily water was essential.
Regarding the white fly they seem a year round pest. This morning I woke to literally clouds of the damn things on my balcony.
Thank you everyone who has replied.
Seedy123 said:
You have my deepest sympathies. They are tough bastards. And it is even worse when they have tropical foliage available. Around here, Palms and Cycads are some of the worst affected. In fact, Maypan coconut trees are hit particularly hard in our area. This has a knock-on effect, because even when people treat them locally, they are often left untreated in nearby infestation zones. And when they get into a mature tree or palm, their presence is often not even known, until the tree/palm becomes sickly. (because they're up high, and out of direct line of sight)
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If you have any palms - particularly coco or Areca nearby - I'd highly advise you to look at them. And for your plants, the first line of defense, is yellow sticky traps...
Hehe.. The old soap debate! I usually use Dawn or Seventh Generation.. I can't remember which it was I used last, but it really did a number on my Rocoto, which finally gave up about a week or so ago.. RIP. Up till that, I've been a firm believer of the wash method.. Having employed it many times in managing landscapes without any real issues.
The leaves never looked right after the application on the Rocoto, and I'm still on the fence how much the soap had to do with it.. I'm really leaning more towards a vectored disease now, but it sure didn't help. I'll stick with just waterblasting and beneficials for now, at least indoors. The same aphids have migrated to one of my pequins now, so we will see if it ends up with the same issues.. minus the soap treatment.
Anyone ever isolate aphids to see how much they can clone themselves in a day? I was identifying some of mine the other day and had 3 wingless adults in the bag, the next day I had 15 new ones.. In just under a day. I've got some isolated separately now and gauging the rate.. Which seems to be about 4-6 a day/each, on average. You add that to how fast they mature.. Just amazing little creatures!
Bag #2 is my favorite.. Really captures the "production" well. No frass in these bags.. Pleasant dreams!
The leaves never looked right after the application on the Rocoto, and I'm still on the fence how much the soap had to do with it.. I'm really leaning more towards a vectored disease now, but it sure didn't help. I'll stick with just waterblasting and beneficials for now, at least indoors. The same aphids have migrated to one of my pequins now, so we will see if it ends up with the same issues.. minus the soap treatment.
Anyone ever isolate aphids to see how much they can clone themselves in a day? I was identifying some of mine the other day and had 3 wingless adults in the bag, the next day I had 15 new ones.. In just under a day. I've got some isolated separately now and gauging the rate.. Which seems to be about 4-6 a day/each, on average. You add that to how fast they mature.. Just amazing little creatures!
Bag #2 is my favorite.. Really captures the "production" well. No frass in these bags.. Pleasant dreams!
Well CF, part of that debate is the use of the word soap.CraftyFox said:
Wiki/Soap - Soap is created by mixing fats and oils with a base, as opposed to detergent which is created by combining chemical compounds in a mixer.
Wiki/Dishwashing liquid - The main ingredient is water; the main active ingredients are detergents. Detergents are used, rather than soaps, because they do not react with any minerals in the water to form soap scum. There are other thickening and stabilizing agents. Other ingredients may include surfactants, hydrotrope, salts, preservatives, fragrances, and dyes.
So I guess if you read through HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE INSECTICIDAL SOAP FOR PLANTS you'll find, Pure Soap: Use a pure liquid soap, such as Castile, or all-natural soap. The active ingredient in insecticidal soap comes from the fatty acids in animal fat or vegetable oil, so it’s important to use the real thing. Don’t use detergents (which aren’t actually soaps), dish soaps, or any products with degreasers, skin moisturizers, or synthetic chemicals. Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Soap is usually pretty easy to find in stores,
Using the word Soap paints a wide swath across a broad range of products, some not so much.
At any rate, the contrary advice (i.e., don't use detergent at all, and soaps with caution/suspicion) is out there, for anyone who is either willing to hear it, or curious enough to test it out.
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I mean, we've known for 70 years that cigarette smoking kills people, either directly, or through various indirect hijack processes. And yet, there are still those that smoke. So a detergent/soap debate isn't likely to get much consideration, assuming logical continuity is preserved.
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I mean, we've known for 70 years that cigarette smoking kills people, either directly, or through various indirect hijack processes. And yet, there are still those that smoke. So a detergent/soap debate isn't likely to get much consideration, assuming logical continuity is preserved.