Comments on: Plant Pests: Bugs in Disguise

By: connie

connie — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 22:07:31 +0000

does anyone have an eco-safe way to get rid of fire ants. when i first moved to florida, someone suggested grits. but these are southern ants and they flourished. i have tries every kind of hardwarestore product without result.

By: Bryce

Bryce — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 04:38:35 +0000

Today I found mealybugs on the Basil I purchased from the local Safeway grocery store. I was a little shocked when I saw the little powdery gray things crawling around. I lost my appetite for pesto.

If I remember correctly, a roommate and I treated some insect pests in our garden with a water/flour mixture spray. This was several years ago, but I think the point was that the water would dry, leaving the flour to clog the pores of the insect, causing death.

Hope this is not nonsense.

By: Matthew

Matthew — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 18:51:41 +0000

I've found sprayed Neem oil to work very well. .-= Matthew ´s last blog post ..First contact- not appealing =-.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 04:24:55 +0000

You don’t want to water a plant’s roots with soapy water, but you can spray some on the leaves. A couple of applications can make a difference against small pests like mealybugs and spider mites, from my experience.

I’ve used a natural dishwashing soap, and there are insecticidal soaps.

It’s better than using something toxic if you’re trying to grow herbs and vegetables, and it’s better than damage the pest would cause.

By: nancy

nancy — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 17:19:01 +0000

This spray with water and soap (the soap we wash the dishes?) wont’ do any harm to the plants? I have to prevent this mixture from reaching the soil of the plant?? otherwise I’m afraid that it will be the same as watering the plant with soapwater.. I’m thinking of it as a poison.. please tell me if I’m overreacting.! Thanks in advance!

By: Katie ~ Simple Organic

Katie ~ Simple Organic — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 01:59:38 +0000

grrr. We have spider mites eating our rosemary and basil right now. hoping they don’t cross over to the veggies. i can never actually see them so it’s very frustrating! will try hosing them down a little more vehemently. thanks, Rachel!
.-= Katie ~ Simple Organic´s last blog post ..An Introduction to Traditional Wet Shaving: Good for the Earth, Great for Skin! =-.

By: Mr.GsTeriyaki

Mr.GsTeriyaki — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:37:04 +0000

Thank you for the pictures; it is so difficult to tell if I found the answer using only symptoms and descriptions. The pictures were helpful. Happy to know my jade does not have scale. I think I gave it too much water, not enough light. Good news, I might be able to get her to stand up again.
Thanks again,
Mr. G
George@mrgsteriyaki.com

By: GB

GB — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 16:38:19 +0000

I live in the South. A common squash fungus called powery mildew overtakes plants when there is high humidity with very warm nights. I found a recipe that at least slowed it down.

1 quart water
1 teaspoon baking soda
a few drops of dishwashing detergent

Spray on top and bottom of leaves.

And wouldn’t you know, I have mealy bugs on my parsley. Going to mix up some garlic spray…

By: smallnotebook

smallnotebook — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 23:58:05 +0000

Looking forward to seeing how to make garlic spray. Mealybugs are the ones that got to my gardenia, so I really have it out for them.

By: Jessica Depew

Jessica Depew — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:09:30 +0000

This is awesome! Your photos are great. I will do a post on the garlic spray I used soon.