I've tried to grow pumpkins for a couple of years, but every time that I try the leaf rollers wind up taking over and eventually destroy the plants. I pick them off and squash them, but they multiply faster than rabbits. Anyone have any ideas about how to control the dreaded leaf roller? I live in central Florida and I don't use pesticides.
Try neem oil as a spray on the foliage. It may repel, but my understanding of the way it works is that it interferes with their hormones and they either quit eating or molting once they ingest it...depending on the insect.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic- ... z32IkMkyqy I saw this recently on Mother Earth News and would like to try it. My other suggestion is diatomaceous earth. http://www.earthworkshealth.com/pets-animals.php I would like to try this too.
I have DE and I can say.. I don't' think it works as well as everyone says it does. It is good for the plants in the soil, but as an insecticide dust? I give it a D. As soon as it gets wet/washed off it needs to be re applied. I don't see that it really killed or repelled any aphids in the greenhouse. It made the plants look terrible after I watered, though. Everything looked like I had sprayed liquid sevin on it.
I've thought about Neem oil before. I'm always skeptical about spraying anything on the plants for fear of hurting the bees, but after reading up on it Neem oil seems safe enough. Sounds like another forum question in the works.
I applied cold pressed neem oil solution mixed with a teaspoon of dawn dish soap after sunset to my broccoli leaves and the color of leaves is turning from lush dark green light green/yellow. I think it is because of the soap. I also applied the same solution to squash and eggplants and they seem normal so far but the bugs/mites are all gone in one application. Carolyn, I just bought food grade DE and was about to apply it around the strawberry plants because all the bugs in the soil are eating the the berries that are touching the ground. Now I am afraid because I do not want to hurt the plants. Any advice?
Greenfingers, You won't hurt the plants, I sell mine and they looked terrible for a few weeks. The DE is actually a very good amendment for the soil. It helps with the cellular development in the plant. You may or may not notice "help" with the bug issue. I didn't or at least I don't think I saw much improvement. My dh put slug bait out in the strawberry patch. I try to stay as natural/organic as I can. but there are few things I give up on quite quickly and one is slugs. I don't think adding dish soap to the neem oil is a good mix. I had just a minuscule amount in a sprayer and I mixed it with the neem and water for ahpids in the gh and I had two trays, different varieties, of tomatoes turn funky curly with the foliage. Give the broccoli a few days maybe it will be okay. I sprayed soapy water on cabbage and broccoli once a long time ago and it stripped the bloom off the plant, but the next few days they went back to their normal look.. Good luck!
Thanks Carolyn, sorry I did not see your reply any sooner. I thought I would get a notification or something as soon as you reply but I did not. Anyway, I watched some vdo's on YouTube about neem and soap solution, guess I should not have mixed them together. I wanted to apply de for slugs and pill bugs mainly in the strawberry patch, hope it will work. The soapy water is killing everything instantly except for the flea beetles on the young eggplants because as soon as I spray they jump off, so I dont know if they died or not. And I only noticed discolorations on broccoli leaves all other plants did not react to soapy solution.
GF, check your spam folder or make sure you are set up for auto notifications. Flea beetles are a tough one. I used neem oil this spring for them in my greenhouse. They were on ONE variety of eggplant. They ruined the first true nice leaf the plants had.
I just changed the profile setting in the a/c , somehow the notifications were off. I am also applying neem but still seeing those flea beetles (fewer though) on eggplants.
