Large Scale Central

Fighting Spider Mites, and other sap-suching bugs

I found this this morning while looking for articles on Dormand (Horticultural) Oil to kill Spider Mites. Jon had suggested that I use a soapy water to kill the suckers, but they came back, even after 4 weekly applications of the spray. I’ll add the vegetable oil, perhaps jack up the quantities of oil and soap. After all, anything worth doing is worth over doing.

If that doesn’t work, I’ll try the kerosene, maybe followed by a match. That’ll learn 'em! :0 The mix is supposed to be good for one fruit tree, but they don’t say what size the tree is. My guess is that a fruit tree will be worth several Alberta Spruce. I’ll just cover the foliage well, along with the bark down to the ground. It is important to cover all the bark, even to the central trunk, so poke your spray nozzle into the foliage to get the interior.

One more thing, and I don’t know where I learned this tidbit… Cut the lowhanging branches up from the ground. Give the tree a visible trunk. The critters travel from tree to tree on the ground, and if they can’t find a low hanging branch to shinny up, they have to try to find the trunk. Most don’t make it.

I plan to start just as soon as I can see the bottoms of the trees through the snow.

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/a-less-toxic-dormant-oil.html

In early spring, while fruit trees and shrubs are still dormant, many farmers and gardeners spray what is called a “dormant oil” on the bark and buds of their trees. A very old-fashioned approach to pest control—some say it dates back to the Thea century—the purpose of the oily spray is to suffocate overwintering pests, such as aphids and mites. Most commercial products are made of kerosene or other petroleum oil. A much less toxic and more sustainable approach is to use a renewable resource such as vegetable oil.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoon liquid soap
1 gallon water

Easy Directions
Combine the soap and oil and stir to blend thoroughly. Add the water a bit at a time, stirring as you go (water and oil don’t really emulsify; the soap helps the process). Pour the mixture into a clean garden spray container. Spray a coat of the mixture over the entire bark of a tree. Shake the
container frequently as you are spraying.

Makes 1 gallon, enough for one fruit tree.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/a-less-toxic-dormant-oil.html#ixzz2KRNmd03r

Mites are in fact a miniature spider. In the active season, I have found that the best stuff against spiders and mites of all kinds is sulfur. It’s sold in powder form; get some at your local nursery or Home & Garden store and sprinkle it around. Works on spidery places in the house too. Non-toxic. I have a friend who grew up on a far where it was used on the livestock, possibly against fleas… anyway, my friend actually used to eat the stuff as a kid…

Seven is a retail systemic that will kill them. You can spray the foliage till dripping both the top and the underside. Also there is a Seven powder that you can water into the soil. Either way the plant takes up the pesticide in order to kill the bugs.

Remember when spraying any oils on the plants you are effectively starving the bugs of air but also doing the same to your plants. In the summer this can kill it pretty quickly. Same goes for fungicides. never use over 80 deg and should stay under 80 for 3 days.

If you have a John Deere or a landscape supply house locally the best product is Up Star Gold. Just follow the label as with any pesticide.

You can read the label here: http://www.treecarescience.com/uploads/Labels/UP-Star_Gold_Label.pdf

I found another great recipe for killing those little monsters. In the right circumstances, it might even make a great marinade, just add olive oil. :slight_smile:

Organic Spider Mite Pesticide

Having trouble ridding your precious plants of these destructive little pricks?

I was…but I wanted an organic solution that wouldn’t harm beneficial insects or add unnatural chemicals to my garden.

So i came up with this recipe which can be used safely and effectively to eradicate mites as well as white fly and other pests.

Ingredients:
Peel of one orange
2 cloves of garlic
A handful of basil leaves
Generous sprinkling of chili powder
a grinding of pepper
2 cups of boiling water

Method:
Simply combine ingredients in a bowl and soak with the 2 cups of boiling water.
Leave overnight so that the ingredients can seep their pest repellent properties into the water and combine to make an effective brew.

Strain the rested liquid and pour into a spray container. Soak the undersides of leaves. Do so daily if necessary.

Note: This will make approximately 2 cups of solution. To make a larger amount simply use greater quantities but keep proportions the same.

Hope this helps those searching for an easy and organic solution to mites and other pests.

Happy gardening!

That works in chili, too…:wink:

I believe it… and it works because I haven’t had mites or whiteflys in a long time.

Who’d a thunk?

:wink:

Greg

Marinaded mites!

That recipe DOES sound tasty.

I’ve used that Home Defense spray, seems to work pretty good.

I like to just spray your trees or roses with a hard spray of water, if you don’t want to use chemicals. My dad was a rosarian and did that for years on his roses.

Jan Golding said:

I like to just spray your trees or roses with a hard spray of water, if you don’t want to use chemicals. My dad was a rosarian and did that for years on his roses.

That seems to work as well as anything else.

A plain old, hard spray of H2O on a weekly basis will knock the spider mites on their derrieres. I have not lost a dwarf alberta spruce yet (will be posting some pics soon). Once knocked to the ground they have a tough time climbing back up. Hort oils and soap can work too. I don’t do chemical insecticides, I like the birds and bees too much.

-Brian

I’m using hort oils on the worst, and knocking them down with water for the rest of them. I have one tree that got away from me, and is mostly brown, but its a fighter, and there is some green close to the trunk, so I’m not ready to give up on it, yet.

I’ve also rigged up a drip (shaddup Rooster) irrigation system to take care of their water needs.

Its sad that the little buggies will miss out on being marinated. :wink:

Brian Donovan said:

A plain old, hard spray of H2O on a weekly basis will knock the spider mites on their derrieres. I have not lost a dwarf alberta spruce yet (will be posting some pics soon). Once knocked to the ground they have a tough time climbing back up. Hort oils and soap can work too. I don’t do chemical insecticides, I like the birds and bees too much.

-Brian

Brian,

I thought that schlepping in from a neighbor tree was how they spread. How do they spread?

You should see and hear the bees humming in our cherry tree. Wonderful. The B1-RDS get the cherries before they are ripe enough to do anything with.

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Put a toy plastic snake in the branches. Move it every couple days. The birds will leave your cherries alone. Works for skiddish neighbor ladies too.