Effective 1-2 Punch for blight and insect control
 

The Texas gulf coast area provides a prime environment for insects and fungi to thrive. I plant my garden every year knowing that I am in for a long (ultimately losing) battle against blight and leaf-footed bugs.

To prevent/control blight I generally start spraying my tomatoes on a weekly basis with Daconil once they begin setting fruit. The leaf-footed bugs usually don't show up until May when the fruit starts ripening and the temperatures start getting really warm. Leaf-footed bugs laugh in the face of any organic pesticides so I rely on chemical pesticides - generally Sevin or Spectracide Triazicide.

This spring has been unusually warm/wet so I've had to start the weekly Daconil routine as soon as I set out my plants and re-apply after every rain. The moisture has also released an early onslaught of insects including aphids, thrips and cutworms. As such, I've already had to spray a round of pesticide (Spectracide Triazicide) much earlier than normal.

Because the pesticide wets the leaves of the tomatoes, just to be safe, I also reapplied a round of Daconil after giving the pesticide 24 hours to dry. The pesticide label states that it is effective for "up to 2 months" and indicates that you would not need to reapply after a rain as long as the pesticide has had 24 hours to dry. Even so, it's been my experience that rain reduces the effectiveness of the pesticide even if it has fully dried so I'm sure the application of Daconil probably limits the effectiveness of the pesticide (at least to some degree).

So, I find myself in somewhat of a endless circle of fungicide/pesticide applications:

1. Application of pesticide causes re-application of fungicide -->
2. Re-application of the fungide potentially reduces the effective period of the pesticide thereby requiring more frequent pesticide application -->
3. More frequent pesticide application causes more frequent fungicide application. gosh darnoodleyit.

Given my predicament, I began an online search to see if I could buy Daconil in bulk. In performing that seach, I ran across a couple of Spectracide products that caught my attention:

1. Spectracide Immunox - Supposedly is effective for 2 weeks and is not washed off by rain [URL]http://www.spectracide.com/Products-and-Solutions/Immunox/Spectracide-Immunox-Multi-Purpose-Fungicide.aspx[/URL]

2. Spectracide Immunox Plus - Fungicide/Pesticide combined, also effective for 2 weeks and not washed off by rain. [URL]http://www.spectracide.com/Products-and-Solutions/Immunox/Spectracide-Immunox-Plus-Insect-and-Disease-Control-Aerosol.aspx[/URL]

Both of these products indicate that they prevent/control blight; however, I'm not sure how effective they are. I know that most everyone recommends Daconil and it has worked for me in the past so I'm hesitant to try something else. As such, I wanted to check and see if anyone here has used either of these products and, if so, were they effective?

Thanks,
Blake

Hi Blake,

I've used Spectracide Immunox and it works as advertized. Great stuff, just follow label directions. It's approved for use on vegetables.

I haven't used their Plus product, but it looks like it isn't for garden use anyway. Claud

Have you ever tried the surround kaolin clay? It doesn't wash off easily and is pretty good for true bugs.

[QUOTE=saltmarsh;266678]Hi Blake,

I've used Spectracide Immunox and it works as advertized. Great stuff, just follow label directions. It's approved for use on vegetables.

I haven't used their Plus product, but it looks like it isn't for garden use anyway. Claud[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the feedback!

I also noticed that the Immunox Plus is not advertised for use in the vegetable garden. The active fungicide incredient in the Plus Product (Myclobutanil) appears to be the same active fungicide as in their regular Immunox product which, as you noted, is approved for use on vegetables. This leads me to believe that the reason it is not advertised for use on vegetables is because of the active insecticide ingredient which is listed as Permethrin. I did some research on Permethrin, and it appears that both Texas A&M and Clemson have indicated that it can be safely applied as an insecticide for many vegetable, including tomatoes (just not on cherry tomatoes). As such, it seems like the plus product could potentially be used in the garden. I think I may try to get the opinions of my county extension agent and some folks at Texas A&M to see what they think...

[QUOTE=Tracydr;266683]Have you ever tried the surround kaolin clay? It doesn't wash off easily and is pretty good for true bugs.[/QUOTE]


Thanks for the recommendation - I've never tried it before but I'll definitely look into it!

Good research Thanks!

I fight the same battle every year and usually win. I alternate using Daconil and a copper fungicide. For the leaf footed bugs and stink bugs I get the Permethrin that is for livestock and vegetables that is 10% Permethrin and use 1 TBS per gallon. I also add one or two teaspoons of Dawn dish washing liquid and mix in a half cup or 3/4 cup of food grade diatomaceous earth. Make sure to mix the DE with some water and strain it through a very fine sieve into the sprayer tank then add the Permethrin and soap. I also add the copper at this time and have had no problems using it with the pesticide. The Daconil I apply by itself then apply the pesticide after it has dried for a day or two.

Bill