Quote:
Originally Posted by ginger2778
And thank you Gerardo for doing this much research. You should contact Mischka and ask him if this thread can become a sticky, I suspect that at least in the southern states this little horror is going to be seen more and more.
That was very funny about if they survive this then they have earned a spot in your garden.
Feed on our tomato flowers indeed! We'll show you!! Muahahaha!  |
If they survive what I threw at them this AM, then they've earned my respect indeed. I'll contact Mischka about this thread. I think you're correct in your prediction. Perhaps we'll have to change the title of the thread to reflect the content.
And I'm with you Kurt. I started this whole gardening thing to avoid the poisons. And here I am, about the serve myself up a shot neat, but I'm out of options. I had a great ecosystem going and then the spider mites moved in and then I intervened, and....blah blah blah.
You are correct , the best is to let them figure it out. But this chemical solution has cost me a total of $7.50. The 250 mL of deltamethrin, at the concentration suggested, turns into 250 liters. I only used about 3 liters to completely drench my garden. So I basically bought enough to Keep all the bugs at bay for quite some time. I was mindful of drift and runoff, and compared to the metric tons of this stuff used worldwide, my 30 mL contribution today can be considered negligible. I'm doing this because there are practically no toms on the plants, so by the time they set and blush, these poisons will be gone (there's still about 2-3 months of sunlight and heat left, woohoo!). I'll also wash thoroughly as if they'd come from the store. Hopefully it'll be the equivalent of eating a regular unwashed apple or grapes!
I'd love to let the parasitic wasps do their thing. Can you tell me more please. I see they come in squares with many thousands included in each. How long do they linger in the garden? How often and how many do you release? Is it a "hatch as needed" type deal or is a steady stream necessary to provide proper control? How long are they viable in egg form? Who sells them at the best price with good quality control? Many questions. Guess I can hit the product FAQ and some will be answered.
In a few seasons I'll be like you and give up on delicate things being exposed, and cover them up.