How to get rid of pest.

Warren · June 12, 2007

I have seen a few toms in my garden have insect bits on them They seem to just be small pits barely breaking the skin. What can I use to keep the bugs away but with out using heavy pesticides.

I heard I could use peppers and water mixed to rid my self of bugs. I saw a garden show on TV were the guy was using cooking oil but he was spraying it on tree leafs so I don't know if I can use that on toms.

feldon30 · June 12, 2007

I've been cautioned against spraying any kind of oil-based products like neem oil on the plants if they will be exposed to direct sun shortly thereafter. It can apparently burn the plants if temperatures are in the 90's.

If you are getting insect bites on your tomato fruits in Texas, I'm guessing Stink Bugs. We're in mid-June right now which is when the Stink Bugs get so bad, it's hard to get an unblemished fruit. And there are few effective, non-toxic solutions to fight stink bugs. They take no heed of organic products.

I would suggest starting your plants next year as early as possible, perhaps December 26th - January 1st for planting seeds. Then pot up into gallon pots and have them ready to go in the ground on or around March 1st depending on weather. This way, you will get most of your harvest in late May before the stink bugs get out-of-control.

One solution which has been posited is to grow Millet. Millet is a "trap crop" for stink bugs meaning they like it even better than tomatoes. If you plant it about 10 feet (a guess) from your tomato plants, maybe they'll stay on it and away from your tomatoes. You can then either let them enjoy the millet, or use a handheld vacuum cleaner to suck 'em up.

Can you check your tomato plants and see if you can identify any bugs on them?

duajones · June 12, 2007

I have the leaf footed nymphs, leaffooted bugs, brown and green stink bugs. These pests have just about destroyed my remaining tomato crop. I made a soap spray with dr bonners soap and it appears to kill the bugs if you spray it directly on them, but I dont know what it might do to the plant or the fruit. I also have millet planted but got it started real late. Im wondering if you can over winter the millet to get a head start for the spring. I am willing to try just about anything to beat this dreadful pest

feldon30 · June 12, 2007

I figure if we start seeds for the millet at the same time we start seeds for tomatoes, we'll be in good shape.

creister · June 12, 2007

My condolences to you south Texas guys. I remeber those orange stink bugs when we lived in Pasadena. Out here we have had an early onslaught of red spider mites. They usually don't appear until mid July. I'm sick of them. I really want to go nuclear on them and bring the Kelthane out of retirement, but it is such nasty stuff. Have you tried wettable sulfur as a spray for those stink bugs?

duajones · June 12, 2007

tell us more about the wettable sulphur

duajones · June 12, 2007

Looking over the foliage that I wetted with the soap spray yesterday. It appears that it burned the foliage. I found stink bugs still on the tomatoes that I sprayed but they were dead, so I know it works. I just wonder if its worth working with lesser strengths or if it will all burn the plants.

Suze · June 12, 2007

Supposedly, the variety I grow (Purple Majesty) is hardy to zone 8a, but I have yet to see it overwinter in Texas.

http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/54760/index.html

About 15-20 plants makes a nice stand. I like to plant them about 10 inches apart. Purple Majesty starts out green and gradually darkens up later.

You wouldn't want to start more than 4-5 weeks or so before tomato plants go in (Jan 25-Feb 1 might be a good time). Millet likes the heat and grows fast once the weather is warm. Don't start it under lights; germ it in a warm place, then put outside, bringing in at night if cold. It shouldn't go into the ground until frost danger is over with and ground has warmed up a little.

Start in four inch pots, and pot up to a bigger size sooner rather than later. It doesn't like to be pot bound, and letting it get that way can permanently stunt the growth.

I think I'd want the plants about 15-20 feet or so away from the tomatoes.

feldon30 · June 12, 2007

Copying and pasting that down to a text file.

duajones · June 12, 2007

Purple Majesty is what I have growing. Maybe it will help with my fall crop and Ive read where you can save seed but apparently it isnt always true. Do you plant yours from saved seed Suze?

Suze · June 12, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by duajones

Purple Majesty is what I have growing. Maybe it will help with my fall crop and Ive read where you can save seed but apparently it isnt always true. Do you plant yours from saved seed Suze?

Duane, I've been saving seed from it for years, and it always comes true. It's supposedly a hybrid; I guess it just has a low segregation rate.

dice · June 12, 2007

Has anyone tried using cut-up lengths of nylon
stockings or panty hose for bagging blossoms?
Seems like it is elastic enough to work with small
or large tomatoes. (Just knot one open end before
twist-tieing the other end to the stem.)

I wonder if one could bag a whole flower
truss with it. Are stink bugs small enough
to get through it? Maybe there is some
equivalent product that comes in larger
sizes.

If bagging a whole truss at once is not
doable, bagging individual flowers with
a piece just big enough for one tomato would
be an option. Sounds like a lot of work,
but if you do actually want to eat those
tomatoes, ...

feldon30 · June 12, 2007

I am trying to understand what you mean. I apologize if I am not understanding.

Bagging blossoms is generally done to preserve genetically pure seeds. However it is impractical in Houston due to the extreme heat and humidity. I have read but not experienced for myself that bagged tomato blossoms rarely if ever turn into fruit in Houston.

If you are talking about putting some kind of mesh or netting material around each tomato, it would have to be either very fine-mesh or somehow kept away from the fruit, as stink bugs have long mouthparts that can pierce the tomato skin probably through a very small hole if need be.

So short of building a screened-in porch for your tomato plants to grow in, I'm not sure what kind of isolation would be effective at keeping out the stink bugs.

dice · June 13, 2007

I was wondering if blossom-bagging material
would keep out stink bugs, and if not, if one
could find some blossom bagging material with
a fine enough mesh to do it, thus solving two
problems at once (random hybridization in cultivars
where you want uncrossed seed and stink bug
attacks).

In your (Feldon's) case, if you could find rolls
of the material that nylons are made from,
you could cover your emergency frost protection
framework with it before the stink bugs get
busy (just a thought).

So what eats stink bugs?

amideutch · June 13, 2007

Dice, maybe this will help. Ami
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...lossom+bagging

June 12, 2007	#1
Warren Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Kilgore Texas Posts: 102	How to get rid of pest. I have seen a few toms in my garden have insect bits on them They seem to just be small pits barely breaking the skin. What can I use to keep the bugs away but with out using heavy pesticides. I heard I could use peppers and water mixed to rid my self of bugs. I saw a garden show on TV were the guy was using cooking oil but he was spraying it on tree leafs so I don't know if I can use that on toms.

June 12, 2007	#12
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	Has anyone tried using cut-up lengths of nylon stockings or panty hose for bagging blossoms? Seems like it is elastic enough to work with small or large tomatoes. (Just knot one open end before twist-tieing the other end to the stem.) I wonder if one could bag a whole flower truss with it. Are stink bugs small enough to get through it? Maybe there is some equivalent product that comes in larger sizes. If bagging a whole truss at once is not doable, bagging individual flowers with a piece just big enough for one tomato would be an option. Sounds like a lot of work, but if you do actually want to eat those tomatoes, ... __________________ -- alias

June 13, 2007	#14
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	I was wondering if blossom-bagging material would keep out stink bugs, and if not, if one could find some blossom bagging material with a fine enough mesh to do it, thus solving two problems at once (random hybridization in cultivars where you want uncrossed seed and stink bug attacks). In your (Feldon's) case, if you could find rolls of the material that nylons are made from, you could cover your emergency frost protection framework with it before the stink bugs get busy (just a thought). So what eats stink bugs? __________________ -- alias

June 13, 2007	#15
amideutch Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Germany 49°26"N 07°36"E Posts: 5,041	Dice, maybe this will help. Ami http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...lossom+bagging __________________ Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting ‘...Holy Crap .....What a ride!'

June 12, 2007	#2
feldon30 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 5,346	I've been cautioned against spraying any kind of oil-based products like neem oil on the plants if they will be exposed to direct sun shortly thereafter. It can apparently burn the plants if temperatures are in the 90's. If you are getting insect bites on your tomato fruits in Texas, I'm guessing Stink Bugs. We're in mid-June right now which is when the Stink Bugs get so bad, it's hard to get an unblemished fruit. And there are few effective, non-toxic solutions to fight stink bugs. They take no heed of organic products. I would suggest starting your plants next year as early as possible, perhaps December 26th - January 1st for planting seeds. Then pot up into gallon pots and have them ready to go in the ground on or around March 1st depending on weather. This way, you will get most of your harvest in late May before the stink bugs get out-of-control. One solution which has been posited is to grow Millet. Millet is a "trap crop" for stink bugs meaning they like it even better than tomatoes. If you plant it about 10 feet (a guess) from your tomato plants, maybe they'll stay on it and away from your tomatoes. You can then either let them enjoy the millet, or use a handheld vacuum cleaner to suck 'em up. Can you check your tomato plants and see if you can identify any bugs on them?

June 12, 2007	#3
duajones Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Corpus Christi,Texas Z9 Posts: 1,996	I have the leaf footed nymphs, leaffooted bugs, brown and green stink bugs. These pests have just about destroyed my remaining tomato crop. I made a soap spray with dr bonners soap and it appears to kill the bugs if you spray it directly on them, but I dont know what it might do to the plant or the fruit. I also have millet planted but got it started real late. Im wondering if you can over winter the millet to get a head start for the spring. I am willing to try just about anything to beat this dreadful pest

June 12, 2007	#5
creister Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Abilene, TX zone 7 Posts: 1,478	My condolences to you south Texas guys. I remeber those orange stink bugs when we lived in Pasadena. Out here we have had an early onslaught of red spider mites. They usually don't appear until mid July. I'm sick of them. I really want to go nuclear on them and bring the Kelthane out of retirement, but it is such nasty stuff. Have you tried wettable sulfur as a spray for those stink bugs?

June 12, 2007	#8
Suze Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 3,027	Supposedly, the variety I grow (Purple Majesty) is hardy to zone 8a, but I have yet to see it overwinter in Texas. http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/54760/index.html About 15-20 plants makes a nice stand. I like to plant them about 10 inches apart. Purple Majesty starts out green and gradually darkens up later. You wouldn't want to start more than 4-5 weeks or so before tomato plants go in (Jan 25-Feb 1 might be a good time). Millet likes the heat and grows fast once the weather is warm. Don't start it under lights; germ it in a warm place, then put outside, bringing in at night if cold. It shouldn't go into the ground until frost danger is over with and ground has warmed up a little. Start in four inch pots, and pot up to a bigger size sooner rather than later. It doesn't like to be pot bound, and letting it get that way can permanently stunt the growth. I think I'd want the plants about 15-20 feet or so away from the tomatoes.