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A lot of you know that I'm here in PA doing an internship. Anyway, at our garden plots we can't use any commercial pesticides. So even if it's organic, if it's sold in a normal store, we can't use it (unless we get permission, yada yada, I'm working on that ... ). Anyway so I need ideas to control stuff in the meantime... like molasses to increase the brix level, kelp to help with powdery mildew, etc. Does anyone else have any other similar suggestions? The biggest problems right now are striped cuke beetles and I'm sure PM will be showing up soon!
Thanks!

7/13/2006 4:08:52 PM

Follansbee, Wv

According to the Ohio State University:

Striped cucumber beetle:

"Natural predators include soldier beetles, tachinid flies, braconid wasps and certain nematodes."

I don't know how well they work...there are lots of braconid wasps around here. They attack the crap out tomato hornworms, but the cuke beetle population sure wasn't affected.

Someone mentioned in another thread about using yellow sticky traps. Maybe you could fassion a few artificial "flowers" and coat them with sticky stuff?

7/13/2006 5:22:11 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Brig,

I have the same situation at my son's public elementery school. Because I am a certified commercial applicator & have a "B number" & insurance, I *can* legally spray. But then I have to submit everything to the BOE & they have to mail it all home yadda yadda yadda.

SO....I've been spraying low fat milk at 10% every 5-7 days for Powdery Mildew. No EPA registration number means no foul.

Molasses for Brix increase but I have no idea if the shift will be enough to make a difference. Something was feeding on the first 2 leaves but has stopped. I never saw what it was.

How's about some sticky traps?

Capascin containing pesticide have a repellent effect on many insects. You could make up your own coctail from hot peppers. The hotter the better.

Mustard Oil is a common complement with capascin in organic insecticides. You could make something like it in the kitchen too.

See:

http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/insect-mite/abamectin-bufencarb/allyl-isothio/tol-ex-allyl-isothio.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allyl_isothiocyanate

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11914158&dopt=Abstract

http://www.wuzhouchem.com/cataloged/inte/mustard_oil.htm

Do a Google search with these words:

allyl isothiocyanate insect

See what I mean?

7/13/2006 11:14:11 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

I knew I'd find it.

Check out Dazitol.

http://www.champon.com/dazitol.htm

This is a blend of Capascin & Mustard Oil. The manufacturer (Champon) is claiming it has both insecticidal & fungicidal properties.

I had some last year & gave it to a friend/customer for trial. It was crazy money. He never used it due to the "unusal aroma". He just landed an "organic estate" where he was to try it. But this weekend he had a serious jet-ski accident & is in Yale New Haven Hospital with 12 pins in his hips, all of his ribs are broken, punctured lung, ruptured spleen, etc. He's asked me to cover the estate while he recovers.

*IF* I see the need & can find the Dazitol to use it, I'll post the results. But let's not hold our breath on that one.

7/13/2006 11:31:26 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Check out "Bugitol" too.


Did I mention that this stuff absolutely wreaked!?!?

7/13/2006 11:33:34 PM