Re: Yipes! Help.....
- Subject: Re: Yipes! Help.....
- From: E*@aol.com
- Date: Mon, 3 Mar 2003 23:30:07 EST
In a message dated 3/3/03 9:33:55 PM Eastern Standard Time,
diane.soares2@verizon.net writes:
> The pictures are good. The little bugs look like green aphids to me.
> Should have green, succulent bugs attached to the stems and leaves of
> your plants, then when they molt
They looked like the molted stage to me also. Either one are common
greenhouse pests. I couldn't be sure from the pix. Aphids succumb to
pyrethrum sprays needing a repeat every week for a few weeks. Still they can
travel in a greenhouse as the air currents move them around - warmer high
spots, cooler low spots. You will be able to tell with a hand lens and any
indoor plant guide.
White flies are more difficult. White flies need vigilance as the various
stages of the insect are not seen without careful examination. White flies
like soft hairy leaves, they like garden geraniums and tomato plants, for
example. You will have to choose how much fire power you want to use. Some
smaller growers vacuum the adult white flies and then apply the chosen
chemical. You use one of those hand things sold for picking up crumbs.
Since you grow a number of different plants, test one for at least 24 hours.
Fuchsias, for instance, brown up and refoliate from any spray. In the
greenhouse the leaves are tender and have less resistance to damage from
sprays.
After these two begin life in the warmer days of the spring greenhouse, you
need to watch constantly. This is the weather they like best. Donna, it is
always something. A greenhouse without pests, won't happen. Your plants
look strong and healthy and well cared for.
Old methods included closing the door and releasing a chosen chemical, going
away for a while and then ventilating, called fumigation. Since noone wants
to do that anymore, you will need to check the plants daily. Don't feel too
bad. A large collection of plants in any indoor space is bound to have an
insect outbreak now and then.
There is no magic bullet. There is no chemical or procedure agreed upon by
all. With volunteers in your greenhouse, a gentle method should be used.
Claire Peplowski
NYS z4
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