I have a few vegetable plants growing in my backyard. Most of them are doing just fine, but I keep finding catepillars and other insects all over it. It's only happening to one plant in particular, and I can tell it's affecting it worse than my other three blueberry plants. I've tried spraying it with neem oil, but that doesn't seem to be working.
I was trying to find a way to get this to stop, but without using chemical pesticides/insecticides. I found this articleorganic pesticides and it had lots of good suggestions, other than just using Neem Oil. But then I read the comments, and there are a few people saying not to use some of them. So, I'm kinda torn.... is there anything on this list that would work, and not affect the fruit?
Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks, in advance.
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rainbowgardener
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Nice article!
Your question isn't entirely clear. Most of these would work and not effect the fruit. I do question the salt spray. Salt is herbicidal, kills plants. "Himalayan crystal" salt is expensive, but is still NaCl. I wouldn't put it on plants I want, though maybe in low enough concentration it can harm the mites and not the plants.
They describe mineral oil as an "organic pesticide." I think it is organic only in the broadest sense, that it came from plants millions of years ago. It's basically a petroleum product. You can accomplish the same thing with the Neem oil or just soybean or cottonseed oils.
But the question the commenters were raising wasn't about whether they would work or affect the fruit (some of these are perfectly edible, like garlic spray). The question was about environmental effects, particularly effects on other/ beneficial insects. It's very hard to kill just the insect you don't want and not harm any of the insects you do want. These products may be organic/ natural, but they are still insecticidal. The pyrethrins and tobacco, especially are potent insecticides and will kill honey bees and ladybugs along with everything else. DE kills all kinds of crawling insects and larvae, but it is also harmful to bees if it gets on the flowers they come to.
We are in the midst of killing off the honeybees (colony collapse disorder seems to be a result of exposure to too many different herbicides and pesticides, weakening the bees and making them vulnerable to mites and viruses). I think it is important to do the least damage we can. That means starting with the least toxic methods and using them narrowly. The least toxic method is hand picking. If you have caterpillars, you can hand pick them. If you are using sprays, treat only the affected plant, don't spray your whole garden. If you are using insecticidal sprays, it helps to do it in the evening after the honey bees have gone in for the day. If you are using DE, put it on the ground and base of the plant, not on the flowers.
Your question isn't entirely clear. Most of these would work and not effect the fruit. I do question the salt spray. Salt is herbicidal, kills plants. "Himalayan crystal" salt is expensive, but is still NaCl. I wouldn't put it on plants I want, though maybe in low enough concentration it can harm the mites and not the plants.
They describe mineral oil as an "organic pesticide." I think it is organic only in the broadest sense, that it came from plants millions of years ago. It's basically a petroleum product. You can accomplish the same thing with the Neem oil or just soybean or cottonseed oils.
But the question the commenters were raising wasn't about whether they would work or affect the fruit (some of these are perfectly edible, like garlic spray). The question was about environmental effects, particularly effects on other/ beneficial insects. It's very hard to kill just the insect you don't want and not harm any of the insects you do want. These products may be organic/ natural, but they are still insecticidal. The pyrethrins and tobacco, especially are potent insecticides and will kill honey bees and ladybugs along with everything else. DE kills all kinds of crawling insects and larvae, but it is also harmful to bees if it gets on the flowers they come to.
We are in the midst of killing off the honeybees (colony collapse disorder seems to be a result of exposure to too many different herbicides and pesticides, weakening the bees and making them vulnerable to mites and viruses). I think it is important to do the least damage we can. That means starting with the least toxic methods and using them narrowly. The least toxic method is hand picking. If you have caterpillars, you can hand pick them. If you are using sprays, treat only the affected plant, don't spray your whole garden. If you are using insecticidal sprays, it helps to do it in the evening after the honey bees have gone in for the day. If you are using DE, put it on the ground and base of the plant, not on the flowers.
I have always heard that Blueberry bushes don't have many pest problems. So far, I have not experienced any pest issues with my Blueberries. I hope I'm lucky enough for it to stay that way. 
As rainbowG said, I would opt for hand-picking, if that's practical for you.
If the infestation is rampant and seemingly unstoppable on that one bush, I would consider the possibility of replacing it with a different variety.
As rainbowG said, I would opt for hand-picking, if that's practical for you.
If the infestation is rampant and seemingly unstoppable on that one bush, I would consider the possibility of replacing it with a different variety.
While we are plagued with pests of all kinds here in our area, our [url=https://organicgardenworks.com/2010/07/03/blueberries-growing-organic-blueberries.aspx]blueberry bushes[/url] have never showed any signs of pests. It's amazing how little care they require for the reward. Trimming seems to be the most important thing. Mulching around the blueberries with pine needles and deep watering in times of drought have improved the yield.