We have several plants of strawberries in our garden and all were fruiting wonderfully until some very tiny flies began to get to them. I'm not sure they are fruit flies, they look too big but they seem to get to the newly ripened fruit and make it squashy and ruined. What can I spray them with to rid them of the fly?
We have alot of marigolds planted around them but perhaps not enough?
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rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
Marigolds are repellant to nematodes in the soil and some other pests. I don't think they are particularly repellant to flies.
You can try crushing up fresh mint leaves (especially pennyroyal which is a type of mint, but especially potent as insect repellent) and/or fresh orange peel and scattering it through the strawberry bed.
You can make sprays from both of those, but it would likely flavor your strawberries (how do you feel about mint/orange strawberries?)
Otherwise early in the season, putting floating row cover over them keeps all kinds of insect pests off. I don't know that you want to do that now though.. if the flies and/or eggs are already there, the row cover could just hold them in with the berries.
You can try crushing up fresh mint leaves (especially pennyroyal which is a type of mint, but especially potent as insect repellent) and/or fresh orange peel and scattering it through the strawberry bed.
You can make sprays from both of those, but it would likely flavor your strawberries (how do you feel about mint/orange strawberries?)
Otherwise early in the season, putting floating row cover over them keeps all kinds of insect pests off. I don't know that you want to do that now though.. if the flies and/or eggs are already there, the row cover could just hold them in with the berries.