Please help, lots of problems

[DonV]

I have been reading a lot - on top of quit a bit of knowledge I already have. I have had a garden for many years and I have NEVER had a fraction of the issues I have now - and I am working on average 20-30 hours a week on my small (0.02 acre) garden.

I have tons of birds, bees, tons of toads, rotated crops, used neem oil like crazy, other safer products and I literally go through my garden multiple times every day hand killing bugs etc. Most days 3 times, if not 5. Minimum 2. Always.

I have killed thousands of slugs. over 100 jap beetles. over 500 cabbage lopers (have very few cole crops). Countless cuc beetle.

Currently my beans are ok and my crooked neck squash and 8 ball zuc's and peppers are rocking.

Beets and corn seem ok. Potoatoes ok.

My cucs are pretty much gone from wilt (cuc beetles I guess since I NEVER had wilt before).

My tomatoes refuse to ripen. I hav e 100's of cherry tomatoes that grew fast and in the last 3-4 weeks have grown what they used to grow in a few hours - still green.

Golden & regular zuccini wer doing fine but now all fruits rot, some when small some when 1/2 way developed. Weather is not a factor, wet or dry they rot - none able to be picked.

Winter squash, pumpkins, melons, cantaloupe on over 150 feet of vines and 100's of fruits - I have ONE pumpkin. All fruits rot - weather is not a factor, nor is rain - makes no difference, no fruits make it. Last year I had zero problems. All is the same. Bees are there, nothing matters, all fruits rot no matter what. No issues last year.

I have been killing slugs/cuc beetles/jap beetles and lopes like mad. Basically I am treading water, I had a peak of beetles for 1-2 days but outside that I kill 50 a day, off same plants and them same the next day NO decrease. I thought I had slugs under control, went outside now and killed over 100 huge ones (I literally go out at all times of night with headlamp to catch ones that might feed at off times) I have tons of places made for them to hide I lift and find many and kill them. Same for lopes and cuc beetles. How can I hand examine EVERY single leaf both sides 3 times a day, spray with neem oil and safer and still find the same number every day for weeks (months) on end?????????????

I literally spend 10 times the effort I used to - every day, and nothing changes, same thing the next day and worse then every before???????

I have gone through a lot of neem, bituminous earth and sluggo.

The last week I went nuts and have been out there like mad determined to win. Makes no difference. I can kill all lopers and 2 hours later find the same number.

[tomc]

Something around you has changed. When ever I had a sudden increase in pest bugs a neighbor sprayed or tilled or something. You may not be able to catch up with it this year, but your old normal is more likely to return, than stay messed up.

[veggiegardeners]

Not sure what to tell you. Maybe there has been an infestation in your area.

[lexusnexus]

Contact your local Master Gardeners group or county extension agent to see if there is an infestation problem in your area. As already said it's likely that something has changed in your environment (climate or man made). Or, the critters have just found your crops and put out the call to their buddies. Also, "safe" and "organic" pesticides aren't safe, per se, because they don't discriminate between good bugs and bad bugs. There are very few "targeted" insecticides. The time of day for application has a huge impact as some carnivorous bugs hunt during certain parts of the day so you may be killing and/or chasing off beneficial insects. Indiscriminate spraying may do as much harm as not using it. Case in point, I use Surround (kaolin clay in suspension) to control flea beetles from decimating my eggplants. In doing so I have created another problem, the spray has also kept the pollinators from entering the flowers to fertilize them. Hence, no fruits.

[imafan26]

I suspect the weather hasn't helped. All the rain you have been getting just fuels the slug and snail explosion. You need to sluggo every two weeks and hand pick daily just to keep ahead of their birth rate. You need to especially sluggo around the perimeter of your yard because they will come in from the neighbors' yard too.

Too much water and not enough sun would mean your plants are weaker and that makes them good targets for bugs.

[jal_ut]

Go down to your farm supply store and find some malathion. Then also get a two gallon pump up spray can. Now mix the insecticide according to instructions on the bottle and go spray your crops. Also spray a 12 foot wide area all around the garden. Spray everything, grass, shrubs, trees.

Note: All insecticides pose some threat to people and pets. Please read the instructions carefully and take all precaution to protect your family and pets.

If you are looking at strict organic methods, just buy a fly swatter or let the bugs have the veggies.....................
I know that may sound harsh, but at some point you have to decide if you want a harvest or not. If so you
need to control the bugs. Two tenths of an acre is a bit too much to hand pick bugs.

[jal_ut]

You may check this out:

https://www.gardensalive.com/product/sev ... our_garden

[applestar]

I guess you ARE now looking for *not* organic solutions. You did get detailed responses in your other thread you posted in the Organic Gardening Subforum Subject: Screw organic

[DonV]

Thanks guys, I suspect record wet spring contirbuted some, and woods next door let slugs in like mad for sure - much worse problem in that part of garden. Loppers stump me, seems never ending AND I find big ones, so how do I miss them when I heck multiple times a day?????????

Frustrating as heck. Lack of listed veggies fruit developing perplexing me too. Nuts. No explanation but I think it is related to my new found issues with zuccs - all rotting, but early in year I had no issues - could it be to much shade/lack of air circulation? My plants are HUGE and full of leaves - I trimmed a little, air can circulate but nothing like when they were young.

Not set on organic anymore, not working, to much work and frankly seeing little headway is turing my pleasure at gardening into pain (that alone is a good reason).

Thanks and keep ideas coming.

[applestar]

Lo(o)pers stump me, seems never ending AND I find big ones, so how do I miss them when I heck multiple times a day?????????

If they are cabbage loopers (inch worms), then they are moth larvae, they tend to feed at night and crawl down off the plant to hide during the night. Monarch butterfly caterpillars do this too so maybe not only moths.

Frustrating as heck. Lack of listed veggies fruit developing perplexing me too. Nuts. No explanation but I think it is related to my new found issues with zuccs - all rotting, but early in year I had no issues - could it be to much shade/lack of air circulation? My plants are HUGE and full of leaves -

^^^^
THIS -- did you mention this before? Sign of too much nitrogen I'm thinking. Inbalances and insufficient relative phosphorus and potassium could be causing blossom drop and/or inability to transition to fruit development stage.

It can also explain the exorbitant interest the pests are showing in your garden. Overt nitrogen results in excessive growths and chlorophyll that attracts the sucking and munching pests.

[lexusnexus]

One thing we learned in our Master Gardener class is that organic and natural cures are great. But, there are times when you have no other choice than to use chemical insecticides. Just target the plants requiring the application and not use as a blanket spray. That's what I had to do with my hybrid tea rose. Good luck!

[rainbowgardener]

I'm not convinced there is any "chemical" treatment for the cabbage loopers that is any more effective than Bt and/or Spinosad. Have you tried those?

I agree with applestar, sounds like over fertilized, with too much N, making for lots of very tender, juicy, attractive to pests growth. Too much N also predisposes to lots of big leafy growth at the expense of fruiting.

[DonV]

I have white moths with spots around all the time and loppers definently feed during the day, maybe at night to, seem to not like direct sunlight. It is crazy how many there are.

I have sprayed with neem oil a lot, that should have worked! And safer tomato/veggie, 3 in 1 and another safer product.

Jap beetles under control, loppers getting worse, unreal, never ending I swear they magically appear! Cuc beetles getting worse - only worried about wilt, so far only on cucs but most tomato plant leaves are looking odd lately, curly around edge, almost all plants and all leaves.

[rainbowgardener]

Yeah, the white "moth" is really a butterfly, the cabbage worm butterfly, so what you have is cabbage worms, not cabbage loopers. The cabbage looper is the larva of a brownish-grey moth. Not good news, because the cabbage worm is more likely to tunnel into the head of the cabbage, vs just chewing on the outer leaves.

Here's an article about them. https://www.toxicfreenc.org/organicgarde ... aKc3vlViko

Te Neem oil should have worked, but since it didn't, I really recommend trying Bt, which is specific against caterpillars.

Your Japanese beetles are not so much under control as just have completed their adult life cycle.


https://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/ins ... 664f08.jpg

The adults only live a month or 6 weeks. So now they have laid their eggs in your soil and died.

[DonV]

I am going to bury my head in the sand and assume I finally conquered the jap beetle - even though I am sure you are right!

The worms are always in the heads, now and during harvest.