how to get rid of bugs on tomato plants
I have had this problem for months. Please help. The Leaves on my tomato &pepper plant have this tiny white spot then it moves then it flies. I think it may be white flys. THey always return about every 3 days. I've tried dawn soap spray, dr earth even dusted them with seven but they keep coming back. I don't know where they come from but I've spent a lot of money trying to make them stay gone. Any suggestions? also when using the dawn mixture to spray on the leaves how long should I leave it on?
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rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
where are you located?
could you show us a picture?
In the long run, the key to keeping pests in balance so they don't do too much damage to your crops is to work on making your backyard a balanced ecosystem. Whiteflies are controlled by lacewings, ladybugs, hoverflies and other insects and small birds, etc. So you want to invite these things in to your garden. Have bird baths and bird feeders. Have lots of flowers of the type that the beneficial insects like. This would be things like yarrow, all the carrot family stuff if allowed to flower (dill, fennel, parsley, coriander, caraway, etc), tansy, buckwheat, sunflower, alyssum, cosmos, marigold, lemon balm, zinnias, thyme, etc.
In the short run, you could try Neem oil.
could you show us a picture?
In the long run, the key to keeping pests in balance so they don't do too much damage to your crops is to work on making your backyard a balanced ecosystem. Whiteflies are controlled by lacewings, ladybugs, hoverflies and other insects and small birds, etc. So you want to invite these things in to your garden. Have bird baths and bird feeders. Have lots of flowers of the type that the beneficial insects like. This would be things like yarrow, all the carrot family stuff if allowed to flower (dill, fennel, parsley, coriander, caraway, etc), tansy, buckwheat, sunflower, alyssum, cosmos, marigold, lemon balm, zinnias, thyme, etc.
In the short run, you could try Neem oil.
Hang a few of these on the plants https://www.1000bulbs.com/product/92538 ... gQodKscE_Q
Use a bee smoker to blow smoke on the plants. Use 100% cotton rags and cigarette butts in the smoker.
50 years ago I knew an old guy that smoked his garden. He saved cigarette butts all year and old rags to use on the smoker. Many factory made bug sprays have nicotine in them. I never saw any bugs on his plants.
I never have bugs either, I have 25 bird houses. When I lived in Arizona birds would not live in houses it was too hot.
50 years ago I knew an old guy that smoked his garden. He saved cigarette butts all year and old rags to use on the smoker. Many factory made bug sprays have nicotine in them. I never saw any bugs on his plants.
I never have bugs either, I have 25 bird houses. When I lived in Arizona birds would not live in houses it was too hot.
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jal_ut
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 7447
- Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2009 10:20 pm
- Location: Northern Utah Zone 5
Plenty of insecticides on the market. Something ought to work for you. Perhaps you don't like using the chemical stuff on your plants?
Other things have been used such as: Tomato Leaf Spray, Garlic Oil Spray, Hot Pepper Spray, Simple Soap Spray.
For me a little Diatomaceous Earth powder seems to work well on most of the insect problems.
Other things have been used such as: Tomato Leaf Spray, Garlic Oil Spray, Hot Pepper Spray, Simple Soap Spray.
For me a little Diatomaceous Earth powder seems to work well on most of the insect problems.
For white flies, I plant corn since it attracts the right kind of ladybug for me. On a condo balcony it would be hard to control.
if you can take your plants down to the ground or even put them in a tub or sink. I would hose them off with water. It works best if you can shoot them from the underside. If the peppers are small, I find dunking them head first into a bucket of horticultural oil and water better than spraying since the coverage is better. I don't use soap on peppers, because my pepper leaves curl up from the soap. I then use a sponge and wipe the leaves down. Make sure your plants are not pot bound and they are well fed and watered properly. Weak plants are more susceptible than strong ones. Make sure you get good air circulation and while the plants are drip drying clean the area of debris and clean the floor with soap and water. Wipe down the walls too. You probably have to repeat the process until the white flies go away. You can use yellow sticky traps to trap the adults. Most people hang them above the plants but I like to hang them at the same level.
At my house, there are certain plants that are white fly magnets like the hibiscus and poinsettia. Those are the plants I frequently check to monitor white flies. I hose the bottom of the pepper plants every day when I water, that keeps the whiteflies away from them. And my plants are in large pots and get fertilized monthly. I usually cut the tops back when they don't look good. It works for me as the best solution. I usually use alcohol on the monitor plants but when the infestation is large those plants are usually just cut back and I bag and trash the leaves.
if you can take your plants down to the ground or even put them in a tub or sink. I would hose them off with water. It works best if you can shoot them from the underside. If the peppers are small, I find dunking them head first into a bucket of horticultural oil and water better than spraying since the coverage is better. I don't use soap on peppers, because my pepper leaves curl up from the soap. I then use a sponge and wipe the leaves down. Make sure your plants are not pot bound and they are well fed and watered properly. Weak plants are more susceptible than strong ones. Make sure you get good air circulation and while the plants are drip drying clean the area of debris and clean the floor with soap and water. Wipe down the walls too. You probably have to repeat the process until the white flies go away. You can use yellow sticky traps to trap the adults. Most people hang them above the plants but I like to hang them at the same level.
At my house, there are certain plants that are white fly magnets like the hibiscus and poinsettia. Those are the plants I frequently check to monitor white flies. I hose the bottom of the pepper plants every day when I water, that keeps the whiteflies away from them. And my plants are in large pots and get fertilized monthly. I usually cut the tops back when they don't look good. It works for me as the best solution. I usually use alcohol on the monitor plants but when the infestation is large those plants are usually just cut back and I bag and trash the leaves.