Organocide - Dumb Mistake

[lizaambler]

Hello - I am a newbie gardener. My turnip greens appear to have aphids, so I sprayed Organocide to control them. I THOUGHT I had read the directions when I used this stuff in the summer, but obviously not carefully enough. It says "cole crops may show some sensitivity." Have any of you ever sprayed Organocide on any cole crops? What happened? Should I try to go spray it off with a hose? Thanks!

[rainbowgardener]

Interesting... I hadn't heard of this product before. Mixture of sesame oil and fish oil with lecithin for an emulsifier. Sounds pretty totally non-poisonous and safe to use. If it bothers plants, it is probably by clogging up the leaf pores, making it hard for the leaves to "breathe." So yes, spraying it off (I'm guessing) would help, if it hasn't been on there too long.

They say it smells pretty strong of fish. I can't use anything like that, because it drives the outdoor cats crazy and they tear up/ dig up the plant, trying to get to the fish they know must be there.

[lizaambler]

That is exactly what I did...I think I may harvest what greens I have (and wash off the aphids) and then see how the leaves do when they grow back. I don't have aphids on any other plants, though, so maybe I could let them eat up the turnip greens as long as they stay off the collards?

[rainbowgardener]

Yes, you could. Also aphids are usually pretty easy to control, being slow and stupid. They will just sit there and let you squish them. I don't like to do it bare handed, so just use a kleenex or paper towel. Go all over the undersides of leaves and the stems. The squished bodies of aphids also act as a deterrent to other aphids (maybe they aren't totally stupid! )

Other than that, Neem oil is recommended, or a soapy water spray. Be sure it is soap not detergent (dish "soap" is usually detergent). Look for something like Dr. Brunner's pure castile soap. Put a little bit in water and spray, being sure to coat the underside of the leaves. Or use a hot pepper spray of garlic and peppers blended in water. I and others have posted several versions of this recipe. Do a search for it.

Here's an article about aphid control:

Predators: Green lacewings, ladybugs and their respective larvae have a voracious appetite for aphids. Larvae from the syrphid fly also consume aphids. Hover flies and praying mantis feed on aphids. [RG note: you can buy many of these, especially ladybugs]

Repellent plants: Anise, chives, coriander (cilantro), garlic, onions, petunias and radish. Nasturtiums act as a trap crop. Aphids definitely prefer yellow flowers.

*Squashing a few aphids around the infested plants releases a chemical signal that makes the other aphids drop from the plants and leave.
*To foil aphids: flatten a square of aluminum foil around the base of plants to bounce light on the undersides of leaves. This also helps the plants in giving them more light.
*Try a barrier of powdered charcoal, calcium dust or bonemeal to keep them away from your plants. [RG note this also keeps the ants away]
*Stinging Nettle Spray: Aphids & Thrips - Cover 1 quart nettles with water, cover and ferment for 3 weeks. Mix 1 part nettle tea with 7 parts water. Spray.
*Spread out a barrier of tansy around the base of the plant to stop those ants. [RG note: or mint or anything else strong smelling]
*Use a spray made from a tea of tomato or potato leaves and water.
Chop 12 or so tomato leaves and 1 chopped onion in 1/2 cup of of 70% isopropyl alcohol for a few minutes. Apply the mixture directly on aphids with a cue tip or paintbrush. [RG note or put the tomato leaves and onion in the hot pepper spray]
*A forceful spray of water is often enough to knock the aphids off the plant and may discourage the ants, well sometimes.
*Put a bright yellow plastic pan in a strategic spot in the garden. Fill it a third of the way full with water. Aphids are drawn to the yellow color, land on the water, sink and drown.
*A soap spray can be used to strip them of their protective wax coating, dehydrating them. Mix 1 tablespoon of Castile soap to 1 gallon of water, spray.
*Garlic oil spray can kill aphids and other soft bodied pests.
A dusting of diatomaceous earth is lethal to aphids. Wear a mask when using DE.
*Place banana peels at the base of infested plant. The peels give them a shot of potassium too!
https://www.ghorganics.com/page9.html#Aphids:

[lizaambler]

Interesting about the banana peels. I wonder what the mechanism is for that? My garden is at work so I just got all coworkers to put their banana peels at the base of all my turnips. I also have diatomaceous earth at home for my pool which I will bring in.

It doesn't look like the organocide damaged the plants - I think I rinsed them off in time. Thank you for your help!

[applestar]

WARNING!

I also have diatomaceous earth at home for my pool which I will bring in.

Diatomaceous earth for the pool filter is NOT the same as DE for garden use. Pool filter product is heat treated into sharp crystaline structure that damages respiratory systems (lungs, etc) if inhaled. Agricultural/Horticultural DE is unheated and can be used even mixed with animal feed to control moisture and insects.

[lizaambler]

Wow. Thanks for telling me....I obviously had no idea!!

[opabinia51]

A warning on Neem Oil, it is considered a moderately safe insecticides but, the active ingredient: Azadiractin interferes with pupal development of insects and North Americas Bee population is under enough stress as it is, so, only use once a week and not anymore than that, the use of beneficial insect such as lacewings and minute pirate bugs is a great idea.

[lizaambler]

What I ended up doing was trimming the greens (my gardening partner is going to eat them) and putting banana peels around the plants. Hopefully the new greens that grow back won't be so dang infested.

[Sage Hermit]

They say it smells pretty strong of fish. I can't use anything like that, because it drives the outdoor cats crazy and they tear up/ dig up the plant, trying to get to the fish they know must be there.

I used neem oil on indoor plants only.

[wildflower]

:cry:

I was experimenting...and I sprayed the soapy water on the aphids on my roses. After about 3 days I have shriveling browning leaves and only 1/3 of the plant looks very happy. I haven't checked today but I believe the aphids are gone, altho that is not my main concern at this point.
I also added a sprinkle of DE to the top of the soil...just a sprinkle..
Is there still hope for the rose? Is there anything I could do to boost its 'immune' system (so to speak). I have three roses in containers because last fall I didn't have a spot for them in the ground. I have kept them all winter in a cool place and up until a few days ago they looked really good.
Only one is a tea rose and the others are hardy enough to stand an Alaskan winter. Any advise?

[Kisal]

Welcome to the forum, Wildflower!

If you mistakenly used detergent, instead of pure soap, that will burn the leaves. It's very important to read labels carefully, even on "safe" substances.

I'm not positive whether your rose will survive, but I would give it a chance. Maybe hose it down well, to rinse off as much of the spray residue as you can. It will probably be okay, if the stems weren't damaged too much.

[wildflower]

I will keep an eye on them and let you'all know in a few days. In the meantime I'll add some "food". Thx

[Kisal]

Actually, I wouldn't recommend feeding the plants. It's best not to fertilize plants that are struggling from stress or disease. Wait until you see some signs that the plant is recovering, such as some new leaf buds.

[wildflower]

Hi gardeners,

I had fertilized before I saw the post not to....but I did have a few suckers that were about 3 - 5 inches tall. I had sprayed a lot of water to counter my error so I was on the rigth trail there. Nothing bad has happened since last week. I did change the location and got the roses (that were in containers) out of the garage, perhaps too hot or not enough sun???

I'll continue to observe with fingers crossed. I would hate to loose this one and those darn aphids...gotta hate them!

I'll perhaps use Dr Bronners next time. The dish soap seems like it was the problem but it could have been a combination of the garage 'scene' and the soapy solution.

On another note, the snow is almost all gone from the garden beds. The weather is supposed to be in the high 40's and maybe low 50's this week with overnight temps around 40. That is a good thing! I might even start letting those babies hang out outside... :D

[wildflower]

Ooops....dear Kisal.....I forgot to thank you for coming to my rescue!

[Zalliski]

Interesting... I hadn't heard of this product before. Mixture of sesame oil and fish oil with lecithin for an emulsifier. Sounds pretty totally non-poisonous and safe to use. If it bothers plants, it is probably by clogging up the leaf pores, making it hard for the leaves to "breathe." So yes, spraying it off (I'm guessing) would help, if it hasn't been on there too long.

They say it smells pretty strong of fish. I can't use anything like that, because it drives the outdoor cats crazy and they tear up/ dig up the plant, trying to get to the fish they know must be there.

I started using this product this season after someone at my local greenhouse suggested spinosad. When I realized that spinosad kills bees (says so on the label) I opted for something else and found Organocide. It smells awful but I've had no problem with it so far, even on my arugula, and lettuce. The label says that it's safe to use, and the ingredients seem alright but I'm new to gardening. Is this stuff actually 'safe' to use? Can anyone help?

[rainbowgardener]

Well, any oil can kill insects, including bees, if sprayed directly on them, especially in high concentration. It clogs up their spiracles (breathing passages).

If you avoid spraying when bees are around, should be fine.