Insecticides

[imported_cephalotus88]

gotta now which one wont harm my plants. Got aphid prob. I cant seem to find Othene anywhere! So, basiclly question is which one does PFT use?

[RamPuppy]

before using insecticide, try dunking the plant completely under water, adding a little soap I think is good as well.

I believe the 'science' behind this is that because aphids are so small they respirate fast, and will drown rapidly... That is just a guess though...

Try dunking the plants before you use an insecticide.

I also think Neem Oil, which is natural, will kill aphids...

[nepenthes gracilis]

I have a heavy problem with Fugus Gnats on my N.Merrilliana and need immediate assistance! I will do ANYTHING to get the little buggers! I have plently of Butterworts and Sundews if they can help. Thank You VERY much! Nep.G.

what rampuppie said about water is a good one.

I have done it before with a sundew ( just leave it in the water for 2 days )

And Nep....we try to use nature to help our plants out....We spray predatory nematodes on all of our plants. That gets rid on pretty much anything in the soil.

Or you can repot (maybe)

[Mondo]

What r fugus gnats?

[RamPuppy]

gnats are little tiny flies, well, i don't know if they are related.... but any how...

The adult form is pretty much harmless other than it can carry disease, like pink eye, the larvae however enjoys snacking on root hair, very fine young roots...

I think your merriliana might be old enough that it shouldn't be a problem, but I agree they need to be eradicated... I think those predatory nematodes are a great idean NG, why don't you get some?

[Cindy]

Don't try Neem oil on cephalotus or sundews. It's 'oily' and it can harm them. Unless you shower the plant with distilled water after treatment. Very costly.

[RamPuppy]

Thanks Cindy, I didn't know that... the only thing I have 'neemed' is a tomatoe plant... and the stuff stinks! Oh... and I think Jeff and Phil say that neem oil can stunt growth.

We have tried various chemicals to find that we really do not like many of them.
And yes Neem isn't great!

Everything in nature has a balance...so we try to find the 'balance first' before we resort to trying to find a chemical.

[RamPuppy]

**********, proponents of Organic Gardening....

:o)

Is there something wrong with that?

You don't have to sray EVERYTHING down!!!

[RamPuppy]

I think it is actually a superior way of growing plants, I am a huge 'contained eco-system' buff.. when I kept my planted aquaria I had everything from shrip to fish and malaysian trumpet snails to 'perfect' the environment, where as a lot of people would have coniptions if they lost power to their tanks (bio-filters die and other nasty stuff) I would never worry about that, my plants were so healthy that they would litterally bubble oxygen right of the leaves... you could SEE photosynthesis happening through the plants resperation! Sounds crazy, but true! The water was saturated with Oxygen, so rhather than the plants O2 diffusing into the water, it would bubble off, like a freshly poured sprite.

When I build my greenhouse, well, my dream greenhouse, it will be completely landscaped within, you would just have to be in my mind to understand... but waterfalls, and all sorts of fun stuff, all with a purpose for making the ecosystem complete.