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2010, year of the pest

PolishJeff

PolishJeff

For me, this year has already proved to be the most difficult in regard to the number of pests I've had to deal with. I don't know if it's the rain we're getting here in Northern California, but for some reason I'm just inundated with problems. I haven't been growing Sarrs for too long, only about four dormancies. First there were thrips, then the scale, and now that most of my flowers have gone aphids have decided to move in. What gives ??? Does anyone else seem to be having a crazy season?

Now I'm battling sooty black mold along with the aphids. Maybe I have my plants in the wrong area, between roses and vegetables. Bad idea?
 
Aphids nearly wiped out my VFTs this year, I think you may be on to something.
 
Yes bad idea! Move the away from other plants as these other plants harbor pests. Do you have them on the tray method? This method helps prevent some pests (non-flying). Ants tend to be the culprit for aphids. so the tray method with standing water will prevent them from coming from the ground. With other plants near your CP's they could be coming accross leafs. I've had a slight aphid break out on my VFT's but a treatment with Sevin cured that right up.
 
I was thinking the same thing Frilleon. I do have them in the tray method, they've always been grown like this. I haven't noticed any ants, yet. The reason I have my plants between roses and vegetables is because it's where my yard gets all the sun, therefore I have all my sun loving plants! I'll have to do some experimenting with locals.
 
PolishJeff said:
I was thinking the same thing Frilleon. I do have them in the tray method, they've always been grown like this. I haven't noticed any ants, yet. The reason I have my plants between roses and vegetables is because it's where my yard gets all the sun, therefore I have all my sun loving plants! I'll have to do some experimenting with locals.
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Try getting a table and placing the plants on it. I have all my plants on a table. It has two benefits that I see.

1. gets plants off of ground
2. allows for the plants to get about an hour more of sunlight. The fence in my yard would shade them if not raised.

This is a cheap and easy change.
 
I always get the same pest every year around this time. I think it is some sort of mite. I just use a neem and pyrethrin mix for a couple weeks and once they're gone they don't seem to come back until the next year.
 
I'm in NorCal as well and I've not noticed any outbreaks of pests - not any more so than any other year at least.
 
Brokken: I'm in NorCal as well and I've not noticed any outbreaks of pests - not any more so than any other year at least.
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Forgive me if you've explained this in another post, but being that your in NorCal, what is your setup like? Do you grow your Sarrs in a greenhouse, in the open, or how? Thanks!
 
Everything I have outside has bugs. I spray everything down with at least just plain old neem once a week, or sometimes just unleash a hoard of ladybugs.
 
  • #10
I like your style thez! I've thought about releasing ladybugs before my pitchers opened.
 
  • #11
I mean, if you leave them outside, it's like leaving a block of ham on the floor with a dog in the house: eventually the inevitable will happen.

Neem is usually called a "maintenance" sort of spray because if you really wanted to kill all the bugs you'd use pyrethrins and all that bayer 3 in 1 spray to nuke everything to orbit and make anything else that lands croak too for a couple months. Neem will wreck the current generation of bugs, but considering its short shelf life when you mix a new batch from oil, it's not going to stick around for too long so you'll get a re-infestation from new bugs that land that didn't get hit (which wouldnt' happen in a greenhouse/your house/etc.).

Of course, it doesn't smell as vile as the other pesticides to me (I think they all stink like formaldehyde) is why I just spray neem once a week. Lets me have a good excuse to spend some quality time with my plants once a week too :-D.
 
  • #12
I've had a little trouble with SLUGS this year. Nasty little things, but great Dionaea food. ;)
 
  • #13
I got aphids on some of my Sarrs for the first time this year. However, I got rid of them rather quickly.
 
  • #14
thez_yo said:
Neem is usually called a "maintenance" sort of spray because if you really wanted to kill all the bugs you'd use pyrethrins and all that bayer 3 in 1 spray to nuke everything to orbit and make anything else that lands croak too for a couple months. Neem will wreck the current generation of bugs, but considering its short shelf life when you mix a new batch from oil, it's not going to stick around for too long so you'll get a re-infestation from new bugs that land that didn't get hit (which wouldnt' happen in a greenhouse/your house/etc.).

Of course, it doesn't smell as vile as the other pesticides to me (I think they all stink like formaldehyde) is why I just spray neem once a week. Lets me have a good excuse to spend some quality time with my plants once a week too :-D.
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So you wipe out any beneficial insects and natural predators such as lacewings and ladybug larvae too. Seems rather counter productive to introduce ladybugs and then spray every week after-wards.

You want balance which you're not going to get with continuous use of insecticide not matter how "green" it is.
 
  • #15
Not a Number said:
So you wipe out any beneficial insects and natural predators such as lacewings and ladybug larvae too. Seems rather counter productive to introduce ladybugs and then spray every week after-wards.

You want balance which you're not going to get with continuous use of insecticide not matter how "green" it is.
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Actually I've never seen lacewings or ladybug larvae because I'm not sure the former exist where I live and the latter never stick around long enough. Honestly all I see on my pitcherplants is pest species and spiders - the spiders I move before spraying everything down.
 
  • #16
I've had some mites on my VFT's and aphids on my sarrs outdoors where I live. I used Green Light Neem II (has organic pyrethrins) with success, but lately I've resorted to just using water out of a spray bottle to knock them off. The aphids left my sarrs alone after the forming pitchers started to get all tough.

My limited usage bayer 3-in-1 so far has provided me with good results too, but I'm a little more comfy with organic.
 
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