Insecticide

[Teromous]

I've been looking at something to spray my plants with because last year my grape vines took a beating. I used some generic organic crap that didn't work. I'm planning on doing hops this year and have been looking at something effective and organic.

Right now I've been looking at Organocide and Safer Brand Insect Killing Soap. Any recommendations or suggestions?

I didn't list the insects because I got hit by pretty much everything. Going out there was like walking into a bug zoo not to mention the birds ate all my berries and grapes. I'm bagging the grapes this year and netting the berries. I will win this year!

 

[wrench]

What about adding beneficial insects? Ladybugs eat aphids like crazy and are territorial so once you release them in your yard, most will remain in the area. Depending on what infestations you're dealing with, there may be similar solutions.

 

[Teromous]

Yeah I have pretty much everything eating my plants. One is the Japanese Beetle which seemed to love my grape leaves. I didn't have any traps but this year I'll be ready. Then I had tons of these white furry caterpillars, and I'm not sure what they are but they ate through whatever leafy plants or vegetables I had. I also had ladybugs eating the aphids but there were probably too many aphids for them to eat. People told me the other ones were spider mites...I can't really tell. Something was eating my tomatoes and peppers too, and also field mice but this year I also have a mouser cat.

 

[Retrofit]

To date my most successful solution to Japanese beetles is laying out pie trays filled with a old beer and a small nasty yeast cake I no longer want brew with. They drown in the pan. Traps preadotir bugs none in my experience give me the same results as old beer in a pan. Something to consider.

 

[Teromous]

I will have to give that a shot with the yeast cake. I'll probably have to make some cover for it so my wife won't get mad when she sees it sitting there while gardening

 

[mattattack]

Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) and Spinosad will take care of eating insects (snails, caterpillars, earwigs) and they wont kill the benificials. If you get aphids a insecticidal soap will work for them but make sure to spray it early morning or late late after noon otherwise you could get some burning on the plant. and lastly spider mites can use insecticidal soap on them too but I find that spraying them off with the hose works wonders. Spider mites hate moist environments. oh and Japanese beetles are a pain.. They are basically attracted to anything light colored when they emerge from the ground (white flowers, white walls, pale colored yeast cake, if its light they fly into it). Ive had pretty good success with a 5 gallon bucket that i've painted a dark color with a piece of that white plastic cardboard kinda stuff sticking out of it about a foot. they fly into it and fall down into the bucket and drowned. Also if you see them on a plant you can put merit on the ground(Bayer grub control). It will kill the grubs before they turn into beetles the next year.

 

[wrench]

Another solution for japanese beetles (the grubs of which will also put dead patches in your lawn) is milky spore powder. This is simply the spores of a microorganism that lay dormant in the ground until eggs hatch into grubs. It kills the grubs before they eat your lawn's roots or turn into adult beetles. It is harmless to humans and pets, or birds that eat the grubs like robins. The best part is that is stays active in the ground for 10-20 years. So while it's more expensive up front than chemical solutions, it's safer and cheaper in the long run. It may take 2-3 years for maximum control.

I plan to use milky spore this year to control the grubs under my lawn. That will keep my lawn looking healthier. It will also drive the moles away since they won't have as many grubs to feed on, also making my lawn healthier (no mole tunnels and no holes where my dog tries to dig them up). Finally, it will cut down on the japanese beetles, making my flowers and garden healthier. That's a whole lot of benefit from tiny little spores!

 

[CentralWABrewing]

Here is a recipe I posted a few years ago, it's organic and works extremely well. Note that I now cut down the amount of dish soap.
http://www.tastybrew.com/forum/thread/145729

 

[mattattack]

+1 for milky spore! forgot all about that stuff.. partly because you cant buy it hardly anywhere in CA

 

[tchuklobrau]

And the little white caterpillars? what are they? lol i never seen one like that till i had hops.

 

[mattattack]

Its hard to say which kind of caterpillar it is without seeing a picture but anything with BT or spinosad will kill them