Posts Tagged ‘insecticidal soap’

Then, welcome!  The biofloris blog has been in existence for some two years now.  In case this is the first time you are reading it, today’s post is to tell you what it’s about, to “introduce ourselves”.

Biofloris Blog

In a nutshell

Environmentally friendly gardening is what this blog is mainly about. It is punctuated with a few recipes here and there, with garden pictures sent in by readers and with links to terrific articles. While most of our articles tend to be of the “how-to” variety, we like to think that our posts provide a nice blend of “personal experience” and useful information – in three languages: English, Spanish and French.

The Biofloris Blog seems to be the perfect medium for the kind of messages we are seeking to convey. “How can I get rid of those nasty bugs that are bothering me so much?” “What should I do so that my basil leaves don’t have all those holes?” A blog specializing in organic solutions to gardening problems helps spread the word: how to care for your garden without using chemical pesticides.

Pests Insects

After all, it hasn’t yet been that long since regulations prohibiting or limiting chemical pesticides were imposed (2007 for the province of Quebec in Canada for example). Our blog offers readers details to the advice provided by our web site, http://www.biofloris.com/ and by our pest encyclopedia. What’s more, and this is of undeniable value, the blog allows biofloris to gather and share comments and suggestions from our readers.

The kind of advice we provide

• Beneficial insects are an extremely efficient way of controlling and even getting rid of pest insects
• When used properly, non chemical, natural pesticides, such as neem oil or insecticidal soap, tend to be very effective
• It is important to properly assess the damages to plants in order to correctly identify which pest insect or which disease is causing the problem. This, in turn, allows to choose the most efficient solution more easily, i.e. pesticide product or beneficial insect, to remedy the problem.
• Different gardening problems occur at different times of year. Keeping a vigilant eye is key.

Stay tuned for next week’s blog in which we will provide an overview of beneficial insects to use in your garden.

Photos: http://www.biofloris.com/

Neem Oil

Last week, our blog about Neem oil mentioned how the latter was not necessarily a good remedy to get rid of pest insects such as mealy bugs or aphids affecting indoor plants (Trevor Thomas did point out, though, that once a plant is treated for such pest insects, Neem oil was effective in keeping them from returning.)  How, then, does one get rid of pest insects such as mealy bugs or aphids?

To answer that question, we are reposting our blog from last year offering very concrete, step-by-step advice on how to go about treating pest insects, mealy bugs in particular on indoor plants:

“If you notice a little ball of white fluff on one of your plants, take a closer look. You may have a mealy bug problem. There are many kinds of mealy bugs but the one that seems to be most common in houseplants in North America is the citrus mealy bug.  In as far as your houseplants are concerned, the name has nothing to do with citrus fruit, nor with the fact that you may enjoy eating oranges and grapefruits.

Mealy bugs

Adult citrus mealy bugs are not very mobile and especially like to congregate tightly in protected parts of the plants such as in the crevice where leaves join the stem. You will also find them on leaves, especially young tender ones. The adults are covered in a hairy waxy coating that has a slight pinkish hue. Younger mealy bugs are very mobile, darker, not covered in hairy wax, and can easily move from one plant to another in search of tender leaves and stems where they latch on and start draining fluids from the plant.

Mealy bugs are difficult, but not impossible, to get rid of.

The first thing you should do is isolate and treat the infected plant. You should also isolate the neighboring plants as they may be infected too. Be sure to wipe down any surfaces like window ledges in between the plants to kill any stragglers with insecticidal soap.

To get rid of mealy bugs, be sure to wet all surfaces of the plant including any crevices or cracks in the stems where they may be hiding with insecticidal soap. Be sure to retreat again with insecticidal soap after 3 or 4 days.  One of my biologist friends dabs the mealy bugs he find with a Q-Tip dipped in rubbing alcohol.  This is VERY labor intensive and, he says, has never helped him to completely get rid of the problem completely.  In a recent blog post, I recommended neem oil as an alternative to insecticidal soap. Several people wrote to me to suggest that a combination of insecticidal soap and neem oil works best.  I.e. apply the insecticidal soap, repeat the application a few times and then take the neem oil approach.  The advantage of neem oil is that it stays on the plants and makes them unpalatable to new croppings of mealy bugs or other pests as they hatch. Soap is generally not effective once it has dried up.”

Insecticidal Soap

http://www.biofloris.com/blog_en/2010/02/treating-mealy-bugs-on-indoor-plants/

One of our readers, Trevor Thomas of Burnaby, British Columbia, recently sent us this text about Neem oil. 

“I was first introduced to Neem oil through the Vancouver Orchid Society as an insect repellent. Neem oil is derived from a tree that grows in India. It is a brown oily substance and from what I know, it is extremely bitter, hence its insect repellent qualities. It is non-toxic which makes it ideal for indoor plants.

Pure or mixed?

You can purchase Neem oil in its pure form and mix this with liquid soap or you can purchase it in a mixed concoction. In the past, when I’ve looked for Neem oil, it was hard to find in its pure form. I have seen it sold and marketed as a spray that you can use to enhance the texture of the leaves on your plants.

Desirable effects

A desirable side effect of Neem oil is that it leaves a shiny waxy texture on the leaves of plants that you spray it on. However, I find it is best suited as an insect repellent. If your plant is infected with mealy bugs or aphids Neem oil may not be your best bet in killing these pests, but once you’ve eradicated the bugs then I would definitely recommend a weekly regimen of Neem oil.”

Neem Oil

Write to us

Let us know when, how and in what form you use Neem oil.  We’d love to hear more on the topic!  Also, you can read or re-read or post from last year:

http://www.biofloris.com/blog_en/2010/02/neem-oil-for-indoor-plants/

Terrie Greco, B.A.; HLT Dip.

Along with Plant Health Care concepts, gardeners should also familiarize themselves with the concepts of Integrated Pest Management.

IPM could be considered a ‘reactive approach’, but not in a negative sense.  It simply means that when a pest problem exists, there is a systematic approach to dealing with it quickly and safely. 

1)                 Check your maintenance program – poor garden maintenance is often responsible for the establishment of a pest or disease problem.

2)                 If the problems are minor – try mechanical traps – they’re inexpensive and effective. For example – tie folded bands of burlap around tree trunks to prevent caterpillars from migrating before pupating. Sink dishes of stale beer at the soil level to trap slugs. Lay short lengths of old hose in the garden where earwigs will hide during the day.  These ‘collected’ pests can be dumped into a bucket of water mixed with some insecticidal soap.

3)                 Release beneficial insects into the yard and develop a habitat in which they will establish a regular presence on your property – a water source and flowering plants to provide nectar is a good start, along with encouraging bird populations.

4)                 Finally, if the pest problems persist – use an organic pesticide such as insecticidal soap, diatomaceous earth or horticultural oil.

The idea behind an IPM program is to start with the safest and easiest methods to suppress, not eradicate – existing pest populations.  Insects have natural ‘boom and bust’ cycles – sometimes even our best maintenance efforts require additional help.