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adiro

How to wash oil off the leaves?

adiro
15 years ago

Hello,

I am new to gardening, I have started several clematis this spring and summer, to a count of about 8. I have an earwig problem, and I tried the oil traps ( soy sauce + oil in tuna cans) The traps work to some degree , i catch a few earwigs dead every day, however every new leaf and flower that opens is promptly eaten and disfigured no less than a day after opening. So I put the oil traps.

The problem is, we got a huge rain, and all the oil in the traps got on the plants. The leaves have become oily and shiny, and soon after they started yellowing and falling off, starting at the base. My question is: Is there any safe method to wash the vegetable oil ( mine is Sunflower oil) off the remaining leaves? The oil also jumped on the little miniature roses taht I have in front of each clem, and the little roses are losing the leaves the same way now.

Could I just make a strong dishwash detergent solution an spray it on the clems, or is there any other solution. Some clems are really big, other really tiny, and I am wondering if by trying to protect from earwigs, I didn't give them a hand of help to die.....

thank you

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