The oils will also smother overwintering aphid eggs on woody plants that are prone to infestations.

I'd also advise that you evaluate your fertilization practices and err on the side of being relatively conservative.

I would find out what plants attract beneficial insects that would attack your aphids instead of spraying. Spraying will kill all bugs. Good and bad.

duplicate

This post was edited by zackey on Tue, Jan 13, 15 at 11:03

Spraying with a dormant oil may be of some help by smothering any Aphid eggs that may be around without doing much harm to any Beneficial's that may be wintering over in other places, if applied appropriately. However, growing strong healthy plants in a good healthy soil with balance nutrient levels is more important. From the link below, "High levels of nitrogen fertilizer favor aphid reproduction, so never use more nitrogen than necessary. "
Members of the Allium Family have been shown to aid in repelling many insect pest species although Marigolds are more for soil insects such as parasitic nematodes although there are some repots that Marigold and Calendula (aka Pot Marigold) will attract beneficial insects.

Here is a link that might be useful: About Aphids

Zackey, not ALL spraying kills ALL 'bugs'. Those of us who prefer to follow organic practices would lose out on some very useful pest management tools without being able to use horticultural oils , insecticidal soaps, and other organic products.

Understanding what the best cultural practices are for our plants and providing them is essential. So are good garden housekeeping practices. Being able to identify the beneficials and the pests AND their life cycle is also a very important aspect of responsible, successful organic gardening.

Yes, Rhizo. I'm sorry I am so anti-spraying! I had to carry a 4 gallon back pack full of chemicals and spray a fair size nursery once a week with chemicals. We still had tons of mealy bugs afterwards. I was quite a petite young woman at the time. Don't most people just blast the aphids off with a hose? Would rotating crops help any?

celestial, from long, long ago - here is a little poem for Zackey.

The Little Plant

In the heart of a seed,
Buried deep so deep,
A tiny plant
Lay fast asleep.
"Wake," said the sunshine,
"And creep to the light."
"Wake," said the voice
Of the raindrops bright.
The little plant heard
And it rose to see,
What the wonderful,
Outside world might be.

Yes, zackey, spraying with strong streams of water is very effective for a lot of plants. But Celestial mentioned spraying her woody plants....trees and shrubs....with the oil to help control pests.

Winter/early spring applications to deciduous (especially) plants can physically smother aphids, spider mites, scale insects, mealybugs AND their eggs and nymphs. Spraying with an oil now prevents a big problem in the spring.

Are you not familiar with horticultural oils? Knowing when, how, and why to use them can make a huge difference in pest problems.

Zackey, I never use dangerous chemical insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, or miticides. I can't.....I'll end up in the hospital. Heck, I can't even use the typical soaps, shampoos, and other household products that you probably use everyday. But, horticultural oils are very much included in my little arsenal.

This post was edited by rhizo_1 on Wed, Jan 14, 15 at 8:42

Thanks everyone. Great info. :) :) I appreciate all the responses.

I'll definitely keep the fertilizer in check. I'm sort of the under-fertilizer-type anyway. Usually, I just let compost do the trick and leave it at that--maybe I'm just lazy that way :)

I was planning on making a homemade hort. oil from some sort of vegetable or mineral oil. I'm leaning toward vegetable with a drop of mild dish soap (not Dawn).

But, I haven't found a good delivery method. My Ash trees collect aphids and scales like crazy so they are my primary target. I just need to figure out how to reach their tippy tops with the sprayer.

The number 1 bug to look out for and control are ants. Your trees will each have a long line of busy ants trekking to the tops of your trees to farm the aphids. Blast the aphids away and 3 days later, the ants will have found some new ones to replace them. The ants also protect the aphids from beneficial insects like the praying mantis or that wasp that lays eggs in the aphids. Controlling the ants is my biggest problem and the one I haven't been totally successful at. I have been using boric acid traps with limited success.

You will never be able to make a homemade oil that works as well with as little collateral damage as a commercial product.

Fireball, your advice about fire ants applies only to those areas that have fire ants.....fortunately. for cestial, Idaho does not report them.........yet.

There are granulated baits on the market that have performed very well for me, including an organic product with Spinosad as the active ingredient. Your local extension office should have plenty of info regarding fire ant control.

Sorry I bothered to say anything!

Zackey, I apologize for calling you by the wrong username; a careless mistake on my part. I am sorry.

Are you mad because of that, or because I was AGREEING with you about using water to knock away aphids or because I mentioned that I can't/won't use powerful chemicals, either?

I thought you were making fun of me. I know I get involved in posts on here I should just keep my mouth shut instead. I have no social life. This and Facebook are about it. I can't drive and I live 15 miles from town. I don't click well with my neighbors and friends out here often enough to make it worthwhile. I'm just mad at myself for not restraining myself from answering. I'm scared of using any kind of chemicals or organic sprays. I have mild COPD from smoking and inhaling chemicals at the nurseries I worked at and when I cleaned houses where the women used tons of bleach in the bathrooms. I don't understand Ronlawns poem either. I felt that was an insult to me, too, but I don't know. I had a really rough day before I got online so that didn't help anything. All is good here. I will drive on, put a helmet on to avoid the arrows and drive on! Thanks for caring.

I thought you were making fun of me. I know I get involved in posts on here I should just keep my mouth shut instead. I have no social life. This and Facebook are about it. I can't drive and I live 15 miles from town. I don't click well with my neighbors and friends out here often enough to make it worthwhile. I'm just mad at myself for not restraining myself from answering. I'm scared of using any kind of chemicals or organic sprays. I have mild COPD from smoking and inhaling chemicals at the nurseries I worked at and when I cleaned houses where the women used tons of bleach in the bathrooms. I don't understand Ronlawns poem either. I felt that was an insult to me, too, but I don't know. I had a really rough day before I got online so that didn't help anything. All is good here. I will drive on, put a helmet on to avoid the arrows and drive on! Thanks for caring.

No one here would ever make fun of you. Just try to remember that the next time you feel like someone or something has made you uncomfortable.

celestial, I am truly sorry that Zackey thought that a poem from my Kindergarten school days (and yes! I did have those!) was an attempt to make fun of her.
I read her "Page" and it prompted me to offer that "Botany Lesson in a Poem". Sadly, it seems to have backfired.
I can empathize with Zackey in quite a few ways.
I too, have carried a loaded back pack sprayer (4 gall Imperial! and paid 'job rate').
I have been misted with "Paraquat"⢠from a crop sprayer; and witnessed a grown man die from organophosphate poisoning.
I do not make fun of / with the subject.
The fact that I have survived to "three score years and ten" is attributable to two practices.

1. I always obey the label instructions. This led to a memorable incident when I "crossed swords" with a City Management over the use of Methyl Bromide.
2. I regularly have a medical check-up. Long ago and far away it was the annual blood test for cholinesterase (organophosphates again); nowadays it is for less dramatic things like cholesterol.
   I sincerely want Zackey and others to express their thoughts, opinions and experiences.
   I always try to learn from the experience of others.
3. Life is not long enough to allow me all of those experiences first hand.
4. It is a lot safer.
   Let us keep the discussions ongoing.

Ron, I was misted with Kelthane close to thirty years ago. My liver function remains a problem to this day from what resulted in an acute reaction to the incident.