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plantsim

Is it really environmentally okay to release Trichogramma wasps?

plantsim
9 years ago

I was just watching a video on an organic gardening site that said to release Trichogramma wasps to keep caterpillars from eating my poor broccoli. My concern is that they would also kill beneficial insects or endangered/at risk creepy crawlies as well. What do you guys think? I'm trying (organic) food crops for the first time this year, and I'm doing everything wrong. I planted broccoli seeds in May, for instance. I think I pulled all of my strawberry spinach because it didn't look like the picture on the seed package. Then I saw pictures online of strawberry spinach that looked like the "weeds" I had pulled! There are bugs in my compost bin, and it smells bad for the first time in four years. My radishes are way too close together, My peas have root rot, I've planted Basil several times with no sprouts, my chives got fungus (I thought alliums were anti-fungal?), and I'm fairly certain I didn't properly nourish the soil before planting anything. If I can just do one thing right this year, I'd really like to not screw up the ecosystem further by releasing some monster spawn that will kill all of the gorgeous bugs I love. So... the wasps. Yea or nay?

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