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zyperiris

kimm help

Zyperiris
14 years ago

Hi, I am trying so hard to stay organic. There is so much varying information in here.

I have Rose Slugs and Thrips. I am afraid to try anything. Should I ignore it for now and hope for predator insects or what?

Comments (7)

  • Kimmsr
    14 years ago

    If the damage these wee buggers are doing is unacceptable to you you can start with the Insecticidal Soap, which even though it is a very broad spectrum poison must make contact with the target species, as a liquid, and has no residual affect, ie. once the soap is dry it does no harm to insects. If that does not control the wee buggers then you might consider moving up to Neem Oil products followed by possibly a pyrethrin product, if necessary.
    By starting with the least toxic thing you can you help the predators increase in numbers to maybe the point they will control your pests.

  • Zyperiris
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thank you. But I will NOT go higher..So a soap..like Safer?

  • roseberri, z6
    14 years ago

    Hi! I saw this post and wanted to let you know I go through my roses and hollyhocks each morning and squish the little worms and aphids wearing garden gloves of course. Irealize that large numbers of these could make that unfeasible. But if you get to them early it keeps them at bay.

  • serenasyh
    14 years ago

    Iris, if you are worried about morz8's situation with having a bird or beneficial insect caught in the sticky trap you could just spray your rose blooms with hot pepper wax spray... Much to my relief it doesn't seem to bother the bees (just don't accidentally spray near the bee if it is flying near your rose)... Your rose blooms and leaves won't be camera cover magazine perfect, but they still will look pretty decent so long as you lightly spray from bud formation to open formation on a 1-2 day basis...Hot Pepper Wax bonide spray doesn't seem to impede my leaf growth either... Kimmsr warned that it might impede photosynthesis, but so far my roses seem very healthy with big leaves...The hot pepper spray will cut the thrips attacks down 70% the remaining 30% there will be a few discolorations here and there but definitely something that I can tolerate...I just can't go hog wild at the rose gallery lol! but at least the blooms still look pleasant, just not "porcelain pefection" lol!

  • Zyperiris
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thanks Ser..I will look for that tomorrow..I don't know that I have ever seen it on the shelf.

    You and I are on the same path rose wise Ser.

    I have been picking Rose Slug just about everyday. We have a garden guy on the radio..his name is Scott Connor. I heard him tell someone today to put oyster shell around a plant to keep rose slugs down. I had never heard of that. I am going to do some research..Anyway, he repeated that just because you have some bugs in your garden does not mean you need to drag in heavy chemicals. Sometimes you just need to live with a few less than perfect roses or leaves.

  • Kimmsr
    14 years ago

    The Rose Slug is the larva of one of the sawflies so oyster shells put on your soil around the base of the plant will do little about the rose slug. Oyster shell may be of benefit on controlling the common garden slug, but that is a different insect all together.
    If you need to repeatedly, year after year, spray your plants with something to keep insect pests at bay you really need to look closely at your soil to see what is the problem there, because plants growing in a good, healthy soil that are strong and healthy will be less susceptible to insect pests.

  • Zyperiris
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Kim, I think it's because my garden is new and I have not yet attracted beneficial insects