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white flies


 
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heidiplants



Joined: 08 Sep 2011
Posts: 32

PostPosted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 8:17 am    Post subject: white flies Reply with quote

dont know where to post this but since they seem to be mostly on the melons I will post here.

This is the first time I have seen them but they are everywhere not just on the melons but all my new little seedlings lettuces, peas, beans etc that are coming through.

I have sprayed the molons with insecticidal soap this morning and will buy traps later. How long do they stick around for typically? Can I continue to plant more seeds or are they just going to kill all the seedlings.

Are they harmful? Any help thanks
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phoenixtropicals
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Joined: 06 May 2008
Posts: 1207
Location: Mesa Arizona

PostPosted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 9:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes, they are harmful. They'll suck the life out of your plants, especially melons. On my grapes they aren't worth worrying about though. Seems like it depends on the type of plant.

As soon as the weather cools they aren't as bad, because they like it hot and humid. They are impossible to get rid of with poisons because they keep coming back from their eggs, but you can "control/reduce" them. I plant melons as early as possible to avoid white fly season.

Just hosing your plants down and drowning a bunch of the adults seems to help some. Harsh insecticides don't seem to be a good idea because they destroy the insect predators that keep the white flies in check as well. I have seen whiteflies come back worse after using Malathion.

Good luck. Let us know how it goes.
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heidiplants



Joined: 08 Sep 2011
Posts: 32

PostPosted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 8:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Have you ever heard of Neem oil my friend recommended it she has the same problem with her garden each year. She says as long as you spray they will be under control. Neem works differently than most sprays so it can take a week for the population to go down as it does not kill them directly but makes them forget to eat, mate etc

I guess I will have to patient now and see what happens.

some of melons leaves have died or turned yellow.
My pepper plants seem to be affected.
My husband thought the passionfruits were affected but I think its just because they are in the garden I dont see the numbers on them as the other plants.

The baby peas are covered which I cant spray too young.


The main melon plants I did not plant. Last year we made our own compost for the first time and the plants starting appearing in march/april. We had a melon on each plant in may and then they stopped producing until a couple of weeks ago. We didnt plant our butternut vine or most of the tomatoes neither!

I have one really big melon so I am hoping it will ripen before the plant dies or I hope the plant recovers if the neem works.



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heidiplants



Joined: 08 Sep 2011
Posts: 32

PostPosted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 8:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have also planted some smelly herbs, mint, thyme, and oregano. I hopefully have cilantro and parsley coming from seed that a planted a few weeks ago. I have tonnes of basil.

Heard this might scare them away.

Also put up some sticky tape traps, seems to be some white fly stuck to them but not the numbers that are around!
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phoenixtropicals
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Joined: 06 May 2008
Posts: 1207
Location: Mesa Arizona

PostPosted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 10:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, your melons still look pretty decent. I haven't tried neem oil. Let us know how it works. Oregano is super easy to grow here. I have one in light shade (very little direct sun) and water it on a grass schedule and it grows great all year.
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heidiplants



Joined: 08 Sep 2011
Posts: 32

PostPosted: Fri Sep 30, 2011 3:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My white flies are still around but there are alot less of them!
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phoenixtropicals
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Joined: 06 May 2008
Posts: 1207
Location: Mesa Arizona

PostPosted: Sun Oct 02, 2011 6:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great!
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