random question regarding powdery mildew and neem oil.

[skinyea]

so this is my 7th year gardening. I would tell you because of a few great people on this board I have learned a lot over the years. I learned about the importance of spraying water/baking soda/milk/and dish soap on squash plants to avoid PM.

and I learned of the importance of neem oil for the deterrence of insects.

I have learned to spray for both before any issues occurs. have not had any issues in several years thankfully. I PM spray every 2 weeks and neem spray every 2 weeks. offsetting weeks.

my question is can I add neem oil to the PM mix and just spray every 2 weeks and safe a lot of time?

 

[Chuck]

so this is my 7th year gardening. I would tell you because of a few great people on this board I have learned a lot over the years. I learned about the importance of spraying water/baking soda/milk/and dish soap on squash plants to avoid PM.

and I learned of the importance of neem oil for the deterrence of insects.

I have learned to spray for both before any issues occurs. have not had any issues in several years thankfully. I PM spray every 2 weeks and neem spray every 2 weeks. offsetting weeks.

my question is can I add neem oil to the PM mix and just spray every 2 weeks and safe a lot of time?

Yep, not a problem although I have never mixed an oil and milk together so I don't know for sure if it would go through the sprayer.

 

[skinyea]

thanks will give it a try tommorrow

 

[DrMike27]

Please post how it goes!

 

[skinyea]

Please post how it goes!

will do. but wont really know for weeks afterwords

 

[skinyea]

not sure if it is coincidence or what but a month later and I have an infestation of squash bugs . Hubbard and acorn squash are covered with them. butternut not so much.

I have had squash bugs before but never to this amount. hundreds on each Hubbard .

I didnt check the property for almost 3 weeks after spraying so it is definitely my fault

i will be going back to the original deal of every two weeks neem and every other two pm spray.

not saying that is the reason I have the infestation but not going to mess with something that was working just to safe time.

 

[Chuck]

Yep, its your fault. You forgot to check the bottom of the squash leaves for the stink bug eggs and either smush them or Neem Oil them. And then you let the baby bugs get out of hand. During this stage they would have been easy to spot and eliminate. Yep, one cannot leave a garden unattended for 3 weeks and really not for 3 days. To manage the bugs now it is a little late to use neem oil. If you direct spray the bugs with spinosad it will get rid of them

 

[skinyea]

it is a rental property the tenant usually takes care of it and I give half the squash to them. good news is most of the squash is close to picking so wont loose any. I am more concerned about next year. would Diatomaceous earth be smart to put down after i harvest the squash?

 

[Chuck]

it is a rental property the tenant usually takes care of it and I give half the squash to them. good news is most of the squash is close to picking so wont loose any. I am more concerned about next year. would Diatomaceous earth be smart to put down after i harvest the squash?

Not really. DE becomes useless when it gets wet. If you want to help the soil for next year plant a cover crop and till it under in the spring or cover with a couple of inches of good compost.

 

[skinyea]

worthless when wet but it dries out. if have time before planting a cover crop which i plan to do. crimson clover and legumes. but would putting DE down for a month beforehand help destroy squashbugs for next year.

 

[Chuck]

worthless when wet but it dries out. if have time before planting a cover crop which i plan to do. crimson clover and legumes. but would putting DE down for a month beforehand help destroy squashbugs for next year.

It would help. Mature squash bugs like to overwinter in cucurbit debris, but just about any place that they can hide is also a good place. A mature squash bug lifespan is approximately 140 days, a long time in the bug world. The bugs that lay their eggs in the spring are about to die of old age anyway so the secret is to kill them before they can lay their egg or destroy the eggs before hatching. Diatomaceous earth will kill them but not quickly at all and not fast enough to stop them from laying their eggs. Your best bet is to look on the underside of cucurbit leaves at least every other day for the eggs. They are easy to see and if you somehow let them hatch the baby stink bugs are very easy to see.