Spider mites

[HoustonHeat]

Bill our experiences are in sync except I am not getting fruit set. I think it's because I allowed too much mitecdamage before I learned about the mite mix. Again this is my first year.. ��

When looking at my older (spring) tomatoes plants they are empty stalks from soil to about 4 ft up and then the tops branch out for 2 feet of leaves. No fruit set occurring. Should I just pull them and plant new?

[b54red]

If you have seedlings ready to go out I would go ahead and plant them after pulling the old plants. If you don't have seedlings ready then go buy some like Big Beef or whatever is still available because I don't think you have time to start from seed this late. It is always easier to get fruit set from young plants than from old ones. I set out a bed of around 20 plants around the 6th or 7th of August and may set out a few more at the end of the month but that is risky. It will all depend on whether I have room to plant more.

I have kept the spider mites under good control so far this summer but a hot dry August and September could cause more problems. I have sprayed at the first sign of mites and not waited for them to spread and do significant damage. Last year I waited too long to react on the first invasion and ended up pulling a few plants that were just too damaged. Since then I haven't waited; but have mixed up my spray and used it that afternoon or early the next morning. I am also keeping my new plants sprayed so they keep a coating of DE on them during this prime time of the year for spider mites. The spray is also keeping the whiteflies under some control and has virtually wiped out the stink bugs and leaf footed bugs. It also helps with foliage and fruit worms and a good coating of DE reduces sun scald on exposed fruit. I must warn you to only spray at daylight or dusk to prevent killing bees and wasps which are both beneficial.

Bill

[hl2601]

Bill,
I may have missed it but what are your proportions of water,DE,permethrin and Dawn? I think dreaded spider mites have arrived...
Thanks

[zipcode]

I find a good idea if at beginning of the season and fruits are not there yet to just treat once chemically when they appear, this will slow them down quite a bit, 3 weeks or so. You need to apply to every crevice though, to make sure 98% of the population is dead.

[b54red]

Originally Posted by hl2601

Bill,
I may have missed it but what are your proportions of water,DE,permethrin and Dawn? I think dreaded spider mites have arrived...
Thanks

When spider mites show up I am dead serious about stopping them as quickly as possible so my mix is a bit strong but it works. Per gallon of water I use between 1 and 2 tsps of Dawn dish washing liquid depending on how much webbing is already under the leaves, 3/4 cup to one cup of food grade DE ( mix with water and strain before adding to tank) and 1 to 2 tablespoons of 10% Permethrin.

This mix will pretty much kill any insects whether good or bad. I also use it when I get a bid infestation of aphids, stinkbugs or leaf footed bugs. Usually spider mites don't show up here before mid to late summer when the weather gets really dry. If I see a small infestation starting earlier in the season I will sometimes use Neem oil and see if it will stop them before they get bad. If it doesn't I pull out the big guns because once you let them get too far along it is really difficult to stop them.

Bill

[Dewayne mater]

Bill - what do you use to strain the DE? My sprayer (Hudson SP2) has a built in strainer that is plastic, but, it still chokes a bit on DE so I think I need something finer. I do try to keep the DE well mixed through use by doing something that must look like a ridiculous version of "Shake your Booty" to keep it continuously stirred up.

[TexasTomat0]

I think he uses a fine metal kitchen strainer to strain the DE.

[b54red]

Originally Posted by TexasTomat0

I think he uses a fine metal kitchen strainer to strain the DE.

That's right. You can get them in any good grocery store or Walmart for around 4 bucks. I keep one outside to use on my TTF and my mite mix.

Bill

[Salsacharley]

Do you strain your TTF? How are you applying it?
(thanks)
Charley

Originally Posted by b54red

That's right. You can get them in any good grocery store or Walmart for around 4 bucks. I keep one outside to use on my TTF and my mite mix.

Bill

[Barb_FL]

Do you think your mite mix would work on Tomato Russet Mites?

[b54red]

Originally Posted by Salsacharley

Do you strain your TTF? How are you applying it?
(thanks)
Charley

When I open a new jug of TTF after shaking it for what seems like forever, I pour half into an empty jug and then shake them both to make sure it is mixed well because the stuff settles a lot. Then I pour them back together again and shake some more. Then I strain it into a Chameleon hose end sprayer full strength and apply it usually with it set to 1 TBS to the gallon after the plants start blooming. As the plants get larger I apply more to the soil around each plant and when they are looking a bit worn I will apply more but I usually keep it at the 1 TBS setting.

Bill

[b54red]

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

Do you think your mite mix would work on Tomato Russet Mites?

Yes.

Bill

[hl2601]

Thanks Bill for your recipe and all your posts on this issue. They are really informative.
Heide