2019 garden, better living through chemistry

[Gerardo]

I've been late to the game this year, as I waited out the initial insect waves of spring.


As you've grown tired of hearing, the last two years have been a losing battle with insects.



No more. Anted up and acquired products that remedied the situation (spinetoram, flonicamid https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17659536) along with Neem/Karanja, and now I can have a crop.



I hedged and half of my plants are Granadero F1, BHN-1021, and Plum Regal F1, all with a tswv package.



The other half is plants I noticed could handle thrip burden and are strong flavor wise: Rosado De Aracena, Negro de Moratalla, Tyazheloves Sibiri, and Zaragozano de Utebo.


Anted up on the potting mix too, with Promix BX and 707 as the main mix ingredient, diluted out with high quality peat (FloraPeat), perlite, and clay balls.


Three plants share a medium concrete mixing tub, aprox 10 gal.


Amended with Organics Alive Amendment and/or Bu's Biodynamic Blend, Neem Seed Meal, Sea Bird Guano, and Alfalfa Meal.



They're also fertigated with Cal-Mag and Haifa products. And the final tiger in the tank is a foliar feeding with Neptune's Fish Emulsion and SeaGreen from Primordial Solutions.



So far so good, best plants I've grown yet. Sticking to the spray schedule has depleted the thrip population. I've only lost 3 out of close to 100 plants.
Before, the numbers were MUCH higher.


chinenses are happy in the potting mix and with the fertigation regimen, lots of Carolina Reaper, Apocalypse Scorpion, 7pot choc, 7pot pink, 7potyellow, Tobago Seasoning, and a few others.



Mt. Magic and Green Tiger are on the way from Johnny's. And soon to follow will be SOTW, Terhune, Nicky Crain, Crnkovic Yugo, Dora, Daniel Burson, Mikhalych, Bear Creek, Malachite Box, Gary O'Sena, Indian Stripe.



Now that I can grow again, I'm going back to flavor.



Best of luck everyone in your personal gardens.


First two pics are of how they started, the others were snapped today.


In the background you'll see the future cuke tube being put together.



I really like the how the basil draws in all the pollinators.

[Gerardo]

This is a good name.

[Worth1]

Looks fantastic amigo.

[bower]

Now that's a tomato garden!
I am in the same boat, driven out by pests, so I only have ten plants this year, I could not make the commitment to fight the tiny grievers with forty plants crammed in my greenhouse. So far pest issues are absent or well in hand, but I only started in July. My mini grow doesn't look a bit like your fine and feisty jungle though!

[Gerardo]

@Worth: Thank you Sir!

[ddsack]

Wow! The picture of health! Congratulations, it looks like you've got it figured out.

[Gerardo]

@bower: 10 plants is more than enough to keep you busy and with skin in the game. I hope this feisty bunch keeps on truckin.

[Gerardo]

@ddsack: Thanks! Not quite there yet, but I'm getting close. They do appear healthy and it seems with proper nutrition, fungal players have a harder time gaining a foothold. I'm about to switch to a slightly different nutrient profile as per the Haifa diagrams, I have a feeling they'll like it.


I'm going to use the same juice for cucumbers, they'll probably like it too.

[Barb_FL]

They look great. What is your spraying regimen? How often?

----
Are your bug problems in SD or Mexico?

I know my season lasted much longer than usual (still had lots of tomatoes through most of July) and the bugs were much worse - even spider mites which I never had, the leaf footed bugs, etc.

----
I used that Fish ★★★★ before too; The local hydro store has vendor days; great for trying samples.

[Gerardo]

@BarbFL: I've been hitting them often. Neem/Karanja about once every 10-15 days, this is the main defense.



Spinetoram once a month is the projection, I've used it 3 times. I'm going to skip this month as the yellow sticky cards indicate all is well.



And flonicamid I've used once, at 3-4 weeks after planting to coincide with flowering. It gives you a 28 day window free of thrips, aphids and whiteflies. I doused everything in my garden, and I mean everything. I'll use it again when I plant out my fall plants. The directions say no more than twice a season.


I love grabbing samples from the hydro store, that Fish s%$# smells awful, but the plants really love it.



Glad to hear you had a long season. Insects are moving, and I've no doubt I'll be seeing new ones too. Lots and lots of those large crane flies here.


And I almost forgot, here is Tijuana, weather wise equivalent to inland San Diego, so hot and dry most of the time.

[kilroyscarnival]

Originally Posted by Gerardo

@BarbFL: I've been hitting them often. Neem/Karanja about once every 10-15 days, this is the main defense.

Spinetoram once a month is the projection, I've used it 3 times. I'm going to skip this month as the yellow sticky cards indicate all is well.

And flonicamid I've used once, at 3-4 weeks after planting to coincide with flowering. It gives you a 28 day window free of thrips, aphids and whiteflies. I doused everything in my garden, and I mean everything. I'll use it again when I plant out my fall plants. The directions say no more than twice a season.

Your plants look amazing! I looked up the latter two products, because I didn't know them. Curiously, the Spinetoram seems to be the active ingredient in the topical Cheristin we use on our cats (via our vet) for flea protection. Do you use a particular brand of it?

Flonicamid I haven't yet found in a retail product. Are you able to say where you obtained it and under which brand name?

Thanks. I am in Zone 9B in Orlando, where it's still too hot and humid to start, but I'm hoping for some earlies by Christmas, then others carefully overwintered for our few frost warnings for early spring. The bugs and fungus got me the last time I grew tomatoes. New home, new start. - Ann

[Gerardo]

Originally Posted by kilroyscarnival

Your plants look amazing! I looked up the latter two products, because I didn't know them. Curiously, the Spinetoram seems to be the active ingredient in the topical Cheristin we use on our cats (via our vet) for flea protection. Do you use a particular brand of it?

Flonicamid I haven't yet found in a retail product. Are you able to say where you obtained it and under which brand name?

Thanks. I am in Zone 9B in Orlando, where it's still too hot and humid to start, but I'm hoping for some earlies by Christmas, then others carefully overwintered for our few frost warnings for early spring. The bugs and fungus got me the last time I grew tomatoes. New home, new start. - Ann

Thanks Ann. I understand Floridians get two good windows, and the first one is right around the corner, relatively speaking.

Yes indeed, spinetoram is used as a vet product.

Spinetoram is an analogue of spinosad and is considered to be toxicologically equivalent, it just has a few minor changes in the molecule.

The active ingredients in Spinetoram are spinosyn J and L.


Spinosad has the A and D.

The version I use is called Exalt, by Dow Agrosciences.

A few years ago, on my first visit to the agricultural area stores, helpful "agricultores" who were buying their own stuff overheard my gripes on thrips,
and immediately pointed to the brand new product called Exalt. It was too pricey for my blood then and I went with alternatives, which did NOT work.

This spring I returned to the exact same store, and a similar scenario unfolded.
And as another gentleman overheard me inquire about Exalt
he detected my noob status and asked what my problem was and what I grew. To which I responded tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers, and related how a few years back it had been recommended as a solution at that very spot.
--They'll break through with that.
He then directed the people behind the counter, with amazing authority I might add, to give me X product
--We're all out.
Sucks on teeth and breathes in heavily...--Then give him the Beleaf. The small bottle. Yes, that'll do you right.
--Is it systemic?
--It is, and I use it on all my cucumbers.

--Thank you Sir, much appreciated.
--Yeah, tell the person creating your program to fix it, they're no good.
--I'm the one creating it, it's just me and my backyard.
--Aaahhh, then use this, and the Exalt, and the Neem, the flowers, and the glue traps. But use this [the flonicamid], it'll give you 28 days free of thrips, enough for your flowers.
The gentleman left, and I waved my thank you. The people behind the counter informed he has an insane amount of hectares of arable land.


I followed instructions and the yellow card shows 30 days post Beleaf on all plants in the garden, + 3 applications of Exalt. The card has been hanging for 72 hrs. This time of the year that card would be filled with thrips, whiteflies, fungus gnats, and other assorted insects within 24 hrs.

The patent on Beleaf belongs to a Japanese company, https://www.iskweb.co.jp/eng/product...flonicamid.pdf



It's a powder you hydrate and spray on, about 1 gram per gallon. I made up a total of 6 gallons and just imbued every plant on the property.




It's in a class of its own, the 1st in a new category of insecticide. It works, and is relatively innocuous.

[nancyruhl]

Great to see your garden growing so well. I have been wondering.

[Gerardo]

Originally Posted by nancyruhl

Great to see your garden growing so well. I have been wondering.

Thanks Nancy!

[Gerardo]

Drove down Saturday AM to the Ag supply stores.


As per the Haifa literature on nutrition requirements for tomato, and taking into account what the stores had in stock, I went for the Multi npK for the fruit maturity stage.



Also acquired a 300 L (55kg) bag of Florapeat.


EU product. Reminds me of the BioBizz Coco Mix, silky smooth, absolutely no twigs.


I find the Promix BX to contain more twigs/stems than the Florapeat, so if it's around, go for it.


Prices you might ask:


32 USD for the 25 kg Multi npK, and 30 USD for the Florapeat.




Products from Israel (Haifa) and Norway (Yara) are feeding my Mexican garden.