Too hot?

[b54red]

Originally Posted by Nematode

http://www.arbico-organics.com/categ...er-guide-mites

Bill, have you tried beneficials to control the mites?
These guys have some options.
Not sure if they really work or not, but seems like you are ready to try something new.

No I haven't because I have other problems to deal with like stink bugs and leaf footed bugs and anything I use to get rid of them will probably get rid of most of the beneficial mites. Another reason I don't use them is that spider mites are usually not a major problem like they were this year. In forty plus years of growing tomatoes spider mites have only been a serious problem three of those years and usually just for a short time when it gets too hot and dry for too long. This year was the first time I have ever had the total invasion of my tomato plants by spider mites in a short time like they did this season. If this happens several times then I might try the beneficial mites but even if I had them this year I suspect they would have been overwhelmed as I was by the severity and quickness of the infestation this year.

Bill

[gorbelly]

I would think that beneficials to control mites wouldn't be very effective unless you keep releasing them regularly as a preventative to nip problems in the bud before they become detectable to humans, and that seems expensive. Mites establish themselves and become a big crisis so suddenly and quickly under the right weather conditions that I have doubts that beneficials can arrive in enough time to combat the problem or eat the mites quickly enough once they do arrive. But that's just speculation. Has anyone here had luck with beneficials for a detected infestation?

I assume there are predators in the environment all the time that take care of mites during those times when their spread and reproduction aren't enabled by weather conditions that cause population explosions.

Luckily, I don't live in an area or have conditions conducive to mite explosions. But if I did have a mite problem, it would be one of the few times I'd consider using things like neem, DE, insecticides/miticides, etc. that could also harm beneficials.

[Nematode]

It's my understanding they are preventative, not curative.
No personal experience with mites....

[NarnianGarden]

I don't usually want to spray anything, but this year has been quite an annus horribilis, and I have been experimenting with available weapons of mass destruction ..

The last one I used (it proved useful against mites some years ago - with my indoor plant) was not intended for edible plants per se, but it's pyrethrine and bio-degradable anyway... not harmful to mammals. Yes, I am probably no longer a hard core organic gardener, but spider mites have destroyed my eggplants, physalis and peppers in the past years, so I have very little compassion for them.
Let them breed and live elsewhere...

[b54red]

Originally Posted by NarnianGarden

I don't usually want to spray anything, but this year has been quite an annus horribilis, and I have been experimenting with available weapons of mass destruction ..

The last one I used (it proved useful against mites some years ago - with my indoor plant) was not intended for edible plants per se, but it's pyrethrine and bio-degradable anyway... not harmful to mammals. Yes, I am probably no longer a hard core organic gardener, but spider mites have destroyed my eggplants, physalis and peppers in the past years, so I have very little compassion for them.
Let them breed and live elsewhere...

I gardened totally organic for two full seasons and did okay during the winter with those crops but my summer production was almost nil by the second season. Not only were the pests running wild but the foliage diseases shortened the life of my plants to the point that they barely made any fruit before succumbing to them. I think in an area with less disease pressure and less of a pest problem that many organic gardeners would have success. I try to limit my use of chemicals to those that are least harmful to my garden environment. I still use mostly organic soil additives in order to keep a healthy living soil. I try more organic methods for pest control until it becomes necessary to up the ante and my fungicide use is limited to Daconil, copper, and diluted bleach.

Bill