This poor eggplant has been taken over by millions of red spider mites. I have sprayed it repeatedly with bifenthrin, neem oil/pyrethrin to no effect. I am now thinking that I will loose this and its neighbouring plant.
Here's a close-up of one of the infected leaves. Today I sprayed it with paraffin oil, it states that it controls fungus,white flies/aphids and spider mites.Hopefully it kills these critters before it destroys this plant.
On the last P Allen Smith show, he was talking about using rubbing alcohol solution (1:3) and dish detergent solution (2 tbsp: 1 gal) for controlling pests. I'm not too sure if that's helpful though. I think I'd be out there morning and evening blasting each leaf with the hose. No point in being gentle if you're close to losing the plant anyway, right? What a nightmare though. That really sucks. I hope the paraffin works!
ReplyDeleteUp to a week ago, these two eggplants were looking really pretty, they're actually volunteers from my own compost pile - I used the compost when I planted some squash and in two of the hills, an eggplant sprouted. I left them and watered and fertilezed them with the squash. The squash are long gone and now these two eggplant are standing about 4 feet tall and as wide and they're beautifull, ornamental. So, I guess since they're so infested - tomorrow morning before the major heat of the day, I will mix up another bathch of paraffin oil and use my pump sprayer so I can get in under the leaves too. I plan on drenching both plants.
ReplyDeleteI hate to say this Karel but I think the plants are toast. If it were me I'd give them the heave ho. Sorry.
ReplyDeleteEggplants seem to attract a bad crowd.
ReplyDeleteHi Dawn, it seems all members of the Solanaceae family (also known as the nightshades) are problematic in this area. I tried to grow the wonderberry, and pepino. Both plants started growing fine, but the wonderberry were constantly attacked by whiteflies and never amounted to anything. The pepino was so problematic, it also attracted both red and black spider mites, that I eventually gave up on it after many months of nurturing and not one single fruit. I have been tempted to buy seeds of the tree tomatoes, Cyphomandra betacea, but they also belong to this family and I am pretty sure its going to be a constant attention seeker like the other family members. Oh btw, I also tried growing potatoes (another family member) and it didn't work out either.
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