Yikes! Are those bad bugs in my garden?
Garden Week Eighteen 8/7/2018
Yikes! Are those bad bugs in my garden?
Every day I walk through the garden. Daily inspections help to identify pests before they become a problem. Thursday, I found a gathering of aphids on several of my tomato plants. I watched them spread to several other plants over the weekend, now action is required! But what should I do?
As a mother, I have done my best to feed my children organic, non-GMO foods, where possible. In the garden, this is definitely something I can make happen. To that end, I use insecticidal soaps and old-school other tricks rather than chemical pest controls. One such method is insecticidal soap. But what is it? How does it work? When should it be used? What does it work on?
According to Marriam-Webster’s dictionary:
Soap: noun \ ˈsōp \
a: a cleansing and emulsifying agent made usually by action of alkali on fat or fatty acids and consisting essentially of sodium or potassium salts of such acids
b: a salt of a fatty acid and a metal
It is these fatty acids which are believed to disrupt the life cycle of the pest without damaging the plants we are caring for. It is not thoroughly understood how insecticidal soap affects bugs. However here are some possibilities as described by Larry Kelley:
Dehydration: by disrupting the body’s ability to retain water.
Cytolysis: Disrupting the cell membranes, causing the cells to break down.
Suffocation: by blocking the insect’s tracheal causing it to drown or suffocate.
Sounds unpleasant, but this method can used without harming children, animals and of course our plants.
With the move towards more organic methods of pest management, companies are now making insecticidal soaps available for sale. When you read the label of these products the main or active ingredient will likely be listed as “potassium salts of fatty acids" or "potassium laurate". However, when it is necessary, I like to make my own.
For my current pest, the aphid, I will use a Castile Soap based insecticidal soap.
Recipe:
½ gallon spray bottle
2-1/2 tablespoons Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Soap
½ gallon water (Tap water is fine)
Test spray on a small area. After 24 hours, if the plant shows signs of distress, wilting, browning, spotting, do not proceed. If all looks good, focus the solution on the affected area, avoiding beneficial bugs.
Why am I using it now? I don’t use insecticidal soaps until the beneficial insects are not keeping up with the problem. Once I have identified an area of infestation, I will watch the progress of the pest over a couple of days. If the problem moves beyond one or two plants, I will introduce additional beneficial bugs, like the Lady bug. While waiting for these to be delivered a dose of insecticidal soap will stave off the pest’s progress. Do not worry, the spray works on contact and will not hurt the newly introduced beneficial bugs.
This particular recipe is good for use on soft bodied pests like, aphids, mealybugs, and to a lesser degree, earwigs, mites, and thrips.
While I prefer to let things work themselves out in the garden, sometimes, we have to help out. There are many homemade and organic methods for pest management. Remember to do your homework and think outside the box when trying to limit chemical exposure of your garden. Some methods, while being time consuming, can be just as rewarding as planting or harvesting when you know what you’re putting on your plate!
