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aphids in LFS

A

andrewm25

Hi Folks
Aphids have reared their ugly little green bodies on my plants. http://terraforums.com/forums/images/smilies/sad.gif Never been a big fan of submersion, never worked for me unless i wanted to drown a plant. What can I use that wont kill or make mold in the live LFS I have. Plants are Pings, Utrics, Drosera and a tiny Cephalotus. I am using hand removal right now. Was thinking a diluted nicotine spray but cant remember the last time I used this (back in the early 1990's) if it would kill the moss or not. More importantly, will that kill the plants?

Thanks for the help.
Andrew
 
Is themoss alive? I dont knwo if the moss can take it because it isnt a rooted plant but most cp's can take a spraydown with hydrogen peroxide... Hand picking the aphids wont get you anywhere because if you leave one there will be more... it sucks... i drowned my sundews for 11 days once to kill the aphids and it worked.. but it is more risky imo
 
I've used Imidacloprid, a systemic insecticide derived from nicotine on all the genus you have named including live Sphagnum moss with no bad effects. Follow the directions. Commonly available in the US in Bayer Advanced Rose and Flower Insect Killer. Effective against aphids.
 
How about putting the LFS, in water, in a sealed container, with no chance for Oxygen?
 
has anyone had any other pest problems besides aphids? my best aphid remedy is the hydrogen peroxide spray works well. i have spider mites on 2 of my neps and am wondering how to get rid of them. i sprayed with hydrogen but did not work
 
hazedshaman said:
has anyone had any other pest problems besides aphids? my best aphid remedy is the hydrogen peroxide spray works well. i have spider mites on 2 of my neps and am wondering how to get rid of them. i sprayed with hydrogen but did not work
Click to expand...

0) don't use imidacloprid, it mimics the hormone responsible for triggering egg laying in some mites.
1) something with pyrethrin (safe for neps but have to spray very thoroughly)
2) something with sulfur (if you don't mind the smell)
3) place it in an enclosed container with high humidity (they hate it humid)
 
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i tink the thing to do here is humidity. may not be the easiest thing since its a 6x8x8 space but i tink i can come up with something. i just dont want them to transfer to my pomegranate and orange trees cause i can imagine having to spray them down will be any fun. especially sine you have to be very through on spraying everything
 
yes, live and lovely. My usual method involving cooking oil and soap smothers the moss and rots it. Is a marvel on bugs though, but not good for Cephs and some Drosera and some Pings.

---------- Post added at 06:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:30 PM ----------

When I had my nursery with huge Nepenthes, I used to mix a cup of cooking oil, with a couple of teaspoons of dish-washing liquid (lemon scented as bug repellent) Not dish washer, but dish washing, the stuff you use for by hand...

2-3 tablespoons of this stuff in a quart of water applied every 5-7 days with a thorough examination with magnifying glass took care of all bugs including spider mites and scale. Scale were removed first then the plants sprayed. I would spray twice more after an inspection failed to show more bugs, as a precaution. It killed the eggs, and the bugs by smothering them. Problem was it made hash of the live sphagnum, so could only be used on plants growing in peat or other mixes. Works on any orchid and most other plants also.

---------- Post added at 06:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:35 PM ----------

I forgot to mention, mix the two liquids, the oil and soap, shake well to mix, then take the teaspoons of this mix to the water, shake well and spray, pausing to shake periodically to keep it mixed. Spider mites should be 2 tsp per quart.

---------- Post added at 06:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:37 PM ----------

thank-you. I will get some if I can find it, if not, I will boil a cigar and hope for the best.
 
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