I have to say, the DE doesn't work at all! I had a huge potato bug problem last year, and I dusted the heck out of the larva. I left them to see what would happen. Two days later, I watched the whitened larva (coated in DE) still happily eating the leaves as if nothing was wrong. I might try the spinisad this year, thanks for the advice.
If you can grow Tomatillos, I'm finding they prefer it over potatoes, you could use as a trap crop. They're origionally from Mexico, so it makes sense. I wish you luck!
What about companion planting? I have heard that they do not like alyssum and cosmos, and bush beans confuse them. I am going to plant all 3 by mine, I will let you know if it works! I am in So Cal. This is my first year trying to grow potatoes. All my potatoes are in grow bags, I don’t have a place to plant them where they are far enough away from my tomatoes. 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻
I haven’t had to deal with those pests, so I’m not sure, sorry. Also keep in mind that tomatoes usually have lots of flowers (where potatoes don’t really) and these products are harmful to bees… so even if they did kill hornworms, I wouldn’t use them on tomatoes.
Those giant green worms /caterpillars are easy to pick off by hand and throw into a bucket of soapy water. They glow under a blacklight at night and are easy to find. They are an amazing and beautiful sphinx moth, the size of a humming bird, and silently polinate plants at night, so I hate Killing them, but they'll destroy your tomatoes.
you're overengineering it. Just collect the adults in one hand and then put them on something hard and flatten them with your foot. For the young ones and for the eggs just crush them with two fingers. This way it's also more humane rather then poisoning them
this year, after all collecting and "neutralizing" I was unable to keep up with their spawning. Then an agriculturer sprayed our potatoes with some real strong poison and all of them died and also new ones haven't respawned from the soil again. Dunno what poison did the use, but it was a kind that is not available to be bought by people that don't have a special licence
Finally!! A great RUclips video on these potato bugs. Thanks for taking the time 👍🏼
As always, so very informative and compact! Love all the information you put out!
I have to say, the DE doesn't work at all! I had a huge potato bug problem last year, and I dusted the heck out of the larva. I left them to see what would happen. Two days later, I watched the whitened larva (coated in DE) still happily eating the leaves as if nothing was wrong. I might try the spinisad this year, thanks for the advice.
If you can grow Tomatillos, I'm finding they prefer it over potatoes, you could use as a trap crop. They're origionally from Mexico, so it makes sense. I wish you luck!
Oh, and squirt of strong Dawn soap and water solution ruins their day, but you have to rinse it off of the leaves (gently) before it dries.
DE has become the magic powder cure all. It’s good for some things, but I don’t see how it affects larvae or egg laying.
What is DE? Diotameous earth?
@@effieinglishHow smart. I will do that next year.
I had to harvest my potatoes early this year because of these nasty little guys. Our infestation got out of hand quickly while we were on vacation. 😣
What about companion planting? I have heard that they do not like alyssum and cosmos, and bush beans confuse them. I am going to plant all 3 by mine, I will let you know if it works! I am in So Cal. This is my first year trying to grow potatoes. All my potatoes are in grow bags, I don’t have a place to plant them where they are far enough away from my tomatoes. 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻
Will DE and that other chemical work on green horned worms on tomato plants too?
I haven’t had to deal with those pests, so I’m not sure, sorry. Also keep in mind that tomatoes usually have lots of flowers (where potatoes don’t really) and these products are harmful to bees… so even if they did kill hornworms, I wouldn’t use them on tomatoes.
Those giant green worms /caterpillars are easy to pick off by hand and throw into a bucket of soapy water. They glow under a blacklight at night and are easy to find. They are an amazing and beautiful sphinx moth, the size of a humming bird, and silently polinate plants at night, so I hate Killing them, but they'll destroy your tomatoes.
Would mashing them into orange goo with a carrier like soap work i wonder? I have to reseach that.
Mine fly. They can be fast. I'm in Southern Calif. These nasty little things actually come from Mexico.
you're overengineering it. Just collect the adults in one hand and then put them on something hard and flatten them with your foot.
For the young ones and for the eggs just crush them with two fingers. This way it's also more humane rather then poisoning them
Your comment being over critical and rude on this RUclips video is more inhumane than ridding a garden of potato beetles . Come on mikojan85channel 😂
Yeah, there's no need for rude on a video like this.
this year, after all collecting and "neutralizing" I was unable to keep up with their spawning. Then an agriculturer sprayed our potatoes with some real strong poison and all of them died and also new ones haven't respawned from the soil again. Dunno what poison did the use, but it was a kind that is not available to be bought by people that don't have a special licence
@@mikojan85channel if I want to ingest chemicals in my food I'd buy my food from the store.
@@mikojan85channel why did you say she shouldn't poison them and then wrote about poisoning them