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Columbus,ohio

O.k....can it be done? How? I would like to try. I read some place that praying mantis' can eat grasshoppers....they can eat cuke beatles...right. Also I have heard people have sucsess with garlic barrier. What does everyone think? sure I could have stuff on hand if I needed to use it. is there other stuff I could use?

3/30/2009 6:34:38 PM

Bemidji Minnesota

I have heard of Row covers being used to keep the SVB moths away.

3/30/2009 6:43:12 PM

San Diego

I've gone all organic with soil and ferts, but I have never been able to go all organic in disease and insect control with any success.

3/30/2009 6:47:37 PM

Pataskala,OH

Organic? Giant pumpkins hahahah. lol just kidding but I really do not think you can grow a giant pumpkin 100% organic. I mean none of the heavy hitters are 100% organic. Just like duster said you can go with organic fertilizer and soil but you will never be able to eliminate
inorganic pesticides. IMHO

3/30/2009 6:56:37 PM

Menomonie, WI ([email protected])

If you feel it is worth the risk it can be done..you must realize you are putting your entire season into one fruit on a plant. This is not a field where lower yields are acceptable. Prevention is key to these things if you wait until the plant is under attack you are already to late.

3/30/2009 7:33:45 PM

Columbus,ohio

Forget it. thabks anyway. still going organic for food plants.

3/30/2009 8:22:56 PM

Minnesota([email protected])

I don't use any chemical insecticides, pesticides, or fungicides.
I do us Garlic Barrier(with a wetting agent) which seems to be effective in keeping the cucumber beetles from doing a lot of leaf damage. I do get some leaf damage, mostly on some leaves at the vine tips, maybe because the newer leaves haven't gotten sprayed? The cuke beetles seem to be around the vine tips in the morning(they are easy to squash there). When the male flowers are open, the cuke beetles are mostly concentrated in the male flowers. I frequently pick these and squish the beetles. Sometimes about ten beetles in each flower. I find very little leaf damage after the male flowers open...I assume they find the flowers more tasty.
I haven't had a vine borer problem so far, thankfully.
I have had some disease trouble though. Last year I think one plant developed mosaic virus. The year before I got yellowing leaves when the plant was almost full sized(I'm not sure, but I'm guessing it was something carried by squash bugs....I hope it wasn't a soil-borne disease).
I should add that I try to spray the Garlic Barrier every 5-7 days, which is more often than recommended, I think. This year I hope to start spraying Garlic Barrier when the plant has about 5 true leaves.
You have to decide if going organic is worth the risk to you. It is for me, as I grow A.G.s in the same garden as I grow vegetables. If you do your homework, you may have success.

3/30/2009 8:32:20 PM

Minnesota([email protected])

I should add, I'm not a heavy hitter, my personal best is 1041 lbs.

3/30/2009 8:33:05 PM

Boise City, Oklahoma, USA

I have encouraged and have praying mantis that dwell in my yard. I do not have aphid problems on my water lilies anymore, they do gangbusters on those. I also have lots of egg cases for this year so should have a good population of them, again.

Cuke beetles, squash bugs, japanese beetles... had them all over and had to use other means to deal with them. Hoppers were also a problem, if the mantis were dining on them they didn't take care of the problem by any means.

Totally organic is impossible with AG's I believe. You can do quite a bit of organic but. Some things may need more drastic measures and preventive measures.

Non chemical fertilizers seem to work much better; garlic barrier helps a lot with the beetles and bugs; SVB spraying is pretty seriously drastic stuff but. Control your bugs to help control your bug borne diseases and you will have a lot less disease problems-prevention!

3/31/2009 2:11:57 AM

Belmont, NH

I am a firm believer in garlic barrier. I have not seen a cuke beetle in the 2 years I have been using it. No SVB even before using the garlic barrier. I spray not only the patch but everything near by as well. Don't even let them get close. I spray about once a week.

Bruce

3/31/2009 6:59:50 AM

Bemidji Minnesota

There are too many other gardens around me to have any hope of keeping the SVB away organic like. Those have been the only big problem for me.

Giving an injection of sevin into the vine does rather well at killing them.

3/31/2009 8:36:10 PM

The bottom of New Jersey

You can inject Bt into the vine to kill the SVBs just as effectively. And I do absolutely believe it's possible to grow AGs organically, I just don't have the proof - yet!

4/1/2009 5:51:16 PM

Windsor, Ontario, Canada

Kinda like looking for a hybrid muscle car.

4/1/2009 11:58:21 PM