Since the thrips are back, and the "thripinator" apparently doesn't work on them at all, I am bored of their damage to plants, and I'm bored of seeing them on my fruits - albeit they havent actually damaged any fruits yet.
 |
| Say Hi to Steve. Yes, I named him before squashing him. |
Apparently - thrip levels have to get above "40 per plant" to be seriously destructive, below that they're just annoying.
So, other than the aluminium mulch, and picking them off by hand (sellotape works REALLY well by the way!), I thought I'd try something different. Meet the mites!
These are predatory mites Amblyseius cucumeris. I first encountered these with broad mites, though I didnt use them in the end.
The sachets, acquired from Just Green in the UK, contain a feed and eggs, so the mites hatch at a fairly regulated level, apparently around 400 per week, for 6 weeks. They recommend one sachet per plant, though the manufacturer implies a level of one per 3 plants should be enough.
I have to say, this all looks very promising - but we'll see!
No comments:
Post a Comment