So, here we go… let’s talk about those nasty thieves that want to take all your veggies – and what to do about them. If you haven’t read PESTS AND DISEASES INTRO yet, please go back and read that first, because prevention of problems is by far the best cure. If you follow that advice, you may not need this BLOG – Part 2 at all!
As I mentioned in the Intro, there are a lot of unique gardening problems that we have to deal with in Hawaii, but we are lucky that many pests that plague tropical islands have not reached here. This is one good point about being the most remote island chain in the world! Many other tropical islands cannot grow most vegetables at all. But, once again, we do have our own particular problems and pests, including the fact that we have no cold winter to kill off insects. They are with us all the time. Let’s deal with them in order of severity (IMHO) Snails & Slugs, Whiteflies, Aphids & Mealybugs, Nematodes, Mites, Chinese Rose Beetles, Caterpillars & Cutworms, Fruit flies, Ants, Molds & Fungus, Rats & Mice, and Birds:
SNAILS & SLUGS – Snails have a shell and slugs do not, but they both do the same kind of damage. They have surprisingly strong rasping mouths and, if given the chance, will chew off every new seedling you plant, devastate your leaf crops, or chew around and “girdle” the trunks of your Papaya trees, killing them. They also carry Rat Lung Disease! These pests come out at night and march in formation through your garden if you are not prepared. They hide in the shade under trash or bushes during the day, so having these things close to your garden is inviting trouble. But fortunately, there are lots of things you can do.
First, you can go out at night and simply pick them up (with gloves or chopsticks please!) and dispose of them (in soapy water), or you can put a shallow plate out with the rim level with the ground full of beer and they will crawl in and drown. You can place a board or piece of plywood near your garden and just lift it up during the day while they’re hiding and scoop them up. But listen – I would rather not have them in my garden in the first place – so, the best method by far is surrounding your garden with copper. Copper tape or just a copper wire will keep slugs and snails out. They will not crawl over copper; it gives them a shock. I surround my garden with treated 2X4’s and staple a copper wire to the top of the 2X4. Unless a bird drops a snail in my garden, they just can’t get in. Baits work too, but these must constantly be applied. If you use bait (and I do on occasion), be sure to use the Iron Phosphate bait, since many other types are toxic to you and pets, and you don’t want poison in your garden, do you!? Snails and slugs also do not like to crawl across wood chips – so chips can make nice borders around or paths in your garden.
WHITEFLIES, APHIDS & MEALYBUGS – These are all sucking insects that congregate on the underside of the leaves (or growing tips) of your garden vegetables. Whiteflies are white, aphids are usually black, wooly grey, or light green and mealybugs are white and cottony. Doesn’t matter which you have, the cure is pretty much the same for all. First, pick off and destroy any leaves that are infested – then the best strategy is to smother them and break down their protective waxy coatings (read on). They are particularly bad on peppers, but I rarely, if ever, see them on tomatoes and eggplant, and never on carrots, beets, onions, etc. Check the underside of the leaves on your young transplants regularly – they particularly like young tender plants; you want to catch them early! A strong spray of water will usually wash them off, but the nymph’s and larva cling on and you’ll have another generation quickly, so I like to spray them with a Thyme & Clove oil mixture with a nice squirt of Ivory Liquid dish soap added using my pump up garden sprayer (Trifecta Crop Control, or Eco-1 Fruit and Vegetable Spray), this will smother them, break down their protective coatings, and also repel others. This method is totally safe for you and the bees! Take a lighter or torch and gently heat up your plastic sprayer wand so it bends 90 degrees. This will make it far easier for you to spray the UNDERSIDE of the leaves (otherwise you are wasting your time). As soon as you see these critters, spray once a day early or late in the day for 3 or 4 days in a row. This should take care of them – but do keep checking your plants! You do not want to let these insects take hold. Many people use Neem oil; however, I am not a fan. I have found it to be marginally effective and it often burns the leaves on my plants.
If you are not paying attention and you let these pests get out of control, your next best bet is an organic insecticide containing azadirachtin (which is the active ingredient in Neem oil), like the product Azatrol. Once again, mix according to the label directions and add a good squirt of Ivory Liquid, then spray UNDER the leaves 3 or 4 days in a row.
NEMATODES – Nematodes are microscopic worm-like creatures that burrow into plant roots and suck and exist in the soil in most every part of the planet. Our variety here in Hawaii is pretty bad, which is one reason you can’t ship plants with dirt on the roots to the mainland. Nematodes attack tomatoes, eggplant and peppers especially, but you may never know it until your plants look weak, sick or wilted for no apparent reason. Nematodes on carrots are usually quite visible because they form knots on the roots. These are called root-knot nematodes. They will make your carrots ugly and not very appetizing. The best solutions for nematodes are choosing resistant veggie varieties and incorporating lots of compost in your soil. Compost, worm castings and peat build good biotica in the soil that make your plants stronger and discourages pests like nematodes.
There are a few commercial anti-nematode soil soak products on the market, but they can be devastating to the good soil biotica you are trying to build. A tried and true method of dramatically knocking nematodes back for a couple of seasons is this: clean out your garden then till and water it well. Cover the entire garden with clear plastic, securing down the edges, and let the sun bake the soil for two months during the hottest part of the year (no need to water during this time). This is called solarization and will pretty much rid the garden of nematodes for a couple of years. They will come back though, so continually building the soil is still the best bet.
Remember, observation is the best care you can give your garden. Catch pests early and they will rarely become a serious problem.
Next BLOG we’ll move on to Mites, Chinese Rose Beetles, Caterpillars and Cutworms, and Fruit flies. Happy Gardening!
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