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Something I've been learning is that on most occasions we have to thank certain animals that we deem as pests, that they actually can do us great favors -- they're wonderful informants that something wrong is going on that is invisible to us.
The presence of moles and armadillos making a mess in someone's lawn is telling the homeowner there's a grub problem. The presence of ants on chrysanthemums or okra plants, or any other plants, tells a gardener there are "invisible" bugs that are leaving behind a food source for the ants.
So, treating the underlying problem also encourages the pests to move on!
As for the concentration of soap, the "recipe" given is for very little soap (and make sure it's soap not detergent), and that's all you need - very little. Soap's purpose is to leave a teensie barrier of residue that doesn't harm the plant, but becomes a deadly coating on the bugs.
If the idea of putting soap on edible plants doesn't sit well, even though you do wash it off, you can reduce the amount of soap to 1 tablespoon and mix into it 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and then add it to a gallon of water. Since oil and water separate, the presence of the water-soluble soap keeps them mixed.
Something I've been learning is that on most occasions we have to thank certain animals that we deem as pests, that they actually can do us great favors -- they're wonderful informants that something wrong is going on that is invisible to us.
The presence of moles and armadillos making a mess in someone's lawn is telling the homeowner there's a grub problem. The presence of ants on chrysanthemums or okra plants, or any other plants, tells a gardener there are "invisible" bugs that are leaving behind a food source for the ants.
So, treating the underlying problem also encourages the pests to move on!
As for the concentration of soap, the "recipe" given is for very little soap (and make sure it's soap not detergent), and that's all you need - very little. Soap's purpose is to leave a teensie barrier of residue that doesn't harm the plant, but becomes a deadly coating on the bugs.
If the idea of putting soap on edible plants doesn't sit well, even though you do wash it off, you can reduce the amount of soap to 1 tablespoon and mix into it 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and then add it to a gallon of water. Since oil and water separate, the presence of the water-soluble soap keeps them mixed.
I sprayed them with soapy water and think the leaves are not being aggressively eaten as before. I'll reapply once again next week to fully control it.
I sprayed them with soapy water and think the leaves are not being aggressively eaten as before. I'll reapply once again next week to fully control it.
Hmmm... maybe just a bit...I really don't care about the ants as long as the plants doing good. I have lots of Anton the cantaloupe too but it's growing nicely.
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