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Preparing for your Pest Control Program
As it is starting to warm up, preparing for pest control is a hot topic. Knowing what pest control program you should use is all about knowing was insect and disease pressures you face. Even Greg and Travis, who live in the same county, face different pest pressures and problems.
It is essential when getting rid of pests to be proactive and start spraying before they show up. Some of the main pests the guys see here are Squash Bugs, Pickle Worms, Leaf-footed bugs, and Corn Earworm. Both Greg and Travis like to spray once a week, and if it starts to get worse, go in twice a week.
They each pick a specific day and stuck to that schedule like Travis sprays every Sunday night. It would be best if you sprayed late afternoon or early morning, so your bees are not affected by the spraying. They both agree that their bees are active in the morning, so they choose to spray right as its getting dark, and the bees are going to sleep.
Insects and their eggs like to stay under the leaf, so it is crucial that when you spray, you get under the foliage and over the top for good coverage. With our organic sprays, you must get excellent coverage. A question a lot of gardeners ask is, when do I know I have sprayed enough per plant? Greg likes to use the run-off method. If you are spraying the plant and it is starting to run-off the leaves, then you have sprayed plenty, and you need to move on, or you are wasting money.
What Should your Pest Control Program Include?
For every good pest control program, it is vital to have a combination of insecticide and fungicide. Many people do not realize not only can you mix the two, but it is terrific for your plants to do so. All of the chemicals here at Hoss Tools have no problem mixing, but like always, it is imperative to read the pull-off label on the back. That label will also tell you how you are required by law to mix it and by what ratio.
Both Greg and Travis have two different combinations they alternate on their gardens. For week one, Travis goes in with spinosad, Garden Insect Spray, this chemical takes care of crawling and flying insects. He mixes in with that spinosad the Liquid Copper Fungicide. He notes that when mixing, he does them each individually then adds them together.
For Travis's week two, he goes in with Monterey B t Spray to help take care of worms, moths, and caterpillars. The Bt gets mixed with the Take-Down Garden Spray, which will help take care of squash bugs and their eggs. The last chemical he adds in there is Complete Disease Control, which is a comprehensive organic fungicide.
Greg's pest control program consists of Liquid Copper Fungicide and Spinosad Garden Insect Spray for his first week, which is similar to Travis's. The Garden Insect Spray sticks to the leaf perfect, which is important if you spray before a rain shower. The Liquid Copper is great for early and late blight, which is something Greg's garden struggles having.
For week two, Greg goes in with a fungicide that is good for leaf spots and can be used to treat soil born diseases, Complete Disease Control. He mixes that with a not as well known spray named Fruit Tree Spray, don't let the name fool you though it works wonders on vegetable gardens as it is a combination of pyrethrin and neem oil. One last tip to remember if you are spraying something with oil if you are expecting to have a hot afternoon and you sprayed in the morning, you have a high likelihood your plants are going to burn.
Show and Tell Segment
Exciting things are happening at Hoss Tools, including giveaways, T-shirts, new video segments, and new seed varieties. The giveaway will only happen if we hit 100K on Youtube by May 30th, and if we do, Hoss Tools will be selecting three winners to win gift cards up to $500!!
The new video segments Travis spoke about are called Garden Goodies, which will be short videos on various things Greg or Travis want to show you or teach you around the garden. These will post on IGTV, but at the end of the week, they will get compiled into one video available on Youtube.
Row by Row t-shirts is in the making, so get ready! The guys are steadily working on designs to give you a great way to support your favorite channel and garden store. Let us know what you would like to see by commenting on any of our videos.
The new seed varieties were various pumpkins, great for jack o' lanterns, small or big. The following seeds are also powdery mildew resistant, so that makes them easier to grow in the south.
It wouldn't be a Show and Tell Segment if we didn't have an infamous gardening story from Greg now, would it? After Greg left us with the question of Vine Okra the other week to see what our viewers knew, he finally gave us a little insight, with some humor. The Vine Okra he spoke about and showed was considered a gourd, where he went on to say that anyone in the south or southwest could have success with it as it's such a maintenance-free crop.
Product of the Week
Check out the video below to listen to the guys talk more in-depth about their pest control programs!!
https://youtu.be/Hia-_ZEkquI
