It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 4:13 pm

All times are UTC - 6 hours




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 4 posts ] 
Author Message
PostPosted: Sun Jun 24, 2012 1:34 pm 
Offline

Joined: Sun Jun 24, 2012 1:10 pm
Posts: 2
My live oaks have spider mite infestation. A reputable arborist company has suggested treating them with Avid Spray and with Root Fertilizaiton with Orthene for mites. I would like to try something more organic than either of these treatments if that would be effective. Can anyone recommend treatments that can be used in temperatures over 90 degrees F (I am in Texas).
Thank you.


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sun Jun 24, 2012 2:11 pm 
Offline
Moderator
Moderator
User avatar

Joined: Wed Jul 02, 2003 8:09 pm
Posts: 1917
Location: Fort Worth,TEXAS
No Ortho products! Orthene is not part of an organic program.

As Howard has said many times, you can treat spider mites with just about anything (orange oil, insecticidal soap, etc.) every three days for nine days and that will kill them off. If you have them in large trees, use the hose end sprayer and point it up as far as you can. Spider mites appear when a plant is already in a weakened condition, so the usual advice applies: look at your trees - can you see the root flare? If not, they're planted too deep, they can't "breathe" like they should, and this is enough to cause the distress that attracts the mites. Pull back the grass, carefully scrape the dirt away from the base until the flare is well-exposed. This alone will help trees, and yes, if you have to pull so much back that the tree appears to be standing in a shallow dish, that's okay.

Other problems - how much water is the tree getting? Are you watering too much, is the drainage poor, is there too little water? If they are well-established, chances are they get too much rather than too little water.

Avid Spray is Abemactin, which is acceptable in an organic program. Take a look at the price, see how much you would need, and choose if you want to try the orange oil or other home remedy treatments first or go to the abamectin.

_________________
Northwesterner


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 8:42 pm 
Offline

Joined: Sun Jun 24, 2012 1:10 pm
Posts: 2
Thanks for the information. I had read that one had to be careful about applying soaps or oils when it it as hot as it is now, but I will try one of these.

The trees are well established, probably 25-30 yrs old and the one with the worst infestation is huge in diameter. I am assuming they did not get enough water last year with the drought; we also had a burst water line in the front yard last year and although we ran the new line as far away from the trunk as possible (rather than near the tree where it ran originally), we did have to sever roots (about 12 feet from trunk).


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 6:31 pm 
Offline
Moderator
Moderator

Joined: Tue Mar 18, 2003 3:45 pm
Posts: 2884
Location: San Antonio,TEXAS
There are hose-end sprayers made for shooting streams high up into trees. The normal ones won't do that.

I would spray molasses, milk, and/or liquid seaweed up into the tree. The idea being to improve the health of the microbes living on the tree bark, branches, and leaves. Those healthy microbes will help keep the sucking pests off the plants and trees.

_________________
David Hall
Moderator
Dirt Doctor Lawns Forum


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 4 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 6 hours


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
Powered by eWeblife