Controlling insects in a greenhouse
How do you control insects in a greenhouse?
We had a major issue, particularly with white flies in a greenhouse I voulunteered in. Their solution was a ton of chemicals. (I am not a chemical person)
Keeping a greenhouse clean and picked up helps.
Using herbs in a greenhouse helps plus its pretty and inviting.
And adding chickens would probably help
Other ideas or suggestions
Comments
-
@Denise Grant The chemicals that greenhouses use are awful.
Chickens might help. They might also destroy certain plants. Personally, I would choose the little ones, like serama, for that job if I was using chickens. Their feet are a little more delicate and the bird isn't as likely to squish plants or scratch up as much as a big one might. Poops are smaller too. Quail might be more friendly toward your plants.
I would tend to look into getting packages of ladybugs and praying mantis...insect biological controls. I am not very familiar with the US supplies of these so have none to specifically recommend, but do know that there are some suppliers that sound quite good. I found them a few years ago when I was wanting to know what was out there.
Some of these specify what each predator will eat, which can be very helpful when choosing your insect.
-
If I used chickens I would have them in certain parts of the greenhouse and limited use of space. About 1/3 of my chickens are the smaller breeds.
I forgot about insects. That would be good in so many ways. I know a few seed suppliers have them and I bet a local greenhouse would have the info and definitely an extension office or conservation would know where to go for ordering. TY
-
I use a home brewed repellent in my greenhouse that works pretty well against a wide variety of bugs. It even repels ants but they require persistence. I have had to spray them daily for a week for them to decide it’s not worth it. The recipe includes garlic, cayenne, mint and dish detergent. I keep a spray bottle going year round as something always seems to be waiting to taste my goodies before me. It doesn’t have any effect on slugs and they are trying to take over! Beer traps only do so much. I need to research some other ways to make the greenhouse a little less hospitable to them.
-
Sounds like a pretty good mix you have created @Owl
I also like the idea of making a greenhouse less hospitable. They hang out in one for a reason, take it away and they will move on
-
I would think that keeping a window open would deter bugs from accumulating.
-
One day when I disturbed a nest of small ants under a saucer, I raced to find something to attack them with before they could get away. In other shed the only thing I found was Lysol Shower cleaner. Thinking this was better than nothing, I aimed the sprayer at them. To my astonishment, the poor critters died on the spot! Since then I have been using it successfully on the small ones (some call them sugar ants) at least. I do not have a problem with bigger ants to try it on.
For wooly aphids I use a hose nozzle with a fine, forceful spray to blow them off the stems. I've tried all sorts of other concoctions, such as garlic, hot peppers and neem oil, but they always return. At least the water doesn't cost and is easily applied. Water has the added benefit of raising the humidity which spider mites don't like. I think having a fan or two moving air around would discourage white flies too.
-
White flies were one of the worst issues we had in our volunteer greenhouse. Our issue was the greenhouse had to be cleaner and they were in the soil. So we cleaned that up and most of the white flies were gone. Adding fragrant herbs in amongst ther flower helped too
-
I Never thought of water for wooly aphids, I have under control now but will keep that in mind
-
Those yellow sticky papers do wonders for white flies. Also set out shallow dishes of apple cider vinegar mixed with a little sugar. You'll see the little drowned suckers the next day.
-
I do not have a greenhouse but have used mint in a container, sprouted buckwheat groats, chives and garlic
to help control aphids. It is companion planting. Onions are also suppose to help.
I wasn't sure how much that it helped last year as I still had aphids but they went for the sacrificial
older broccoli plants that I left in place to get seeds. This year before I could get everything in place
the aphids came back with a vengeance. I am spraying with Dr Bronners soap with extra peppermint oil added to it
and also put the mint in a container back in place in my raised beds where the aphids are the worst. Have the
buckwheat grouts sprouting on the kitchen counter to get in the ground as soon as I can. The garlic is in the bed
but it is small and farther away from the broccoli than I would like. Any and all plant based controls are the best in my opinion.
Best of Luck to you all!
-
Welcome to the TGN forum @beads & @lynettestewart35!
When you get a moment, head on over to the introductions forum and give us an idea where you are from.
https://community.thegrownetwork.com/categories/introductions
We also have a FAQ section to help you navigate the forum more easily & a rules section to help keep our community a fun and easy going one. Please check these out when you have a chance.
-
I have a regenerative farming book by Gabe Brown, a farmer/rancher with thousands of acres. Using modern mob grazing, he has been able to eliminate the thousands of dollars of fertilizers and pesticides that drain the pockets of most farmers and ranchers. After several years, he noticed that insects were greatly reduced on his spread. He theorizes that insects in excessive numbers are like disease--a healthy body throws them off.
I have a book by Eliot Cole, who runs a greenhouse in Maine that produces salad vegetables year round. He has found that fully healing the soils by ensuring all nutrients are present means that he, too, has little problem with bugs.
Chemicals are a near-immediate solution. Regenerative methods take time--sometimes years. But in the long run, they maintain fertility, which is much higher total productivity over a century. The chemical companies can give you immediate advice, too. They know what "works" in their system. Regenerative farming is explore-and-see-what-works, a learning curve. but it will heal our soils, our bodies, and our minds.
-
@EstherCook I have Eliots book, I just have not thoroughly read it yet, but he is great.
I have not sued any chemicals on the land in years and I agree that chemicals seem to throw everything out of wack and insects get worse. The longer you stay way from any chemicals ther better your land becomes.
I rarely have any insects in my gardens and ther chickens are helping to clean up the rest of my areas.
I do need to build insect houses for beneficial bugs
-
Red spider mites gone with one application. I used to tear down the webs from the spider mites and they would just make more. They were all over my patio, greenhouse and gardens. The last time, I didn't tear them down, I used them by poofing them with diatomaceous earth. That's been years ago.
-
I’m Very new to gardening, this will be my second attempt in growing my own vegetables. (tomato’s, cucumbers and beans). Last year I Got 0 beams maybe a dozen tomato’s and 2-3 cucumbers. I was destroyed by fire ants and rain. I researched ALL NATURAL remedies. With relocating my beds hoping drainage is corrected now. I’ve tried borax/jam, coffee grounds and cinnamon. along with a few homemade sprays. All have failed me. I’m going to try some of the concoctions I’ve seen here! I guess more consistency might get er done! 🤞🏻. You guys are amassing, can’t thank you all enough for sharing your experience and expertise. Happy growing
-
@Mike My first time growing cucumbers was a disaster. I would plant them, go out and they were 1 inch tall and the next morning they were gone. I thought they just died or a rabbit got them. It turned out it was a bug that hid in the ground and came out at night and ate them down to ground level. I read to cover them at night until they were bigger. Success! Tin foil wrapped on the stem helps too but covering them worked better in my growing area.
In Florida even consistant watering will be a huge help. Cukes need even watering to grow well and not be bitter.
Welcome to the group!~
-
@dd74804 I have used diatomaceous earth with much success in the greenhouse, gardens and chicken coops
Welcome to the group!
-
Welcome to the forum, @dd74804 & @Mike!
When you get a moment, head on over to the introductions forum and give us an idea where you are from if you haven't already done so.
https://community.thegrownetwork.com/categories/introductions
We also have a FAQ section to help you navigate the forum more easily & a rules section to help keep our community a fun and easy going one. Please check these out when you have a chance.
-
A greenhouse I worked at, one day they moved all plants outside and were about to pop a methyl bromide bomb inside to sterilize things. Instead, I went in and shut off all ventilation.
The space reached 160 degrees in summer sun , killing algae, moss and any insect eggs.
We dipped the plants in soapy water before returning them, to kill any spores or bugs.
-
Almost forgot, when the greenhouse was back in operation we introduced some small local lizards for bug control. Geckos or frogs would do.
-
@Arn Yes, heat will help kill insects and I prefer that over chemical sprays. In my opinion ther more you use sprays ther more you have to. You kill the beneficial insects and just leave weak plants behind.
I'll have to remember frogs. TY
-
Welcome to the forum @Arn!
Geckos. That would be interesting up here! 😄 Frogs are really cool, but I am not sure if our native ones would stay alert through the winter in a greenhouse. It would be interesting.
Please take a moment to become familiar with our forum's rules & FAQ and leave a short introduction. The former helps keep things running smoothly for all here and the latter is to help you be able to connect with other like minded people in your area.
I will leave a couple links below for your convenience.
Rules & FAQ: https://community.thegrownetwork.com/categories/introductions
Intros: https://community.thegrownetwork.com/categories/introductions
-
@Denise Grant I find that pruning the plants consistently really does help. Moreover, the more the plants are vital and robust, the more pests will not take advantage of weak links in their natural armor. Also, limit watering as much as possible--and remember you can always add but can't subtract. Finally, I wait until their soil dries completely before watering. Hope this helps!
-
Plant stress makes a huge difference in if bugs will bother a plant more, in a greenhouse or in your garden
-
@Owl Your recipe of garlic, cayenne, mint and dish detergent sounds just what is needed. Thanks.
This Week's Leaders
Categories
- All Categories
- 34 Our Front Porch Welcome! (Please Read Before Posting)
- 56 Introductions & Region-Specific Discussions
- 341 Educational Opportunities & Resources
- 452 Current Events & Breaking News
- 47 Emergency/Disaster Preparedness & Resiliency
- 1.3K Our Garden: Growing Food
- 1.7K Our Apothecary: Natural & Home Medicine
- 509 The Back 40: Animal Husbandry & Harvesting
- 38 The Bush: Wild Game and Survival
- 518 Our Kitchen Table: Food Prep
- 391 The Homestead: DIY
- 1.2K Personal Journals
- 103 The General Store: Sell, Buy, & Barter