A Rough Year for some things

[digitS']

I have a hard time imagining a plague of grasshoppers like what would strip bare trees, RidgeRunner. Biblical . . . and then, there were those Mormon crickets!

Who would have thought that the hoppers would eat marigolds?!

Well, I know that trees have resilience in the face of leaf-loss. Dad once sprayed his plum tree with dishsoap - completely unmeasured, just out of the end of a hose-end sprayer, no rinsing. Every leaf fell from the tree! Yes, the aphids went with the leaves. The plum regrew leaves and did just fine at producing fruit the following year.

Steve

 

[digitS']

Congratulations on your

sweet peppers,

okra,

tomatoes,

eggplant, and

sweet potatoes!

Steve

 

[Ridgerunner]

A lot of times, trees are more resilient than you'd expect. I really don't want to lose my fruit trees. Cherries and pears have been stripped too. So has my almond, down to them eating the outer shell on the two almonds that were trying to develop. First year for that tree to have nuts. Pecans have been damaged too.

Them eating marigolds surprised me a bit too. We had a drought last year too, but the dry started about a month earlier this year. Last year they went after any weak marigold but left most of the healthy ones alone. This year, they seem to be going after them all. I think they are working their way from preferred to acceptable fare. That Ash tree and my Iris were right at the top of their list. The apple and marigolds were a lot further down.

At least the high this year has only been around 104, not like the 115 it was this time last year.

I have had some pretty good success which I'm showing on Vfem's Canning and preserving thread. I don't consider this Biblical, just a bad year for some things. Some things, especially early things, have done well. I don't know that I've ever had sweet peppers do this well. And my okra is loving it as long as I water.

I'm convinced that Semaspore (Nosema Locustae) helped. I've seen a lot of dead and weak grasshoppers. It's just when their numbers are this high and there is nothing else green for them to eat to get the moisture they need, every grasshopper in this valley is drawn to the only things being watered. None of my neighbors out here water their gardens and we certainly don't water our lawns.

 

[thistlebloom]

I just had a thought RidgeRunner, since the grasshoppers are going after moisture, I wonder if you could trap them with jars of molasses water? I used them one year when the yellowjackets were eating my raspberries. It was effective enough that I would do it again if I had another bad year with them.

Basically, just in case you aren't familiar, you make a 10% molasses/water concoction and fill jars about one third full. The hoppers are attracted to the smell of the mix and drown.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Thistle, that's not a bad idea. I've read that they are attracted to Canola oil. That's actually one thing I tried. Spraying a mixture of Canola oil and insecticide in some tall grass near my garden to try to attract them to it. I don't know if it helped or not.

I have several 4 gallon plastic buckets. I'll try filling them maybe 1/3 with water and put a layer of Canola oil on that and see if it attracts them. Thanks for the idea.

 

[Naughty]

Does anyone know if using semaspore will make the grasshoppers dangerous for chickenss to eat? My girls love em but I don't let em out every day

 

[digitS']

Here is Planet Natural's sales pitch: (click) The people who make semaspore own Planet Natural.

"Semaspore infects at least 90 species of grasshoppers, the black field cricket, and some other crickets and locusts. However, it is completely non-toxic to anything else, not affecting humans, pets, and the over 250 natural grasshoppers enemies."

And, here is Colorado State University: Grasshopper Control in Gardens & Small Acreages ". . .selective in effects, only affecting grasshoppers . . ."

Steve