Catapillars are eating our tomatoes before they get ripe, and suggestions how to get rid?
Question:of them without bad chemicals?
Answers:
essentially... you can't.
You can TRY the "Green Gardener" formula of dish soap, Coka-Cola and Tobacco juice. But its not very effective on catapillars. (very effective on fleas...) dish soap does discourage most pests.
1Cup dishwashing liquid.
1 can Cola (NEVER use diet!)
1 cup of juice made by steeping a package of Red Man leaf chewing tobacco in a quart of water overnight.
Mix the stuff up.
Pour into a hoze-end sprayer.
Spray on the affected area of the garden/yard.
Its also a mild fertilizer.
***************
For really taking care of the catapillars... "Seven" dust by Ortho.
Plant basil in-between your tomato plant, they keep away the butterfly that lays the eggs. Your best bet now would be to remove them by hand.
Usually they just eat the leafs. They are tomato horn worms. They will not bite, just tap them into a bucket and toss them onto the road so that the birds can have a feast.
Biodegradeable dish soap might work but I don't remember the mixing ratio for the water. I know it works for lots of other critters.
You are probably referring to tomato worms. These are large, green, ugly worms about the size of your forefinger. One organic and effective way to take care of these worms is to examine each plant closely,looking in the area of damage, or droppings, and to slice the worms in two with scissosrs. My Daddy and I have done this on a field of tomatoes. Spending a minute to save a plant is not bad.
More Related Questions & Answers...