EasyBloom Forum

My dahlias, petunias and roses seem to be snacking ground for all types of stuff, besides the slugs and snails that love eating anything I plant. I have the slugs sort of under control at this point using sluggo, but what I believe are aphids started to make fast work of my petunias. I considered getting ladybugs, as that seemed much more eco-friendly, but in the end, I was scared by the dire warnings I read on the internet about how if you wait a few days (which I had already done) you will get a huge horrible infestation that is very difficult to get rid of. I bought some pest spray, which seems to have done the trick, but yesterday I saw what looked like a tiny grasshopper and an ant chomping away on my gorgeous dahlias. How long should I wait after having sprayed my flowers with the pest killer before trying to put ladybugs in the yard for a more comprehensive and less yucky solution? Is it already too late for this year?

Hi There, Here are a few very effective and very cheap solutions to your problems, dont go with the lady bugs... try this first Get an empty spray bottle about the quart size 32oz, its the standard you can get them at any home depot like store. Grab like 5 of them they are less than a buck and sometimes break. Get yourself a bottle of dish soap, lemon cented if you can find it otherwise any ol cheap dish soap will work (not dish detergent!) Just straight up cheap Dawn or similar. put 2 Tbsp in the spray (32oz) botttle and slowly fill the bottle with tap water. pop the spray cap back on then your out the door. Spray all your affected plants, (more in the areas of infestation) make sure to get underneath Turn the bottle upside down a few times as you go along to create some suds. This will do 3 beneficial things for your garden 1. Kill the bugs 2. clean your plants 3. softens your soil ( to help retain water better, = less watering) Stay away from the nasty chemical crap as long as you have to. If your Roses are really bad you can treat them with the Bayer or Ortho product you feed through the roots and that will do the trick, but dahlias NO, too sensitive. The bottle of lemon soap water has been working wonders for me!! and it smells awesome! besides spraying dahlia flowers with chemicals will kill them real quick the soap water should not. When my Dahlias where infestid with those little black buggers they were gone in about 2 days... and I spray for 2 more days after that.. then just keep your eye out and use it when you need to. If you want to create a barrier around your garden get one of those hose sprayers that you can put fertilizer in and instead put 1 tbsp of the lemon dish soap and spray the lawn and everything surrounding your garden. Its also very beneficial for your lawn! good luck

Hey Dalia....I would agree with James 100%!!! Thanks James for the answer. I appreciate the help. :) Robby