critterologist said:When do you use the lactobaccilus? seed/seedling stage? foliar feed? thanks for the easy recipe directions!
Jill, to answer your question, I have to explain my approach. I try to control insects in the garden by confusing and repelling them from my vegetables while at the same time providing them with something they prefer to eat. If the insects don't lay their eggs on your vegetables you've solved a lot of your insect problems before they start.
I use a Garlic, Red Pepper, and Sage tea to confuse and repel the insects. This doesn't kill them but it does make them think they've landed on the wrong plant and move on. To make 3 gallons of concentrated tea which makes 6 gallons of spray. Add 1/2 cup each of powdered garlic, powdered red pepper, and powdered sage to 3 1/4 gallons of hot tap water (I use a 16 quart stock pot so it has plenty of room.). Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a slow boil for 15 minutes. Allow to cool overnight (don't want to play with hot liquids). Strain through a stocking and it's ready to use. To strain it I pour it through a stocking stretched over a wide mouth gallon pickle jar, then pour it into 2 litre drink bottles for use. Let the leavings dry and spread them around the base of your plants. The empty spice containers work well for this. This tea is stable and will last on the shelf for well over a year, just shake well before using.
Molasses Water. Molasses acts as a sticker for the spray. Once the spray dries it isn't easily washed off by rain or dew. It is also good for your plants and soil (promotes microbial activity) because of its mineral content (Calcium, Iron, Magnesium). I also add Horsetail tea and Lactobacillus to the molasses water as I make it to simplify things at spray time.
I make this double strength so I can add a 2 litre bottle of it to a 2 litre bottle of garlic, pepper and sage tea to make 4 litres of spray
My tap water has chlorine so I have to bottle it and allow it to sit for 24 hours so the chlorine can evaporate then it's safe to use with my Lactobacillus.
To make a 2 litre bottle of molasses water start with a clean 2 liter bottle, and fill it about 1/3 full of non-chlorinated water then add 1/8 cup Lactobacillus, 1 1/8 cups of Horsetail tea and 1 teaspoon of molasses. Cap and shake well until the molasses is dissolved. Finish filling with non-chlorinated water.
Now to make 4 litres of spray simply pour a bottle of the garlic, pepper and sage tea and a bottle of molasses water into your sprayer and add 1 tablespoon of Palmolive Orange Dishwashing Liquid and you're good to go. The dishwashing liquid contains Orange oil as well as detergent which will kill any number of soft bodied insects such as aphids, cutworms and a number of other undesirables.
This may sound like overkill but let me explain how I use this and what it will do and hopefully get back on topic. When I plant my cucumber seed (or any other seed) I spray the bed after planting to kill any cutworms on the surface but it will also mask the odor of the seeds you planted so raccoons, possums, squirrels and birds don't dig them up. I spray again when most of the seeds are up.
My garden is surrounded by pasture so I have an endless supply of insects good and bad. The grass and weeds in between my beds are like the pasture most of my insects migrate from and are there to act as a trap crop for the insects, become fertilizer as the clippings rot and slow runoff when it rains so more of the rainwater soaks into the soil. I don't spray the middles. When I mow the middles I kill a lot of insects, but I also disturb a lot, so after I mow I spray my plants to drive the insects back to the middles.
When I spray I tend to concentrate on new growth including fruit clusters because it's unprotected. The cucumbers vines and fruit grow about 2 inches per day so they require more frequent spraying than most. Pruning the suckers and picking the cucumbers will let you see any problems (a patch of mildew, cucumber beatles, eggs on the leaves of the suckers you've removed) early on. Crushing a group of eggs with your fingers can be more effective than spraying after they've hatched. Pickle worm eggs hatch in about 4 days; Squash bug eggs in about 10 days. Squashed eggs will never hatch and are a lot easier to find when the vines are on a trellis rather than on the ground. Claud
