Combo Spraying

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Crabbergirl

Super Moderator
Staff member
There are some things it is suggested you do not mix to spray. Such as , Organicied suggest you do not mix soap with it. But what I am wondering is;

Anythoughts on mixing copper with Neem or Organicide? I cannot find any information about it. I have always done it but I am wondering if it deactivates either of the products.

I just hate double spraying.
 

RonsGarden

Super Moderator
Staff member
Let's break this down:
What is the copper being used for? Usually used as a fungicide, in an oil base which is not water soluable....a few drops of dish soap should help to emulsify it to make it stick to the foliage better.
Neem is a organic contact pesticide and fungicide which is also an oil and water soluable, which is used for residual application.
I wouldn't mix the two....
Haven't seen Organocide up here! It says that it is an insecticide and a fungicide. Made of a blend of soybean extract and sesame and fish oils..... already contains an emulsifier.
I'd do the copper separately!
 

Crabbergirl

Super Moderator
Staff member
What I am having an issue with is that I switch back and forth between organicide, neem and horticultural oil.Neem and organicide are not giving the protection from fungus that I need. (ie. I have what looks like blight on my tomatoes) so the addition of copper I thought would maybe do the trick.(Noting that Organicide and Neem have been sprayed and are not doing the trick even with pruning affected plant parts away. I am sure this storm will be the end of the tomatoes and beans :() However I was worried about mixing the copper with the horticultural oil or the organicide. the neem says specifically not to mix additional soap so I was unsure about copper.
I just hate spraying for pest then turning around and spraying for fungus.To spray one round in the garden takes me about 2 hours and 5 gallons. Actually , the copper I bought from Southernag is a water soluble and says do not add soap or oil, I was worried about compromising the integrity of either product ;)
 

RonsGarden

Super Moderator
Staff member
Bicarbonate of soda would be a lot cheaper ....and it's in your cupboard!
You will need to add a few drops of soap to make it more stickable!
With the rain you are getting you will need to reapply!!!!!

Still You should follow instructions on the bottles!!!!
Since the copper is water soluable then there's no need to add soap! You will need to reapply after your next bout of rain! BUT, follow the directions on the bottle!
Neem is systemic and takes time!<--you do not want to ovedose them since it stays in their system!

Stop trying to cut corners Nancie!

Guess timing is everything......during windows of good weather!
 

Crabbergirl

Super Moderator
Staff member
Thanks Ron. Yup, you caught me. With the rain and the heat , combine with my work schedule, it is a daunting task to keep everything sprayed. We have had rain everyday since Sat. ( Today is Wed) and I don't mean showers either. Wish i could funnel it to you. I have been reapplying during afternoons when it is not raining. The darn tiny caterpillars showed up with the rain and Now the downy mildew has showed up on my beans. Only 2 small spots so maybe I can win that one.:rolleyes: But really I do have enough beans :p
I am just frustrated this year. OK double spraying it is.
Side note; I have been spraying either neem or organicide every 7-10 days since planting in Feb. and still have a blight on the tomatoes. They are 8 ft high and the first 3' have no leaves. Turning yellow from the bottom up very quickly :(
 

RonsGarden

Super Moderator
Staff member
Side note; I have been spraying either neem or organicide every 7-10 days since planting in Feb. and still have a blight on the tomatoes. They are 8 ft high and the first 3' have no leaves. Turning yellow from the bottom up very quickly :(
Looks like you may have to buy disease resitant tomatoes!!!
 

Crabbergirl

Super Moderator
Staff member
I steped outside the norm and bought some specialty tomatoes. :rolleyes: couldn't help myself. White tomatoes called "snowball" and some just plain old seeds. That might be the problem in it self. gosh, what have I done? :(
 

Wombat

Active Member
Interesting post Nancie, our climates seem to be similar. I also detest spraying for anything. Occasionally I have to as my hot/wet summer climate is just great for fungal diseases and every bug known to science breeding in my yard:rolleyes: I have to try and get everything planted prior to Dec/Jan as these months are extreme, weather wise. A lot of folk I know don't plant anything in January as the combination of constant heat/humidity coupled with the tropical downpours makes life a bit difficult on occasions. My approach has been to use both organic and some permaculture methods. Eco-fungicide, Ecocarb, Eco-oil and Lime Sulphur are all the products I use, they're all organically certified and effective. I also bought tomato seeds called Tropic which is very resistant to heat and humidity. I've never used neem but I've often thought about planting a tree in my yard.:)
 

Crabbergirl

Super Moderator
Staff member
John,
Yes, I think we are very similar in climate. You can keep your mambas though :D
We are still having constant daily rains ( pouring right now) since Beryl came ashore , 6 days now! So I have resigned myself to the fact if anything survives, I will throw a party. All my beans have lost their leaves, and my tomatoes are splitting from too much rain. No need to worry about spraying now ;)

I will however not make the mistak of buying seeds that are not resistant, no matter how pretty the pictures on the package are. :p
 

Wombat

Active Member
Lol about the mambas, you can keep all your little buggers and bities too ty very much!:D Yeah all that rain sounds a lot like my place last summer, it used to be a t/storm most nights and it would be all over in an hour but now the rain seems to hang around a lot longer, oh well I just put a lot of sugarcane mulch down and as I have raised beds it does help a bit. Oh yeah I know what you mean about the pretty pics on the packets lol Now I just know by looking at them that they won't survive a summer here;)
 

Crabbergirl

Super Moderator
Staff member
A little "caveat emptor" is in order. I just have to remember they are trying to sell me something.

Had a beautiful rain free weekend
 

Wombat

Active Member
Oh yeah, buyer beware is pretty spot on when it comes to ''pretty labels" lol. Will you have time for a 2nd planting of toms etc?
 

Crabbergirl

Super Moderator
Staff member
Our best seasons are March through Oct with my first frost somewhere between mid Oct. and as late as Jan or Feb and last frost Mar 15. We have a wonderfully long season. Our true zone is 9B but, we can also be a 10 in some years like last year.
I can start from seed for tomatoes as late as July 4 and still have great fruits.
I am replanting seeds of squash this weekend, and parsley and cilantro, and peppers which all took a hit from the rains :(
I think you and I have very similar growing season , just summers are flip flopped.
 

Wombat

Active Member
Yep you're right about summer flip flop lol. I also have a long growing season. I can pretty much plant anything after August right through till April. My colder months start late May until late July. We used to get a regular frost here in July but it seems to have disappeared over the years and is now rare, thank goodness, as it played havoc with my tender tropicals. I tend to only have a couple of beds working in the winter while the other are prepped and ready to go when the weather warms up. Good luck with your new plantings.....I can commiserate with you about the heavy rains washing away seeds etc. happens here too unfortunately....
 

Crabbergirl

Super Moderator
Staff member
Nothing for you to do John except start a good pot of comfort food. ;) About the time you are thawing I will be freezing :rolleyes:

I didn't get to replant this weekedn too much rain. I did spread an addtional 9 yeards of mulch. And I have about 9 more I need. It helps keep the garden from getting too wet. We have had 22" of rain in 2 weeks. That is a lot for us.
 

Wombat

Active Member
Oh Nancie since I've had number of pots of comfort food, my clothes seem to have shrunk in the wash...dunno why;) Has the rain eased up a little for you? 22" is a heap of rain, sounds a lot like last Summer here. One unusual thing I've noticed here is that my galangal now grows through the winter and doesn't die down like the turmeric and culinary ginger and now one of my bluberries has a number of flowers on it:confused:
 


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