Basil plant again
 

My basil plant is doing fine without a lot of sun because I put it
under a flourescent light, but this morning I found mites on it. Does
anyone have a fixit for that? tia....Sharon

biig wrote:

> My basil plant is doing fine without a lot of sun because I put it
> under a flourescent light, but this morning I found mites on it. Does
> anyone have a fixit for that? tia....Sharon
Mix up a solution of a couple of drops of dish detergent, couple of
drops of olive oil or other veggi oil in about a quart of water. Put in
a spray bottle and spray the plant. Problem solved :)

"~patches~" > wrote in message
...
> biig wrote:
>
> > My basil plant is doing fine without a lot of sun because I put it
> > under a flourescent light, but this morning I found mites on it. Does
> > anyone have a fixit for that? tia....Sharon
> Mix up a solution of a couple of drops of dish detergent, couple of
> drops of olive oil or other veggi oil in about a quart of water. Put in
> a spray bottle and spray the plant. Problem solved :)

I second that.

kili <------who used to work for a nursery and that's what even *they* used.

In article >, biig > wrote:

> My basil plant is doing fine without a lot of sun because I put it
> under a flourescent light, but this morning I found mites on it. Does
> anyone have a fixit for that? tia....Sharon

Oog.
Light spray of diluted dishwashing liquid maybe?

Neem oil is supposed to be the best.

Persanally, if the plant is not too large, I'd try hand-scrubbing it.
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson

kilikini wrote:
> "~patches~" > wrote in message
> ...
> > biig wrote:
> >
> > > My basil plant is doing fine without a lot of sun because I put it
> > > under a flourescent light, but this morning I found mites on it. Does
> > > anyone have a fixit for that? tia....Sharon
> > Mix up a solution of a couple of drops of dish detergent, couple of
> > drops of olive oil or other veggi oil in about a quart of water. Put in
> > a spray bottle and spray the plant. Problem solved :)
>
> I second that.
>
> kili <------who used to work for a nursery and that's what even *they* used.

Then you would know to use *soap*, NOT detergent... big difference.
A tablespoon of Murphy's Oil Soap with a quart of water... for mites
it's more important to wet the soil than the plant. Of course with
annual herbs potted indoors once they're infested with mites I'd toss
them and start over... why would any right minded person want soapy
basil. That basil very likely became infested because the mites were
in the soil and it was deprived of ultaviolet... and ordinary
florescent light wont do, ya need gro-lights... and you still need
natural sunlight for the ultraviolet. For growing potted herbs indoors
it's imperative to use *sterilized* potting soil and as much natural
sunlight as possible.

Sheldon

OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote:
> In article >, biig > wrote:
>
> > My basil plant is doing fine without a lot of sun because I put it
> > under a flourescent light, but this morning I found mites on it. Does
> > anyone have a fixit for that? tia....Sharon
>
> Light spray of diluted dishwashing liquid maybe?

S'ok so long as that dishwashing liquid is *soap*, NOT detergent.

> Persanally, if the plant is not too large, I'd try hand-scrubbing it.

Well, it ain't quite a giant sequoia... wanna give a guy a hand? hehe

Sheldon Bristlecone

"Sheldon" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> kilikini wrote:
> > "~patches~" > wrote in message
> > ...
> > > biig wrote:
> > >
> > > > My basil plant is doing fine without a lot of sun because I put
it
> > > > under a flourescent light, but this morning I found mites on it.
Does
> > > > anyone have a fixit for that? tia....Sharon
> > > Mix up a solution of a couple of drops of dish detergent, couple of
> > > drops of olive oil or other veggi oil in about a quart of water. Put
in
> > > a spray bottle and spray the plant. Problem solved :)
> >
> > I second that.
> >
> > kili <------who used to work for a nursery and that's what even *they*
used.
>
> Then you would know to use *soap*, NOT detergent... big difference.
> A tablespoon of Murphy's Oil Soap with a quart of water... for mites
> it's more important to wet the soil than the plant. Of course with
> annual herbs potted indoors once they're infested with mites I'd toss
> them and start over... why would any right minded person want soapy
> basil. That basil very likely became infested because the mites were
> in the soil and it was deprived of ultaviolet... and ordinary
> florescent light wont do, ya need gro-lights... and you still need
> natural sunlight for the ultraviolet. For growing potted herbs indoors
> it's imperative to use *sterilized* potting soil and as much natural
> sunlight as possible.
>
> Sheldon
>

Yes, we used dishwashing soap, water and sometimes garlic in the mix. I
didn't specify. Sorry. Cheap soap will do because it still covers the bugs
which prevents them from flying or breathing.

kili

In article .com>,
"Sheldon" > wrote:

> OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote:
> > In article >, biig > wrote:
> >
> > > My basil plant is doing fine without a lot of sun because I put it
> > > under a flourescent light, but this morning I found mites on it. Does
> > > anyone have a fixit for that? tia....Sharon
> >
> > Light spray of diluted dishwashing liquid maybe?
>
> S'ok so long as that dishwashing liquid is *soap*, NOT detergent.
>
> > Persanally, if the plant is not too large, I'd try hand-scrubbing it.
>
> Well, it ain't quite a giant sequoia... wanna give a guy a hand? hehe
>
> Sheldon Bristlecone
>

:-)
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson

kilikini wrote:
> "Sheldon" > wrote:
>> kilikini wrote:
>>> "~patches~" > wrote:
>>>> biig wrote:

>>>>> My basil plant is doing fine without a lot of sun because I put
>>>>> it under a flourescent light, but this morning I found mites on it.

> Yes, we used dishwashing soap, water and sometimes garlic in the mix. I
> didn't specify. Sorry. Cheap soap will do because it still covers the bugs
> which prevents them from flying or breathing.

Is this a new and improved method to raise basil for pesto? Is sounds
like something right out of a Three Stooges short that ends with
everyone belching soap bubbles.

- Bobbi

> wrote
>
> kilikini wrote:

>> Yes, we used dishwashing soap, water and sometimes garlic in the mix. I
>> didn't specify. Sorry. Cheap soap will do because it still covers the
>> bugs
>> which prevents them from flying or breathing.
>
> Is this a new and improved method to raise basil for pesto? Is sounds
> like something right out of a Three Stooges short that ends with
> everyone belching soap bubbles.

Hardly new. I wonder how long Safer's Soap has been around.

nancy

wrote:
>
> kilikini wrote:
> > "Sheldon" > wrote:
> >> kilikini wrote:
> >>> "~patches~" > wrote:
> >>>> biig wrote:
>
> >>>>> My basil plant is doing fine without a lot of sun because I put
> >>>>> it under a flourescent light, but this morning I found mites on it.
>
> > Yes, we used dishwashing soap, water and sometimes garlic in the mix. I
> > didn't specify. Sorry. Cheap soap will do because it still covers the bugs
> > which prevents them from flying or breathing.
>
> Is this a new and improved method to raise basil for pesto? Is sounds
> like something right out of a Three Stooges short that ends with
> everyone belching soap bubbles.
>
> - Bobbi

Don't you rinse your herbs before using them? This should get rid
of any residue....Sharon

Nancy Young wrote:

> > wrote
>
>>kilikini wrote:
>
>
>>>Yes, we used dishwashing soap, water and sometimes garlic in the mix. I
>>>didn't specify. Sorry. Cheap soap will do because it still covers the
>>>bugs
>>>which prevents them from flying or breathing.
>>
>>Is this a new and improved method to raise basil for pesto? Is sounds
>>like something right out of a Three Stooges short that ends with
>>everyone belching soap bubbles.
>
>
> Hardly new. I wonder how long Safer's Soap has been around.
>
> nancy
>
>
A long time! The homemade version works well too. I like the homemade
gardening remedies because it means I don't have to make a special trip
into town. Another trick is to spray a solution of chamomile tea on new
seedlings to prevent dampening off.

"~patches~" > wrote

> Nancy Young wrote:

>> Hardly new. I wonder how long Safer's Soap has been around.

> A long time! The homemade version works well too. I like the homemade
> gardening remedies because it means I don't have to make a special trip
> into town. Another trick is to spray a solution of chamomile tea on new
> seedlings to prevent dampening off.

No kidding. I agree about the homemade stuff, because otherwise you
buy a big container of (whatever) and you never use it up and it gets lost
in the garage anyway. Also, I am rather sensitive to chemicals so I don't
go spraying god knows what willy nilly anyway.

I should make a list of gardening stuff like that, that would be very handy.

nancy

~patches~ wrote:
>
> Nancy Young wrote:
>
> > > wrote
> >
> >>kilikini wrote:
> >
> >
> >>>Yes, we used dishwashing soap, water and sometimes garlic in the mix. I
> >>>didn't specify. Sorry. Cheap soap will do because it still covers the
> >>>bugs
> >>>which prevents them from flying or breathing.
> >>
> >>Is this a new and improved method to raise basil for pesto? Is sounds
> >>like something right out of a Three Stooges short that ends with
> >>everyone belching soap bubbles.
> >
> >
> > Hardly new. I wonder how long Safer's Soap has been around.
> >
> > nancy
> >
> >
> A long time! The homemade version works well too. I like the homemade
> gardening remedies because it means I don't have to make a special trip
> into town. Another trick is to spray a solution of chamomile tea on new
> seedlings to prevent dampening off.

What is dampening off??? thanks ..Sharon

Nancy Young wrote:

> "~patches~" > wrote
>
>
>>Nancy Young wrote:
>
>
>>>Hardly new. I wonder how long Safer's Soap has been around.
>
>
>>A long time! The homemade version works well too. I like the homemade
>>gardening remedies because it means I don't have to make a special trip
>>into town. Another trick is to spray a solution of chamomile tea on new
>>seedlings to prevent dampening off.
>
>
> No kidding. I agree about the homemade stuff, because otherwise you
> buy a big container of (whatever) and you never use it up and it gets lost
> in the garage anyway. Also, I am rather sensitive to chemicals so I don't
> go spraying god knows what willy nilly anyway.
>
> I should make a list of gardening stuff like that, that would be very handy.
>
> nancy
>
>
I'll do homemade anytime if it works. It saves me both time and money!
The soap solution works nicely for things like aphids. A straight
soap/water solution gets rid of box elders and ants. If ants get in
your home useone of the following borax, cider vinegar, mint oil, or any
mint wherever they are getting in. For larger pests hot pepper mixtures
can be used but I personally think they are inhumane because the critter
suffers. I use a motion activated sprinler in the garden area and
electronc controls in the house. If they are of the two legged variety
a baseball bat works wonders ;)

My weed control is pretty effective too. What I can't pull I use a
solution of vinegar, water, and salt on usually boiling. It they still
persist I use a blow torch on them. Problem solved :)

biig wrote:

>
> ~patches~ wrote:
>
>>Nancy Young wrote:
>>
>>
> wrote
>>>
>>>
>>>>kilikini wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>>Yes, we used dishwashing soap, water and sometimes garlic in the mix. I
>>>>>didn't specify. Sorry. Cheap soap will do because it still covers the
>>>>>bugs
>>>>>which prevents them from flying or breathing.
>>>>
>>>>Is this a new and improved method to raise basil for pesto? Is sounds
>>>>like something right out of a Three Stooges short that ends with
>>>>everyone belching soap bubbles.
>>>
>>>
>>>Hardly new. I wonder how long Safer's Soap has been around.
>>>
>>>nancy
>>>
>>>
>>
>>A long time! The homemade version works well too. I like the homemade
>>gardening remedies because it means I don't have to make a special trip
>>into town. Another trick is to spray a solution of chamomile tea on new
>>seedlings to prevent dampening off.
>
>
> What is dampening off??? thanks ..Sharon

Dampening off is when you have the nice little sprouts coming up and
everything looks good BUT then the sprout bend over and you will see
what looks like rot of the stem just above the soil line. The seedling
is lost and no remedy will help it once dampening off happens. You need
to pre-treat.

"~patches~" > wrote in message
...
> biig wrote:
>
>> My basil plant is doing fine without a lot of sun because I put it
>> under a flourescent light, but this morning I found mites on it. Does
>> anyone have a fixit for that? tia....Sharon
> Mix up a solution of a couple of drops of dish detergent, couple of drops
> of olive oil or other veggi oil in about a quart of water. Put in a spray
> bottle and spray the plant. Problem solved :)


I'd also like to say this should be repeated every week for 4 weeks, because
if any eggs or stray mites are left, they'll reinhabit the plant fairly
quickly. The four times will get them just before they start again.

Jen

"Jen" > wrote in message
...
>
> "~patches~" > wrote in message
> ...
> > biig wrote:
> >
> >> My basil plant is doing fine without a lot of sun because I put it
> >> under a flourescent light, but this morning I found mites on it. Does
> >> anyone have a fixit for that? tia....Sharon
> > Mix up a solution of a couple of drops of dish detergent, couple of
drops
> > of olive oil or other veggi oil in about a quart of water. Put in a
spray
> > bottle and spray the plant. Problem solved :)
>
>
> I'd also like to say this should be repeated every week for 4 weeks,
because
> if any eggs or stray mites are left, they'll reinhabit the plant fairly
> quickly. The four times will get them just before they start again.
>
> Jen

Pyrethrin (sp?) based sprays are supposedly good to rid a plant of mites -
can make your own by simmering up some crysanths then do the soap solution
thing with that.


Shaun aRe