Sunday, January 22, 2012

Can I spray Tomato plants with soapy water for bugs ?????

I have seen some brown spots on a few leafs and have removed them...But was wondering if like flowers you can spray tomatoes with soapy water....I don't want to put chemicals on them... Oh! buy the way my plants are in large pots on my deck.....

Can I spray Tomato plants with soapy water for bugs ?????
Are you sure bugs are causing the spots and not disease?





You can spray soapy water but it is effective only on soft bodied insects such as aphids and mites but not effective on beetles or hornworms. Noe would it be particularly effective on a fungal disease.





When you go chemical free you have to know the cause of the problem before grabbing something off the shelf (this is true with chemical gardening too) Too often people just blindly grab the first spray and spray away and hope for the best without ever figuring out exactly what they are spraying for or reading the label on the chemical bottle to see if what they grabbed is even appropriate.





I grow a lot of tomatoes organically and have found brown spots on leaves are usually a sign of disease, often caused by soil born bacteria and fungus. These can be prevented by mulching the plants when they are transplanted so that soil is not splashed up on the plant during rain or over head watering
Reply:I've had trouble with soap on tomatoes as it tends to burn the leaves. Maybe others have had better luck. What are these brown spots? Are they insects? If so, what type? Soap works only if you get it on the insect, not as a preventative. Could your spots be left over feeding locations from something passing by like a leaf hopper? Could they be disease? Too many questions. Before you start splashing around stuff, find out if you need it.
Reply:not a problem at all. I actually use dirty dish water to water some of my plants.


Just rinse a little afterwards to make sure the soap doesn't leave a film on the leaves to prevent them from their job of photosynthesis.
Reply:yes you can soap is biodegradable


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