The warm and moist conditions in a greenhouse provide perfect environment for many pests and diseases. The most common but easily preventable disease is mold.
Tomato plants are among the most popular plants to grow in a greenhouse and in the garden. Unfortunately, sometimes gardeners have to deal with the animals who treat themselves to juicy tomato fruits. You can learn how to make a super efficient hot pepper animal repellent so your tomatoes continue to thrive.
Apart from animals you need to watch out for the bugs on your tomatoes as these can cause irrevocable damage. In this article we will find out how to get rid of tomato bugs in a greenhouse.
How to get rid of tomato worms?
Step 1 – Use beneficial insects. Green lace wings and ladybugs are predators of the tomato worms. Release the beneficial insects early in the season to increase their population. Do not use any pesticides that kill beneficial insects.
Step 2 – Check tomato plants three times a day and pick up any hornworms. Look at the interior of the plant and look towards the exterior in the morning or evening. Also, check the ground for black droppings which confirm the presence of hornworms. Pick up any hornworms that you find.
What are the white things on a hornworm?
The white things on a hornworm are cocoons, the pupal stage of the Braconid wasp. The braconid wasp lays the eggs on the hornworm’s body and white stuff is the larvae of the wasp. Larvae feed on the inside of hornworm until the pupal stage on the wasp. If you see white things on a hornworm, leave it alone as it has been parasitized by wasps.
Paper wasps are also helpful in getting rid of tomato bugs as they are predators of the tomato worms.
Step 3 – Spray tomato plants with a solution of Bacillus thuringiensis. It is especially useful when you can see the damage from hornworms but can’t find the hornworms. Bacillus thuringiensis or Bt is a naturally occurring bacteria that kills hornworms but doesn’t affect other beneficial insects. Apply Bt spray on the plants and tomato worms will die within 2-3 days of ingestion
Step 4 – Practice crop rotation and tilling to prevent hornworms from coming back next year. There are two generations of hornworms per year and they show up in early and late summer to feed on tomatoes. Then they bury themselves in the soil, pupate and emerge as moths the next year. Tilling kills 90% of the pupae of hornworms in the soil.
Does vinegar kill bugs on plants?
Although vinegar kills bugs on plant, if you spray vinegar on plants it will damage the leaves. Vinegar contains acetic acid which can destroy leaves cell membrane, so it affects photosynthesis and can kill plants. Hence, you can’t spray vinegar on plants.
Will soapy water kill hornworms?
You can spray soapy water on tomato plants and it will help to find hornworms as they will start to wiggle and convulse around. If the soapy water stays on the body of hornworm for too long, it will kill caterpillar as soap is irritating.
How do you get rid of stink bugs on tomato plants?
1 – Plant companion plants that ward off stink bugs with Tomatoes. These plants are Marigolds, Chrysanthemums, garlic plants, Lavender, etc. Stink bugs will stay away from the Tomato plants as these are surrounded by the plants they don’t like.
2 – Spray a mix of half water half oil (vegetable, olive or lavender oil) down the tomato plant. It is the easiest way to get rid of stink bugs if you see them on tomatoes.
3 – Wash the plants down with water every day. It is very effective the first time you see stink bugs on tomatoes. If you continue to wash the plant with water daily for a week, it will ward off the bugs.
What are the tiny black bugs on my tomato plants?
The tiny black bugs on tomato plants are black bean aphids also known as blackfly and beet leaf aphid. Black bean aphids are sucking sap from the tomato plant and secrete honeydew which promotes growth of sooty mold.
Black bean aphids are up to 2mm long and are pinhead. They vary in colors but are mostly black with white spots on the upper surface of the body. These tiny black bugs form colonies on the soft young growth of tomato plants.
How do you kill black aphids?
To kill black aphids use insecticidal soap, it dehydrates soft black aphids bodies and doesn’t damage your plants. It is easy to make insecticidal soap at home.
All you need is just to mix a couple of teaspoons of a pure liquid soap like Castile or all-natural soap with 950 ml (one quart) of water. Transfer the solution in a spray bottle and apply on the leaves, stems and the buds to kill black aphids.
How do you treat aphids on tomatoes?
The easiest and most efficient way to treat aphids on tomatoes is to spray plant leaves with a solution of water and a few drops of pure soap. Also, to get rid of aphids permanently use neem oil, insecticidal soaps and horticultural oils.
What is best insect spray for tomato plants?
A solution of 2 teaspoons of oil (vegetable, mineral, olive), 2 teaspoons of all-natural soap and half a gallon of water makes a perfect repellent and a best insect spray for tomato plants.
Oil is efficient against bugs as it covers the insect’s body and blocks the pores through which it is breather. As a result, bugs are dying from suffocation. Soapy water also kills bugs by suffocating them. Soapy water disturbs bug’s cell membrane and, also, clings to the pores so the bug can’t breath.
