More detailed information on whiteflies.
How does one tell when they have a whitefly infestation. Easily. If you see a small white cloud appear when you are watering or touch a plant, you have them.
I have read numerous articles on how to get rid of these little buggers without pesticides. Many sites have suggested the following methods:
- Diluted Dawn (the blue one, and it must be the Dawn brand!) in a spray bottle, sprayed on the plant, especially under the leaves, once a day.
- Vacuuming them! Yep, you heard me. Get out your Dustbuster and go to town.
- Earthworm casings on top of the soil.
- Garlic crushed and placed on the top soil.
- Milk, diluted. Supposedly they don't like the taste that it gives the plant.
I am beginning to realize that it may just be a regional problem. I was at Lowe's geeking out in their garden center, and was lucky enough to run across a Bonnie representative restocking the vegetables and she informed me that where there is cotton, there are whiteflies. Well, considering the vast amount of cotton that is grown within a 25 mile radius of my house, and that my neighborhood sits squarely in between 3 cotton fields about a mile long each, it's safe to say I am screwed. And you know what? My plants are fine.
Whiteflies, you win.
