Happy New Year 2011!

Daughter and I are having a relaxed NY day today. Hanging out at home, nothing much going on. No complaints here.

Turns out the insect problem on the tomato plants has been "whiteflies" (or so I gather from descriptions). Nothing I had been using was working for more than one day/night. Finally read that insecticidal soap will work. Got some yesterday and it seems to be doing the trick, even destroying some of the eggs and larvae, which burrow into the plant stems. Until now, they destroyed whole branches and killed a couple of cuttings. It would really suck to see a tomato plant which is now over 7 feet tall die off from bugs.

Only problem with the insecticidal soap is the cost. Almost $5 for a 24 oz spray bottle.

Looked up how to make insecticidal soap. Turns out to be REALLY cheap to make (or adapt). It only takes some pure soap made from animal fat. Ivory soap is a good choice. (NOT Ivory liquid, which is a detergent made from chemical ingredients). Dissolve in water and make a 1% solution. Nothing else is needed.

It will apparently work on aphids and most insects. Only thing is that it only kills on contact, so you have to spray directly on the bugs. Non-toxic and can be used up to day of harvest. Just rinses off. Not a good thing to use as broadcast spray, as it kills all insects, including ladybugs and butterflies and will also kill earthworms. Spot direct treatment is better.

After learning how to make it cheaply, this is something which will be a valuable part of my insect arsenal.