Natural Whitefly Control

[DJmrcmb]

Hi

I noticed a few posts on Whitefly problems and I just wondered if you'd heard of this one.

I only discovered it myself at a visit to Southport Flower Show last year.

It's this plant. 'Pinguicula x Wesser Butterwort' It's actually a carnivore and has a particular taste for whitefly. I bought one and it was actually covered in them by November. There are different varieties, it was just this was the first time I found out about them.

They look like this:


I can't say for certain whether they'd be good for completely controling Whitefly as I only have one plant at the moment. But I did read that the Victorians used them to control Whitefly. It does seem to work.

Hopefully if I can get the seed off this one I can start experimenting a bit more.

Other than that, we've gone for soap sprays and also a nicotine spray (That's someting we mixed up ourselves) they work to a degree.

[Jenny Green]

What a great find! Please let us know how you get on.
Have you heard of the mouse-eating plant? Now, that's going to make someone a fortune!

Botanists discovered a partially digested mouse inside the plant on Friday after several people complained of a horrible smell.

The carnivorous plant, native to the Philippines, is the first to actually prove that plants can indeed eat small mammals.


http://www.wlwt.com/news/9981163/detail.html

[DJmrcmb]

Please let us know how you get on

It could take a while, it's only just started flowering. Though I might be able to split the plant. It looks like I can get two or three out of this one.

Have you heard of the mouse-eating plant?

Now that is curious! I'd read about something similar on 'Wikipedia' It could be the same plant, I'm not sure. But in it's natural habitat (and some of these pitchers can grow huge!) it is said people have found small mammals inside the pitches.

Nepenthes rajah it's called.

Quoted from 'http://en.wikipedia.org'

N. rajah is known to occasionally trap vertebrates and even small mammals. Drowned rats have been observed in the pitchers of N. rajah. It is one of only two Nepenthes species documented as having caught mammalian prey, the other being N. rafflesiana. N. rajah is also known to occasionally trap other small vertebrates, including frogs, lizards and even birds, although these cases probably involve sick animals and certainly do not represent the norm. Insects, and particularly ants, comprise the majority of prey in both aerial and terrestrial pitchers.

That'd be a good one to keep the pests away

Which reminds me I also have a 'Sarracenia Purpurea SSP Venosa' This also seems to like whitefly and other insects. Even likes small grubs it seems.

[Jenny Green]

It's getting a bit too much like The Day of the Triffids for me!

[DJmrcmb]

It's getting a bit too much like The Day of the Triffids for me

Well, some of them do actually move, to a degree...

I'm not come across any that physically uproots itself....yet

Oh, just one thing you might be interested in. I was doing a bit of research last night. It seems that the 'Sarracenia Purpurea SSP Venosa' also likes slugs and snails. I suppose it would depend on the size of the pitcher. You can actually have these outdoors.

A good natural way of dealing with those slimy pests. And you wouldn't have to worry about disposing of the carcasses afterwards.

[Jenny Green]

Why do we bother with those nasty pesticides?

[DJmrcmb]

Why do we bother with those nasty pesticides?

I sometimes wonder.

I'm surprised how many organic methods there are. At our end we're trying to be as environmentally as possible but it is a bit more expensive to start but gets easier as you get going. Once you know what you're doing.

There are so many different things to try. I'll have to see if I've any books on the subject. It was just sheer luck that I stumbled on the 'Pinguicula' Had no idea there was a plant out there that had a taste for whitefly.

[Jenny Green]

I think the organic/environmentally friendly market can be a little dominated with products that are often unneccesary - ladybird houses for example. It needn't be more expensive to be mindful of the environment when gardening. One of the reasons I'm organic is that I'm too tight to spend out on quick fixes that are often temporary.
I have to say insectivorous plants are a new subject to me though. I've killed one or two venus fly traps in my time but that's as far as it goes.

[DJmrcmb]

ladybird houses for example

Oh, that one's new to me. What we're trying to do is go organic and environmentally friendly. We're doing our best with the budget we have. It's just a case of looking for new ideas, or old ones should I say.

I've killed one or two venus fly traps in my time but that's as far as it goes

Well, the first carnivore I got, though I did keep it at home, was a Venus. I managed to terminate that quite easily I'm ashamed to say.

Oh, that 'Nepenthes rajah.' I've discovered you can buy this in this country. It would be a good test of pest control

[Johnboy]

Sometimes I begin to question the sanity of some contributors to this forum. How many of these plants would you have to have to devour an infestation of White Fly? Are you going to grow this plant or a crop?
I notice DC that you have the sense to use a Nicotine preparation but sadly although it is 100% organic the organic practitioners have refused to allow it to be used.
Sadly these nasty pesticides are very necessary at times and Nicotine is just such a pesticide.
I have my doubts that many contributors have seen a very heavy infestation of White Fly and if you did you wouldn't know which way to turn.
JB.

[Allan]

JB
You are confusing Big 'O' (Soil Association) with little 'o' (Organic Chemistry)
Nicotine is little o but not big O which is according to the certification body who have been given the absolute right to define substances according to their whims.
My most used method of controlling whitefly and most other aphids is a powerful jet of water which is undoubtedly a chemical with no appreciable carbon and therefore and therefore does not qualigy for either definition but one is hard put to it to see any poisonous quality in it unless one is drowning.
BIG 'A'

[alan refail]

I so agree, Johnboy. I had been following this thread out of interest, as (dare I say it again?) whitefly are not a problem here. But some of the implications were making me wonder:

a) plants cannot walk or fly, so you rely on very obliging whitefly to get themselves eaten.

b) if the avoidance of spending money on insecticides is a factor, how much do the plants discussed cost?

c)Don't bring in ladybirds; they predate aphids, and whitefly are not aphids. If you want natural controls you are looking at encarsia formosa (of which I've no experience, except that I know they CAN fly).

Alan

[Jenny Green]

Sadly these nasty pesticides are very necessary at times and Nicotine is just such a pesticide.
I have my doubts that many contributors have seen a very heavy infestation of White Fly and if you did you wouldn't know which way to turn.
JB.

You're quite right Johnboy, I've never had a heavy infestation of whitefly, so I must either be very lucky or doing something right.
The only thing I do get infestations of is red spider mite which I manage to deal with without resort to conventional pesticides.

[Jenny Green]

I so agree, Johnboy. I had been following this thread out of interest, as (dare I say it again?) whitefly are not a problem here. But some of the implications were making me wonder:

a) plants cannot walk or fly, so you rely on very obliging whitefly to get themselves eaten.

b) if the avoidance of spending money on insecticides is a factor, how much do the plants discussed cost?

c)Don't bring in ladybirds; they predate aphids, and whitefly are not aphids. If you want natural controls you are looking at encarsia formosa (of which I've no experience, except that I know they CAN fly).

Alan

My comment 'why do we resort to these nasty chemicals?' was slightly tongue in cheek. I wasn't suggesting that pesticide control could be effective purely through the use of insectivorous plants and neither do I think was the OP. I do think it's an interesting experiment, though.

a)insectivorous plants attract the insects through smell mostly I think.
b)it seems the OP will be propagating from his one plant, so I should imagine the cost will be the cost of one plant and some compost
c)I was talking about ladybird houses as an example of unnecessary expense, not as a method of controlling whitefly.
I'm well aware encarsia is the biological control as it's my understanding that this has now been adopted by tomato growers as it's more effective than spraying with pesticides.

I'm sorry to see that a light hearted discussion has been turned into the condemnation of those who think outside the box, as usual on this forum.

[Johnboy]

Hi Alan,
Encarsia formosa are only of use in confined growing areas and if released outside would simply disappear and do no good whatsoever.
Years ago now I had an Organic Market Garden next to me with 5 acres of Calabrese and the crop was totally ruined but the person responsible refused to use spays of any kind. He not only infected my Nursery he infected half of the county of Herefordshire and in the end MAFF stepped in and he was closed down and MAFF had to use flame throwers to destroy the "crop". When the source was combated they then had to use "these nasty pesticides" over and enormous area and still they were not able to bring them fully under control. Those White Fly spread over 12 very far flung villages.
The Market Gardener was not allowed to grow vegetables any more so he turned to "Organic Flowers" and the next thing he was inundated with Vine Weevil and of course they infested my Nursery.
That man cost the country an awful lot of money and he lost me contracts that would have paid me £125000. a year. Now can you see why at times I seem to be a tad anti-organic it is sadly from very bitter experience.
I try very hard not to use pesticides but I never rule then out.
It's alright being organic come hell or high water but to me it is simply a form of selfishness and sod everybody else.
JB.