Growing Spaces

[Larry B]

White flies were my nemesis last year...I get a guilty conscious spraying these sentient beings out of existence even while using organic sprays.
i hope to keep their numbers down by getting rid of them as soon as I spot them this year.

[pamela]

Hi Larry,
I know this is an old post but I believe I found a cure for whitefly problem in the domes. We built a dome in Maryland for a lady who is a master gardener. She told me about worm castings to remove that pest. So I bought some from...Acme Worm Farm... online. I put a small quanity around each plant in the dome. Within a couple of weeks we did not have any white flies! There may be few now but I just reapplied the castings around that plant. It works by the plants taking in the nutrients (there is some natural chemical) and it is the same as the bodies of the whiteflies. They won't eat the plants or get near them.

[Rhonda]

Can one start a dome putting in lady beetles, parasitic wasps, woodtoad, lizards - (do you buy the woodtoad and lizards and from where) - as a preventative of the pests? What about humming birds? Are they just nectar eaters or do they need protein like the pests in the dome?

Also, where is a good place to buy a fig tree and grape vine and should I wait for spring to the grapes. I live in Knoxville TN and we have a winter that is maybe in the 30s as a low.

Thank you Pamela for the idea of planting seeds directly in the dome, using starter soil 1/2 inch on the top. I am definitely trying that.

Has anyone used Remay - the cloth that goes over seeds and seedlings until they are strong enough? If so, what are the results?

Does anyone with a 22' dome have a fan? Udgar said that if I do not want to purchase it now, I can wait a summer to see how it goes, but now that I have read all the pros on fans with pest protection, it sounds like it would not hurt to start with it. What has been your experience?

Thank you.

Warmly,
Rhonda

[Garden Girl]

In the winter months, the inside of the dome is obviously warmer than outside, and this is great news to white flies. It's smart to take action as soon as you spot any pests. White flies and other pests (like aphids) can spread rapidly, so it is crucial to watch for them and get rid of 'em right away.

[guest]

greetings from Utah! We're the owners of a wonderful 22' dome since spring 2004. We have battled unsuccessfully with white flies..........we've tried everything (organic) Neem, soap spray, pepper spray, lacewings, letting the greenhouse freeze over the winter, fans, worm castings. They still seem to "win" most of the time including this year!

In spite of them we still have wonderful harvests and truly love our green growing space but would love to "win" and get rid of them!

Any ideas to get rid of these pests would be very much appreciated!!

With Gratitude,
Karen & Glen

[udgar.]

I use a combination of Pyola from Gardens Alive and yellow plates covered with cooking oil spray, plus regular spraying and hitting the leaves to knock them off. Also, I like to remove the plants with the worst infestation.

Udgar
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