Small black beetles eating eggplant leaves
Can somebody help me out with my eggplants? The leaves are being eaten by small black beetles which have made small holes all over the leaves. How can I get rid of them?
Eggplant leaves
Eggplant leaves
Posted
by: Jenny Servick
(1 point)
Posted: August 7, 2013
Answers
Flea beetles! The only way I've ever prevented flea-beetle damage on eggplant leaves is by using row cover from the time they're planted until the first flower blooms. At that point, the plant is big enough to fend for itself. Switching from garden beds to 5-gallon or larger containers also helped (mulched, of course). Here's a photo of one of my eggplants. It's planted in a 5-7 gal. container, slipped inside a 10 gal. container because even though eggplants like hot roots, this garden site gets intense afternoon sun.
A local gardener I've met says she got rid of flea beetles in her garden by catching them! (She also plants eggplant in containers.) They're tiny and hard to spot.
A local gardener I've met says she got rid of flea beetles in her garden by catching them! (She also plants eggplant in containers.) They're tiny and hard to spot.
Posted
by: Tanya in the Garden
(128 points)
Posted: August 8, 2013
Peg Boyles commented,
Completely agree with Tanya: floating row covers. I have terrible problems with flea beetles on cabbage-family crops. I place the row covers when I transplant seedlings and leave them on without lifting them to cultivate until the plants grow right out of them. Good reason to mulch heavily right after transplanting. The minute I pull the row covers off, the beetles attack, and once they're there, they're so abundant, you can't pick-em off or drive 'em out. over 10 years ago.
Completely agree with Tanya: floating row covers. I have terrible problems with flea beetles on cabbage-family crops. I place the row covers when I transplant seedlings and leave them on without lifting them to cultivate until the plants grow right out of them. Good reason to mulch heavily right after transplanting. The minute I pull the row covers off, the beetles attack, and once they're there, they're so abundant, you can't pick-em off or drive 'em out. over 10 years ago.
Google or ask your local garden store about diatemaceous earth. There are a couple kinds, so be sure to get the right one. If you sprinkle this fine powder on the plant leaves, and on the ground in your garden, lots of pests will be "taken care of". I think it is considered "organic". I did that this year and have a wonderful and productive eggplant this year. I only planted one, but like zuccini, I don't need more than 1 or 2.
Posted
by: Joan Ribbons
(4 points)
Posted: August 19, 2013
You need to log in if you'd like to add an answer or comment.
0 Comments