Comments on: Eggplants & Flea Beetles

By: Andy

Andy — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 20:23:16 +0000

Hi, i’m growing my first eggplants and the leaves are being eaten by a large looking ladybug. It has the colour and spots but not the black head, I’ve seen them on the tomatoes too but they dont eat tomato leaves like the eggplant. Love to know what this is … and what to do with them… Thank you.

By: Kenny Point

Kenny Point — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 14:05:18 +0000

I used a sheet that was about five feet wide to cover the entire raised bed that the eggplants were growing in but a foot or two around the base should be good enough.

By: Sylvia

Sylvia — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 13:33:03 +0000

Any ideas about how much plastic mulch / newspaper is effective? Would a one foot diameter around the base work? Two foot? Or do you need a whole lot more?

By: donna

donna — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 23:01:52 +0000

planted eggplant and when the eggplant started growing we found a hole right threw it. what could have done that?

By: Ray Morgan

Ray Morgan — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 07:35:45 +0000

Hi Bart. Ray here and last got advice from you on Sept.19th 2010. Well my two Goji plants lost all leaves over the winter period. Remember I kept them in a sun-house (Hot house). Well I took them out into the open last month (March) as the weather seemed okay. The leaves are back and getting quite bushy. But having seen loads of Goji plants on my computer, the pictures Iv’e seen have quite short and wide leaves whereas my leaves are long and skinny. Any ideas? My plants are in big pots now because I am trying to grow them as trees.No room for bushes in my garden because of my wife’s plants. So Bart I hope you are doing well with your plants and any more advice from you would be more than welcome. All the best mate, Ray

By: Joanne Rice

Joanne Rice — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 17:45:57 +0000

You are exactly right. That red mulch is protecting your egg plants. I usually plant my egg plants early and in a wall of water. To prevent the wall of water from getting dirty, I surrounded the plant with black and white newspaper and then applied the wall of water. For the first time in years, I did not have flea beetles. I allowed the plants to grow to a fairly good size and then removed the wall of water, left the newspaper, mulched around the plants and had beautiful egg plants, four feet tall. By the time the egg plant matures to the level where ther wall of water can be removed, it is not only flea beetle free but also mature enough to fend off any damage a few flea beetles can cause to it. I have done all of the above for several years but since I read your post, will switch to the red plastic mulch, which I also use on tomatoes.

By: Adnan

Adnan — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:16:46 +0000

Try releasing few small types and less-toxic spiders into your plants, Let the spider nests be developed under leaves. Any type of bug may caught by the spiders or trapped into their nest. Just be careful from spiders while harvesting.
Try and let me know:)

By: Joanne Rice

Joanne Rice — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 04:59:37 +0000

You are right. A few years ago, I wanted to put walls of water on my egg plants. Not wanting the walls of water to get dirty with muddy soil, I placed a barrier of newspaper around the plants and then placed the wall of water over the plant. Lo and behold, no flea beetle. It was just blind luck that this happened and since that time I have instructed our 300 members of our Community Gardens to do just that. When the egg plants get large enough to come out of the wall of water, I do just that and allow the newspaper to remain. My egg plants are always 4 feet tall, beautiful and productive. Yes, a few little holes do appear but at this stage, the egg plant can fend for itself. Our website is http://www.lbcg.org. I think I have a comment on growing egg plants there. I do the disease and pest control of our organization.

Here is another little hint. Brussels sprouts are well known to be aphid factories. This year I place cardboard pieces wrapped in aluminum foil beneath the sprouts and did not have one aphid. It is said that the foil confuses the aphid. I understand that this is true of other insects also. I don’t remember which catalog I saw it in recently but they are selling silver plastic mulch, like your red plastic mulch mulch and in the product information, they too attest to the fact that the silver reflection causes confusion for the insects. Good to know and I will be buying that silver mulch for our Fall Planting.