Arg! There's some kind of weevil on my rasberries! :'( They're light brown and look most like clay coloured weevil on google image search. What should I do organically? :'( :'( :'(
Squash with finger
Rhubarb maceration (over night soak) sprayed
Potato Tea - Cover potato leaves with water, boil and simmer for a short while.
OK Redclanger, What's the diagnosis?
What do the organic solutions actually do and why?
Fascinated I am, but please explain.
The rhubarb presumably poisone them with oxalic acid. Potato leaves are of course poisonous as well, though I don't know what the active ingredient is.
They both poison aphids, weevils and caterpillars and also act as a deterent. It is also advisable to add a little bit of washing up liquid to make it stick.
ok thanks redclanger, but will washing get it off the fruit so I can eat it afterwards? Only had a handful so far.
Yes
I believe that the potato leaves (and also green potatoes and the sprouts that come if you chit) contain solanine and chalonine which are poisons. Spraying with this in theory should work for pests that eat leaves and fruit of crops, but may not work for sap-sucking insects like aphids, because they wouldn't actually eat the poison.
Yay! ;D I do love me rasps! Thanks guys, gonna try the potato tea first since I just dug some. Will report back...