Cucumber beetles are some of the most damaging watermelon pests you can have. They are about a half-inch long with three black stripes running down their yellow wings. The beetles will lay eggs in the soil, and once they hatch, they’ll feed on the roots, stems, and foliage of watermelon plants.
What do you spray watermelon plants with?
Contact fungicides should be the backbone of most cantaloupe and watermelon spray schedules. Two contact fungicides for this purpose have the active ingredient chlorothalonil or mancozeb. They may be used all season-long.
How do you control watermelon leaf miners?
Leafminer on Watermelon
- Rotate melon with other non host crops such as maize, legumes, carrots and onions.
- Mulch the plants to prevent larvae from getting to the soil to pupate.
- Avoid planting new crop next to a previously affected crop.
- Plough deep after harvesting crop.
What chews watermelon vines?
What Animals Will Eat Watermelon Plants?
- Bugs including melon aphids, caterpillars, and grasshoppers.
- Mammals such as rabbits, ground squirrels, and even coyotes.
- Certain species of birds also like melons.
What does aphids look like?
Aphids are small, 1/16- to 1/8-inch-long (2-4 mm), pear-shaped, soft-bodied insects. They can range in color from green, black, red, yellow, brown or gray. Mature aphids can be wingless or can have wings. Winged aphids are similar in color but are a little darker.
What is the best time for spraying watermelon?
Start spraying when vines start to run, no later than when the first (male) flowers open. From vine run until mid-May, spray every ten days. After mid-May, spray every week through harvest regardless of the weather. Downy or powdery mildew can attack any time a crop goes more than a week without a fungicide.
What is eating my watermelon?
Animals such as squirrels, chipmunks, deer and woodchucks enjoy puncturing and eating melon crops. Coyotes and domesticated dogs also enjoy biting into sweet melons. Raccoons and birds make holes in the tops of melons and scoop or suck juices from the fruit’s inside.
What home remedy kills leaf miners?
Neem Oil
To use neem oil for leaf miners, make a spray by mixing 2 tablespoons of neem oil with a gallon of water. Shake well and spray the solution on affected plants. You can also use this organic pesticide to control insect pests in general and to prevent or kill fungus on your plants.
How do I get rid of leaf miner bugs?
Leaf Miner Overview
Crushing larval form in their trails is the most effective killing method. Alternatives include neem oil, Bt spray, and spinosad spray as well as beneficial insects such as beneficial nematodes and parasitic wasps. Prevention using lures, sticky traps, and floating row covers is highly effective.
What is the best treatment for leaf miners?
If you notice leafminer damage on foliage, thoroughly apply Spinosad (Monterey Garden Insect Spray) to all plant surfaces. Once ingested, spinosad stops larvae from feeding and they will die within 24-48 hours. Repeat applicatons 2-3 times throughout the growing season if damage persists.
Can you put Sevin dust on watermelon plants?
Answer: Sevin Dust 5% – 3 Pack is not labeled for applications to watermelons. Please provide the targeted pest for an alternate recommendation.
Do slugs eat watermelon plants?
Place the melon bowls around your garden
‘Slugs will be drawn to the sugary melon and will gorge themselves on the fruit,’ they say. The pests will likely eat so much that they won’t be able to climb out of the bowl.
How do I protect my watermelon plants from bugs?
Spray the watermelons with insecticidal soap. The entire plant must be covered with the substance, to the point of runoff. Reapply the product every seven to 10 days.
What kills aphids instantly?
Spray with Water
The safest and fastest way to control aphids is to spray them off your plants with a strong stream of water from the garden hose. Aphids are such small, soft-bodied insects that even a good rainstorm can knock them off.
Do banana peels keep aphids away?
Yes, banana peels can keep aphids away from your garden. The strong smell of a banana peel is often enough to deter aphids. Surround the base of your affected plants with strips of banana peel.
What to spray on watermelons for bugs?
Insecticides Insecticides used in watermelon are: abamectin, esfenvalerate, diazinon, dimethoate, carbofuran, dicofol, methomyl, permethrin, carbaryl, endosulfan, imidacloprid, bifenthrin, beta-cyfluthrin, thiamethoxam, spiromesifin, fenpropathrin, dinotefuran, spintor, vydate, and fulfill.
How do you make a watermelon bigger?
To maximize the size of the melon, water the plants regularly in deep water sessions that keep the soil moist. Side dress the Watermelon plants with fertilizer prepared for edible crops or fertilizer tea to feed the plants. Fertilizer encourages growth to produce large melons.
How many watermelons do you get per plant?
2-4 fruits
How Many Watermelons per Plant? Healthy watermelon vines produce 2-4 fruits per plant. The vines produce both male and female flowers. Both are needed to set fruit and there are fewer female flowers compared to male, about one female for every seven males.
How do you make insecticidal soap?
By mixing 2.5 tablespoons of vegetable oil and 2.5 tablespoons of pure liquid soap with 1 gallon of distilled water, you’ll have a whole gallon of insecticidal soap for safely spraying plants in flowerbeds or the vegetable garden.
How do I get rid of aphids naturally?
HOW TO GET RID OF APHIDS NATURALLY
- Remove aphids by hand by spraying water or knocking them into a bucket of soapy water.
- Control with natural or organic sprays like a soap-and-water mixture, neem oil, or essential oils.
- Employ natural predators like ladybugs, green lacewings, and birds.
Where do you spray neem oil on plants?
Neem oil works by suffocating insects or disrupting how they feed. The pest must be present when the oil is sprayed on the plant to be effective. When applying neem oil, cover all parts of the plant. Make sure to spray the undersides of leaves where pests can hide and lay eggs.