jewelbaby1224

Well I am thrilled that now in my third year at Nanner University I now have a second bloom started. I now have fruit growing in 2 different mats around my house at the same time. Whoop, whoopee!!!!!!

The odd thing is that both of those mats are being attacked by bugs. My third mat which is not fruiting (yet) has no bugs problems at all, very healthy. The other mats have leaves slit just like wind damage, but upon close inspection they are already slit and half eaten as they are newly unfurling.

So I'm curious, does the bloom attract bugs that otherwise wouldn't be there? And what is the best treatment to get rid of these pests?

This year along with Black Cow manure, they get azalea food and coffee grounds and are obviously thriving and setting fruit.

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Bananaman88

Karen,

Can you post a pictue of the insects that are attacking your plants?

jewelbaby1224

Hey Brent,
I can't see insects on them, but I will take some picts of the damage for you to see.

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jewelbaby1224

Brent,
I've posted 3 picts in my photo gallery, see what you think.

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Bananaman88

Karen,

I looked at the photos you posted in your gallery but I'm afraid that I can't help. I'm not sure what it could be that's doing the damage before the leaves unfurl. I have seen leafrollers get in there before the leaves emergebut I don't really think this is what you have as they aren't usually much of a problem on Musas- at least they haven't been for me. You might try contacting someone at the Texas Cooperative Extension Service out at Bear Creek Park. Carol Brower is the Hort. Extension Agent out there. Maybe she could point you in the right direction.

D_&_T

Any holes along P-stem?

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jewelbaby1224

Well that's great - my reply that I just typed dissappeared, I have to start all over...

Yes there are holes please look at the photos I posted - I really have to do something about this!!!

Brent, thanks I will contact the Extension. This season is so strange. Weeks of wind, no humidity, more wasps and varieties of wasps then ever before. The wind snapped off the fruit stem that started in April and that was well supported. I have it hanging in the screen porch with the hope that they can ripen.

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AltadenaGarden

Can it be slugs that are attack the new leaves? I had some slug damage this spring on a potted pup. On my Cannas they eat straight through an unopened leaf. With the Canna the leaf opens to form a line of holes along the vein. The banana leaf my just end up ripping. The these little thing will sit on fallen citrus and go straight through the rind.

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jewelbaby1224

I'm going to look at them tonight in the dark. There are black cuts/bites(?) up and down the stems too. We are talking about trees that are over 14" tall. The strange thing is that the one mat that isn't fruiting doesn't have any problems.

I'm curious about what I can spray them with. Soapy water hasn't done a thing.

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D_&_T

Could be a slug or bore/cut worm.

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Bananaman88

Karen,

I looked at your pictures again, they are a bit blurry so it's hard to tell, but the one of the pseudostem does seem to have holes that look like they are caused by a borer of some sort. I'd try to get a clearer photo to show to the Extension Agency.

jewelbaby1224

YES, the stems have black holes all over!

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mskitty38583

you can use neem to get rid of the bugs( it dosent kill the bugs it repels them.)

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damaclese

do you think that would work on mites

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AltadenaGarden

I have use neem oil throughout my garden on everything expect my bananas since nothing really bothers them, not even large grasshopper. It is not as effective as other chemicals can be but it sticks around for a while. This year with pruning and neem oil I rid my citrus trees of leafminers which are almost impossible to kill since they reside in the leave for 95% of their life. The neem oil repels them during breeding.

It is an irritant to the respiratory system and the insects are relocated to your neighbors. You will smell it when you spray and if you get it on your hands you will smell it for a while since it doesn't wash off easily.

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damaclese

is it toxic on food crops or OK to use

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mskitty38583

what i have read is that it comes from the neem tree in south africa( its the oil out the tree) it is organic, but im not sure if you can use it up to the day of harvest. i know my fav master gardner( paul james- the gardner guy) uses it in his yard and hes an organic freek. one of his fav sayings is," you dont need to bring out the chemical warfare....", and he loves insectcidal soaps.

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AltadenaGarden

I have never worried about it. It is probably one of the least toxic to use.

FROM WIKIPEDIA -
Neem oil is not used for cooking purposes but, in India and Bangladesh, it is used for preparing cosmetics (soap, hair products, body hygiene creams, hand creams) and in Ayurvedic, Unani and folklore traditional medicine, in the treatment of a wide range of afflictions. The most frequently reported indications in ancient Ayurvedic writings are skin diseases, inflammations and fevers, and more recently rheumatic disorders, insect repellent and insecticide effects.[1]

Traditional Ayurvedic uses of neem include the treatment of fever, leprosy, malaria, ophthalmia and tuberculosis. Various folk remedies for neem include use as an anthelmintic, antifeedant, antiseptic, diuretic, emmenagogue, contraceptive, febrifuge, parasiticide, pediculocide and insecticide. It has been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of tetanus, urticaria, eczema, scrofula and erysipelas. Traditional routes of administration of neem extracts included oral, vaginal and topical use. Neem oil has an extensive history of human use in India and surrounding regions for a variety of therapeutic purposes. Puri (1999) has given an account of traditional uses and therapeutic indications and pharmacological studies of this oil, in his book on neem.

Formulations made of Neem oil also find wide usage as a bio-pesticide for organic farming, as it repels a wide variety of pests including the mealy bug, beet armyworm, aphids, the cabbage worm, nematodes and the Japanese beetle. Neem Oil is not known to be harmful to mammals and birds as well as many beneficial insects such as honeybees and ladybugs. It can be used as a household pesticide for ant, bedbug, cockroach, housefly, sand fly, snail, termite and mosquitoes both as repellent and larvicide (Puri 1999). Neem oil also controls black spot, powdery mildew, anthracnose and rust (fungus).

For use as a bio-pesticide, pure Neem oil should be diluted at the rate of 1 teaspoon per quart, or 4 teaspoons per gallon of water (metric: 5.2 millilitres per litre). Adding a surfactant greatly enhances its effectiveness.

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jewelbaby1224

Thanks guys,
I bought the Neem yest at Lowe's. Now if the wind and rain will break long enough I'll get on a ladder and get them sprayed. These Orinocos stand 14'+.

And today i came home to a new bloom! I'm determined that this is the year that kicks off my fruit production. I have one stem that broke hanging in the porch to ripen (hope), 1 stem/bloom coming along and now the new bloom. YEAH!!

Now to kill the "nasties".................

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