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NEPA [email protected] KB3QKV

Impdacloprid pesticides are good for dealing with cuke beetles? It is also used on pet flea collers and it is true that when a flea is exposed to imidacloprid on a treated pet, the compound is absorbed through the insect's intersegmental membrane. Will it also work on fleas in the garden? Any other insects in the same manner? What about my redworms, spiders, and other benificial critters in the garden?

7/21/2006 12:28:26 AM

[email protected]

No impact on spiders or mites. No damage to earthworm populations at labeled rates. "Yes" to Cucumber beetles.

7/21/2006 7:59:54 AM

NEPA [email protected] KB3QKV

This may be all for nothing. I still do not have a pumpkin. Two females on each of my two plants have aborted before the flower matured. I really do not know how much longer to still hope for something. Starting to get a defeated feeling. It may be the heat or too much rain. Would low P in the patch cause less female flowers or aborts?

7/21/2006 8:31:08 AM

SF Bay Area, California

Too much nitrogen will cause this. Try holding off all ferts and water real hard to flush some out of the patch. This worked for me when even the males were dying off...

7/21/2006 9:18:33 AM

Danville, CA ([email protected])

Turn OFF all fertilizer until they come. They seem to spit out females when they think the end is near(lack of food, etc) LOL. I just now got a spurt of growth with several females so there is still hope.

Also, see if you can set up a rainbird or something to go on at noon and 3pm or something like that for 5 minutes. A relatively inexpensive hose end timer and a rainbird on a spike will work fine to keep them a bit cooler. Just be sure to use a cup and cover any females you pollinated that day, after day 1 they are okay to get wet. Don't give up hope!

Jim Beauchemin had similar to say in another post recently "Not to panic if you haven't set yet! Last year i didn't set my 881sq until July 23rd... And my 1314 until July 13th. So there's still time for a big one! Good luck, Jim B"

7/22/2006 10:48:59 AM

NEPA [email protected] KB3QKV

Jim B thanks for the advice and especially the words of encouragement. I know it ain't over till it is over but thanks. Seems like some things in the garden are not going as planned. Slowly it is getting there and now, it seems that the pumnkins will too. Always good to hear this from a fellow grower. Wish you the best in the pumpkin patch. Thanks again.

7/23/2006 10:40:47 PM