It’s that time of the year again — a time when you may think you can afford to forget about growing for a while and you close or wind down your operation for a few months. If you close up you clean up, button up, then batten down the hatches so to speak. And if you wind down, instead, you reduce the heat, water less, and make your plants comfy for the up-coming cold months. This is perfectly fine, perfectly understandable — it’s been a hard year, you’re wiped out and deserve a break — so we wish you a happy off season.
But before you snuggle into the easy chair to hibernate, there might be one more thing to do. Something that’ll make next year a bit easier. You might want to make some Fall releases of biocontrol agents. This has been written about before (more than once actually), but it should be a recurring addition to the to-do list, after all. At least it’s something to think about.
But that’s the real challenge isn’t it? Thinking about it when it’s the furthest thing from your mind. You do deserve a break, but this might be so important to you next year, that you may not be completely fair to yourself if you allow yourself the luxury without considering this one last thing.
Some plant pests come into your greenhouse or other indoor area, or hunker down in the garden, orchard, or or field, around this time of year, but many of them are quite susceptible to parasitism and predation right now so it’s a good time to act. Here’s an overview are these areas and some of the pests you might find.
Interiorscapes
Mealybugs and spider mites are going to slow down but will still attack your plants. Actually spider mites will likely thrive. Even though they will slow with the temperatures, and some will undergo a sort of overwintering phase, their environment will also be drier than usual and they love that. So, at this time of the year it can actual be beneficial to release mealybug predators like Cryptolaemus montrouzieri and spider mite predators like Neoseiulus fallacis or even Stethorus punctillum.
Gardens
Pests like Japanese beetles, as just one example of an applicable soil pest, overwinter as small larvae and are quite susceptible to parasitism by critters such as parasitic nematodes (Heterorhabditis bacteriophora, specifically). In the spring these larvae will grow large as they continue their larval development, thus beating them up while they’re small can be to your advantage.
Greenhouses
The same recommendations that were given to interiorscapers applies here. Especially as it concerns spider mites. Moreover, aphids, gnats, and others can be addressed if these pests are present. It all depends on what’s in your greenhouse now — or what will be making its way inside over the next month or two.
Field Crops and Orchards
Using field-grown strawberries as an example, spider mites are digging in now. There may only be stubble topped with a bit of straw in your field, but mites will make this their home. Releasing a predator like N. fallacis can reverse some of this. Additionally, since N. fallacis are very cold tolerant, they will probably be the first to be active in the early spring and can give you a nice head start on these pests. N. fallacis will already be established and ready to rock-n-roll.
It’s not the goal here to push sales or make you work and think about growing when you’d rather not be, but rather it’s about what works and what’s in your best interest. So, before you settle in, give this some thought, maybe order a bug or two, and see the benefits next year. If you do this, come next May you be patting yourself on the back for being a savvy and successful practitioner.
