My HUGE artichoke plant is infested...

[RickF]

Hi all...

it's been a while since I've been on here but thought about you all when I was checking my artichoke bush yesterday.. This is a recent infestation and flies were buzzing around it (an unusual number) and when I felt some of the leaves and they were sticky.. This bush is close to 5' tall and probably about that size around.. It managed to live through the frozen temps here in the high desert of Southern California without dying off like it did last year..

Anyway.. on to the pictures..

Is insecticidal soap a good plan here or something else? My co-worker thought I could use a mixture of soapy water with some vinegar.. I just want these pests done away with..

Thanks!

 

[digitS']

I have used Dawn dish-washing soap following a recipe posted by Colorado State University. However, I realize that it isn't  made to be used on plants. Sunflowers attract aphids and the soap worked well against those pests.

I'm not sure from the pictures what bugs you have there.

Insecticidal soap and Neem oil work well also for aphids and for spider mites. There are a couple of things to keep in mind with any of these 3. They are contact Insecticides so you must be thorough in coverage. And, they make the plant susceptible to sunburn. I spray late in the day and try to return in the morning before there is too much sunshine and then wash the plants down with water. In yours and my gardening environments, nighttime air is such that there is plenty of time for these bugkillers to dehydrate the pests.

Contact killers. Your mention of flies makes me wonder if these may not be aphids but I suspect that they are. If the pest is off the plants at the moment you spray and doesn't return until the next day, the sprays may be ineffective.

Good to see you stopping by.

Steve

 

[RickF]

Thanks Steve...

I think one thing I'll probably do first is to trim the older foliage off the lower parts of this bush.. it's got a TON of leaves and I think thinning it out would be a good first step. I'll try to get some additional photos in the next day or so.