Hi there. My name is annie and I think I have Japanese Beetles eating the leaves on my grapevines. They are brown with metallic green heads. They’ve about destroyed my leaves and I’m not sure what to treat with that won’t hurt the grapes for winemaking. Can you advise?
We recommend spraying them with one of the organic certified sprays we have. These are all NOP approved and have the “organic gardening” seal of approval which means they won’t hurt the plant or harvest. Most can be used right to the day of harvest and they can be applied as often as needed.
The old standby is INSECTICIDAL SOAP. This product will work OK but it doesn’t last long. Expect to retreat several times a week. The newer MULTI PURPOSE INSECT KILLER will work faster and last longer. This concentrate seems to flush out all damaging pests much better than the Soap and will provide longer lasting residual. Expect to treat at least once a week during the “insect active” time of the growing season.
Lastly, the strongest stuff we have isn’t organic but it is labeled for use on garden grown vegetables and fruit. It’s known as VEGETABLES PLUS and it will last the longest; up to two weeks per application. This means if you won’t be harvesting anything for awhile, you will be able to spray the Vegetables Plus and it will all wear off and be gone when the grapes are ready to be picked.
Be sure to visibly inspect the vines at least once every two days and treat as needed to keep the damage minimized. Addtionally, if you start to see the adults landing in your grass or ground around the garden growing areas, treat with the lawn products listed in our JAPANESE BEETLE CONTROL ARTICLE.
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