Sweet Potato Vine Pests

November 08, 2024 Post a Comment

Sweet potato vine pests

Sweet potato whitefly can be controlled with Year Round Spray Oil (spray under the leaves in early morning when it's cool), bifenthrin or Malathion.

How do I keep bugs from eating my potato vines?

Most general-purpose garden insecticides such as Bonide Eight or Hi-Yield 55% Malathion will work to curb a serious outbreak of any of these pests, but it's not always necessary to do anything! For organic gardens, you can use a Spinosad products such as our Captain Jack's Deadbug or Sluggo Plus.

What is eating my sweet potato plant leaves?

Sweet potato leaves are often damaged by sweet potato flea beetles (Chaetocnema confinis); however, most damage to the plant occurs from larvae feeding on the roots. Adult beetles are black, about 1/16-inch long and usually hop away when disturbed.

What is making holes in my sweet potato vine?

Potato Flea Beetles Usually less that 1/10 inch long, the adult beetles infest sweet potato vines in spring, chewing tiny holes in their new leaves, reports the University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program.

How do I protect my sweet potato vines?

Heeling in Sweet Potato Vines over Winter and spread a thick layer of mulch around the container to act as a blanket to protect the roots. This is one way of winterizing a sweet potato vine. So long as the tubers don't freeze, the plant should spring back when warm temperatures arrive.

How do you get rid of aphids on sweet potato vines?

You can often control aphids by wiping or spraying the leaves of the plant with a mild solution of water and a few drops of dish soap. Soapy water should be reapplied every 2-3 days for 2 weeks.

What is eating my ornamental sweet potato vines?

This is damage by the sweet potato looper, a common caterpillar pest of ornamental sweet potatoes. The plants often just outgrow the damage they grow so fast.

Can you spray soapy water on potato plants?

Soap and Water You can also use soapy water to kill potato bugs in the garden. All you need is 2 tablespoons of liquid soap in a gallon of water. Some people use Dawn dish soap; however, we recommend using organic liquid soap. Shake well and use it to spray the beetles and their larvae.

What can I spray for potato bugs?

Bacillus thuringiensis, also referred to as Bt poisons the potato bug and works as an effective organic insecticide for other garden pests. Powdered Bt variants are easy to use just like liquid formulas do.

What is the most serious pest of sweet potato?

The sweetpotato weevil is Florida's, and the world's, most serious sweet potato pest. The small, ant-like beetles hatch larvae that dig into the potato's tubers, or underground stems, and fill crevices with fecal matter. This creates bacteria and causes decay.

What is the most destructive pest of sweet potato?

Sweet potato weevil is the most disastrous pest affecting sweet potato plantations, causing millions of dollars losses annually.

How do you control the diseases and pests of sweet potatoes?

The following are general methods in controlling pests and diseases of sweetpotato. ... Cultural control

Selection of cultivars/varieties.
Use of clean planting materials. ...
Field sanitation. ...
Crop rotation. ...
Hilling up. ...
Mulching. ...
Timely harvesting.

Should sweet potato vines be cut back?

The long vines of sweet potatoes can overrun a garden. In early to mid-September, feel free to cut them back by 25%. This simply makes the plants easier to deal with when digging. Sweet potatoes with edible tubers developing below the ground.

Do sweet potato vines attract bugs?

Purple sweet potato vine plants also attract flea beetles and potato wireworms. Between early May and June, these pests come out of the ground to feed on the foliage.

How do I keep squirrels from eating my sweet potato vines?

Enclosing the sweet potato vines in a fence can prevent voles and squirrels from getting to the plants. A 1/4-inch wire mesh fence that is at least 12 inches tall and extends 10 inches below the soil surface will deter voles.

What happens if you trim sweet potato vines?

Harvesting the greens will also help you grow larger potatoes! In fact, cutting back your sweet potato vine allows the plant to put more energy into its roots. Cut back the vines, and teach your plants to focus on growing the tubers instead.

Do sweet potato vines come back every year?

Ornamental sweet potato vines will come back every year if you live in a warm enough climate (zones 9+). However, they will not survive outside through the winter in colder climates.

Can you overwater sweet potato vine?

Sweet potato vines like to grow in moist but not wet soil. Water them once a week if no natural rainfall occurs. Water more frequently during unusually hot weather or if the sweet potato vine is part of a container garden. Overwatering causes the root system to rot.

Do coffee grounds keep aphids away?

Coffee grounds are usually touted as a cure-all when it comes to controlling garden pests like aphids, snails, and slugs, but truth is… there's no truth to their pest-repelling power.

What does aphid damage look like?

Aphids are very common insects and are found on most plants in yards and gardens. In most cases they cause little or no damage to the health of plants. Signs of severe aphid feeding are twisted and curled leaves, yellowed leaves, stunted or dead shoots and poor plant growth.