Neem oil on edible plants

[Thundersnow]

I bought three perineal hibiscus plants for my tortoises. Last year everything was fine. This year all three plants are infested with several different types of bugs one o f which destroys the bits so no flowers for my tortoises. I want to spray NEEM oil in the plants. Can I feed the hibiscus flowers to my tortoises? I read all differ opinions on here but I would appreciate updated advice please @Tom too thanks.
This is my new doll I got for Southern Reptiles. So far all is well 😊🐢She might be a girl.

 

[EricW]

I have several types of hibiscus and from my experience, found that bug infested hibiscus is usually due to a stressed plant. (same for most of my plants) If you correct why the plant is stressed, you can cut it back to get ahead of the insects and new growth should be fast and but free.

What kind of hibiscus is it?
How is it planted? (in a pot, in the ground, full sun, etc.)
How often watered?
Is it fertilized?

 

[SinLA]

I have an INCREDIBLY healthy hibiscus, like 7' tall, that is infested with aphids in one section of it. I would also love to know a way to treat it. I do cut big gross sections back but would love a better way of dealing with it.

For what it is worth its in the ground, watered via drip other than the hurricane we just got and rain in the winter. I do not fertilize. I'll add photo later

 

[Thundersnow]

I have several types of hibiscus and from my experience, found that bug infested hibiscus is usually due to a stressed plant. (same for most of my plants) If you correct why the plant is stressed, you can cut it back to get ahead of the insects and new growth should be fast and but free.

What kind of hibiscus is it?
How is it planted? (in a pot, in the ground, full sun, etc.)
How often watered?
Is it fertilized?

I have several types of hibiscus and from my experience, found that bug infested hibiscus is usually due to a stressed plant. (same for most of my plants) If you correct why the plant is stressed, you can cut it back to get ahead of the insects and new growth should be fast and but free.

What kind of hibiscus is it?
How is it planted? (in a pot, in the ground, full sun, etc.)
How often watered?
Is it fertilized?

I have several types of hibiscus and from my experience, found that bug infested hibiscus is usually due to a stressed plant. (same for most of my plants) If you correct why the plant is stressed, you can cut it back to get ahead of the insects and new growth should be fast and but free.

What kind of hibiscus is it?
How is it planted? (in a pot, in the ground, full sun, etc.)
How often watered?
Is it fertilized?

My plants are stressed I think. It has been very hot in Kentucky. No I haven’t watered them but they are green and I do have mulch keeping th ground moist. All are planted outdoors

 

[wellington]

I don't know about neem oil, but dawn dish soap mixed in water and sprayed on the plants, leaving a bubble of soap, is suppose to suffocate any bugs. Maybe try that first. Then after a day or so, rinse the plant off and should be safe to feed.

 

[SinLA]

For reference here are two hibiscus, the blue one (rose of Sharon?) doesn’t have bugs. Here is also a closeup of the yellow:

 

[Thundersnow]

Here are two different species of bugs I found inside the buds

 

[Tom]

I bought three perineal hibiscus plants for my tortoises. Last year everything was fine. This year all three plants are infested with several different types of bugs one o f which destroys the bits so no flowers for my tortoises. I want to spray NEEM oil in the plants. Can I feed the hibiscus flowers to my tortoises? I read all differ opinions on here but I would appreciate updated advice please @Tom too thanks.
This is my new doll I got for Southern Reptiles. So far all is well 😊🐢She might be a girl.

Personally, I would not use soap or neem oil on anything I intended to feed to a tortoise.

I would try to cut off all the infected areas and feed those out, then spray the remaining area with a hose to blast the bugs off.

I have not tried it myself, but several people told me that if you mix worm castings, available at a nursery, into the soil, that it helps the plant fight off the aphids. I don't know how that works, but who am I to argue?

 

[EricW]

@SinLA - yours look pretty good. Is most of the aphid issue on the side of the fence and possibly closer to the bottom? The pictures you sent me appear to be whitefly, instead of aphids, causing that.

I still get some mealy bug and aphids, I wouldn't say mine are 100% pest free, but they are not infested and can easily pick leaves, flowers, etc. without much of anything for bugs. Though the flowers are usually full of crazy ants (they don't bite, just run around crazily, hence the name).

@Thundersnow - They do like to dry out between waterings and usually hot is good. Surprised yours are stressed. Mine are in super hot Texas conditions and thriving with irrigation every three days, but we are getting to 105 degrees and in drought like conditions. Is the ground staying wet? I am not sure what the beetle is, but the white bug is a whitefly.

For whitefly control:
- Blast with water as Tom has suggested
- make yellow sticky traps: you can find ideas online on how to make them, or just buy some commercial ones
- Make sure not spraying other parts of your yard so that not to kill beneficial insects that eat them such as lady bugs, green lacewings,
- Attract Hummingbirds, 80% of their diet is insects and they will eat the flies. So adding more plants to attract them or feeders can help.

Ants will protect them as they feed on the "honey dew" that the sucking flies secrete. So if there are ants, you will want to try to deter them from going to the plant.

 

[Thundersnow]

@SinLA - yours look pretty good. Is most of the aphid issue on the side of the fence and possibly closer to the bottom? The pictures you sent me appear to be whitefly, instead of aphids, causing that.

I still get some mealy bug and aphids, I wouldn't say mine are 100% pest free, but they are not infested and can easily pick leaves, flowers, etc. without much of anything for bugs. Though the flowers are usually full of crazy ants (they don't bite, just run around crazily, hence the name).

@Thundersnow - They do like to dry out between waterings and usually hot is good. Surprised yours are stressed. Mine are in super hot Texas conditions and thriving with irrigation every three days, but we are getting to 105 degrees and in drought like conditions. Is the ground staying wet? I am not sure what the beetle is, but the white bug is a whitefly.

For whitefly control:
- Blast with water as Tom has suggested
- make yellow sticky traps: you can find ideas online on how to make them, or just buy some commercial ones
- Make sure not spraying other parts of your yard so that not to kill beneficial insects that eat them such as lady bugs, green lacewings,
- Attract Hummingbirds, 80% of their diet is insects and they will eat the flies. So adding more plants to attract them or feeders can help.

Ants will protect them as they feed on the "honey dew" that the sucking flies secrete. So if there are ants, you will want to try to deter them from going to the plant.

Thanks for that info.I'm assuming they are stressed due to the hot weather.I do have bird feeders an tons of finches that stay in my yard but they have never shown any interest in the plants. Thanks for the great info.Much appreciated

 

[EricW]

Thanks for that info.I'm assuming they are stressed due to the hot weather.I do have bird feeders an tons of finches that stay in my yard but they have never shown any interest in the plants. Thanks for the great info.Much appreciated

Yeah, finches more than likely won't bother.

 

[SinLA]

@SinLA - yours look pretty good. Is most of the aphid issue on the side of the fence and possibly closer to the bottom? The pictures you sent me appear to be whitefly, instead of aphids, causing that.

I still get some mealy bug and aphids, I wouldn't say mine are 100% pest free, but they are not infested and can easily pick leaves, flowers, etc. without much of anything for bugs. Though the flowers are usually full of crazy ants (they don't bite, just run around crazily, hence the name).

Oh good to know. Yes mostly right by the fence and toward the bottom, that is where I keep cutting it back along the fence line.

You can see in the red arrow where I took that leaf photo. Thanks for letting me know its whitefly - i will research that. How would you recommend treating that?

 

[EricW]

Oh good to know. Yes mostly right by the fence and toward the bottom, that is where I keep cutting it back along the fence line.

You can see in the red arrow where I took that leaf photo. Thanks for letting me know its whitefly - i will research that. How would you recommend treating that?

I suspected that spot because that would be the area with the least sunlight, least airflow, and would be most likely to trap humidity. Perfect environment for pests, fungus, and other diseases. If you increased airflow or reduced humidity, it would improve the area. I know you do not live in a humid/muggy environment, but with irrigation and reduced airflow, it is small microclimate that is able to sustain there. Trimming additional limbs or stripping the leaves from the greater area to allow faster dry out and air flow should improve the situation. Or remove the fence lol (which I doubt you want to do). I struggle with similar issues with my roses. Those close to the wall or densely planted areas, the irrigation runs and then little pockets hold the humidity. If I reduce foliage near the wall, or remove the dense foliate around the rose, the issue improves or goes away entirely.

The area may dry out between irrigation runs. But the humid microclimate may last a day or two past irrigation, thus reducing the "dry" span between irrigation runs.

 

[SinLA]

Wow great advice! I already read old posts on here about earthworm castings being a help. As soon as I get them I'm planning on putting that down and also trimming away the bottom branches. Its so big I don't need them (and I have since planted a bunch more hibiscus that have now finally hit their 1+ year mark, though they are not as prolific as this one which is probably about 6-7 years old.)

 

[SinLA]

Also @EricW since you are an expert, when is it best to cut back roses? I inherited around a dozen or more rose plants when I bought my house and I mostly ignore them, but now that they are plausible tort food I want to pay more attention to them... do you have advice as to when and how much to cut them back? And if you ask my what type they are I'm afraid I'm going to have answer "red ones, pink ones, white ones, and peach ones" lol. I know nothing about roses. Only the white ones are definitely a different "type" than the others...

 

[EricW]

Also @EricW since you are an expert, when is it best to cut back roses? I inherited around a dozen or more rose plants when I bought my house and I mostly ignore them, but now that they are plausible tort food I want to pay more attention to them... do you have advice as to when and how much to cut them back? And if you ask my what type they are I'm afraid I'm going to have answer "red ones, pink ones, white ones, and peach ones" lol. I know nothing about roses. Only the white ones are definitely a different "type" than the others...

Roses can take a pretty harsh cut back if needed, but typically cutting them back by 1/3 is the rule. You can technically trim at any time but it is best to do late winter before the spring flush and for your area, again in late summer before the fall flush. For me in Southeast Texas that is February for the spring cut and mid Sept for the fall. Cutting back at those times maximizes flower production. If flowers aren't the goal, trim as needed when you want. Some would argue about triming whenever with me, but honestly, roses can be beasts if you do not caudle them and flourish with trimming. I use no fertilizers or pesticides and have few issues in hot, humid weather. However, I don't have prize winning bushes. To get those takes money, time, and a lot of babieing. Not my style and definately not for tortoises at that point.