When insecticides for battle thrips no longer mold , plant life refinement and propagation company Damsigt considered discontinuing their most successful motley - Calathea zebrina . Fortunately , the combining of predatory mite Amblyseius swirskii with Nutrimite provender bring results . “ Thrips is now well under mastery , ” say Damsigt manager , Rob Matheusen ; “ saving both money and body of work . ”
Based in Roosendaal in the Netherlands , Damsigt devotes 5 ha to the propagation and cultivation of Calathea zebrina . Thrips and spider mite supply the major gadfly challenges . “ In the past , we deal with them chemically , but the products did n’t work adequately , ” says Matheusen . “ Then we render various character of predatory mites , but they prove ineffective . Phytoseiulus did work for a while , but because we still had to practice chemicals it promptly disappeared . ”
All advice was welcomeAfter consultation with Stefan Bohte , of Biobest , Matheusen adopted a different feeler . “ At a time where we were almost forced to discontinue our respectable variety , all advice was welcome , ” he says . “ So , in 2013 we preface the Swirskii - System and fed with Nutrimite ™ - a compounding that worked brilliantly . ”
One covering is enoughTo this day , the company continues to follow this scheme . “ We introduce Swirskii - System directly after taking the cuttings and keep feeding the predatory mites until the plant leave our premiss , ” explains Matheusen . “ Due to the mien of the swirskii , the thrips do n’t get a luck to develop and we no longer have control issues .
“ We only have to introduce swirskii once , unless there is extreme weather when we may ask a follow - up . Three to four predatory mites per leaf is sufficient to keep thrips under control . ”
Different dosage“As we irrigate the commode plants from above , the dose is unlike to usual , ” says Matheusen . “ We employ 250 grams Nutrimite ™ per hectare weekly , instead of 500 grams fortnightly . With the Makita blower system , spread is aboveboard . While we now have thrip under control , it is also reducing toll . ”
wanderer mite controller also biologicalAs the thrips are so well control , the biologic control of the spider mites has also improved . The team releases the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis , using Phytoseiulus - System , to combat the spider mite . “ We stick in this every other week , 10 per m2 , as the plants are particularly prostrate to this pest . Doing it this way we do n’t normally need to spray . In extreme spider mite weather we sometimes make an registration , however , that is an exception . As we are committed to using maximal biologic control , we discover that good insect from the surroundings also help out , for model , the cynipid gall wasp Feltiella acarisuga against wanderer mite . ”
residuum - gratuitous plantsTo rig stain louse and the Duponchelia cat , Damsigt employs the Atheta - System involving the predatory mallet Atheta coriaria . The team find the BT mathematical product Delfin a good option .
Aphids are kept under ascendency with fortnightly dismission of the lacewing fly ball Chrysoperla carnea , at a pace of 8 per m2 , using the Chrysopa - System – a product that also operate against thrip . “ For all pests we now utilise biological solutions to the maximum , ” say Matheusen . “ In this mode , we can deliver residue - complimentary plants to our customers . ”
