How do I get rid of these things in my garden?
1
Hi Teresa @ChiefRedsage91 👋 I’m assuming you’re asking how to get rid of the leaf miners on your cucumber leaves, and not the actual cucumber plant itself 😜
Leaf miners are insects in their larval state that are inside the leaves and feeding on them as they go, leaving those tell tale squiggly lines. You will need to treat the plant, and take some precautions.
First, you’ll need to cut off every leaf that has the squiggly lines and dispose of them. I would bag them and bin them. This will make the treatment more effective.
Second, the treatment:
-1 Tablespoon pure neem oil
-1/2 teaspoon Castile
-4 cups (32oz water)
Mix that in a spray bottle, and spray it all over your plant. Tops and bottoms of leaves, stems, petioles, everywhere. If it’s in a pot give it a gentle shake to get the drips off and then air dry. If it is in a pot, move it into the shade for the duration of the treatment because neem can make plants sensitive to sunburn. If it’s not moveable I would try to put up a shade cloth.
You will have to spray like this, every 3rd day, for 6 weeks.
Thirdly, also recommend planting some companion plants to deter them in the future. Super important to have companion plants with veggies. marigolds, dill or oregano. I would pick dill first for leaf miners. Dill will help attract predatory insects that will eat the bad bugs but not hurt the cucumbers.
Leaf miners are insects in their larval state that are inside the leaves and feeding on them as they go, leaving those tell tale squiggly lines. You will need to treat the plant, and take some precautions.
First, you’ll need to cut off every leaf that has the squiggly lines and dispose of them. I would bag them and bin them. This will make the treatment more effective.
Second, the treatment:
-1 Tablespoon pure neem oil
-1/2 teaspoon Castile
-4 cups (32oz water)
Mix that in a spray bottle, and spray it all over your plant. Tops and bottoms of leaves, stems, petioles, everywhere. If it’s in a pot give it a gentle shake to get the drips off and then air dry. If it is in a pot, move it into the shade for the duration of the treatment because neem can make plants sensitive to sunburn. If it’s not moveable I would try to put up a shade cloth.
You will have to spray like this, every 3rd day, for 6 weeks.
Thirdly, also recommend planting some companion plants to deter them in the future. Super important to have companion plants with veggies. marigolds, dill or oregano. I would pick dill first for leaf miners. Dill will help attract predatory insects that will eat the bad bugs but not hurt the cucumbers.
