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nafex - [NAFEX] Control for persimmon psylla?

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  • From: Scott Smith <scott@cs.jhu.edu>
  • To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [NAFEX] Control for persimmon psylla?
  • Date: Tue, 5 Jun 2007 15:38:35 -0400

I have been fighting the persimmon psylla for five years now. It took me a couple years to even figure out what it is since it is uncommon, then a couple more to figure out how to control it to any degree. At this point I can generally keep it in check but it requires more work than I would like to spend on it. The main problem is the psylla curls up the edges of the leaves and creates a little cocoon in which sprays do not reach.

I am generally an organic grower which mostly limits myself to oil and soap and the like. Here is what I have tried that works: soap and oil sprays both work, but for the curled leaves you need to manually uncurl them with one hand as you spray with the other hand. Another thing I have done is at the same time as a spray to tip all of the new shoots, which is where the psylla like to lay eggs the most and where it is hard to spray thoroughly. It also gives the flies no good egg-laying spots for awhile. I also remove the edges of infected larger leaves. If a leaf is badly damaged I may remove the whole leaf. This is faster than trying to unfurl and spray it. And occasionally I get desperate and spray malathion, no more than once per season. Lately I have been experimenting with Surround which is known to work on pear psylla so I thought it may also do something on persimmon psylla. It does seem to have some effect, but the new shoots grow very rapidly and so very frequent sprays are required to keep them covered. Also the flies seem to have a knack for finding the one little spot that was missed with the spray and to put the eggs there. I plan on continuing my experiments with Surround since it may have some promise.

Has anyone found a good, permanent, preferably organic treatment for this pest? I am surprised how little I read about it yet how difficult it is for me to control.

Scott





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