When insecticide for combat thrips no longer worked , plant cultivation and propagation fellowship Damsigt considered discontinuing their most successful variety - Calathea zebrina . as luck would have it , the combination of predatory mite Amblyseius swirskii with Nutrimite provender brought resultant role . “ Thrips is now well under control , ” articulate Damsigt director , Rob Matheusen ; “ save both money and work . ”
Based in Roosendaal in the Netherlands , Damsigt devote 5 ha to the propagation and cultivation of Calathea zebrina . Thrips and spider mite offer the major pest challenges . “ In the past , we dealt with them chemically , but the products did n’t go adequately , ” says Matheusen . “ Then we tried various types of predatory mite , but they prove ineffective . Phytoseiulus did work for a while , but because we still had to utilise chemicals it quickly vanish . ”
All advice was welcomeAfter confer with Stefan Bohte of Biobest , Matheusen take over a unlike overture . “ At a time where we were almost force to discontinue our best variety , all advice was welcome , ” he says . “ So , in 2013 we introduced the Swirskii - System and fed with Nutrimite - a combination that exercise brilliantly . ”
One software is enoughTo this 24-hour interval , the company continues to postdate this strategy . “ We bring out Swirskii - System directly after call for the cuttings and keep feeding the predatory mites until the plants leave behind our premise , ” explains Matheusen . “ Due to the front of swirskii , the thrips do n’t get a luck to develop and we no longer have ascendancy issue .
“ We only have to introduce swirskii once . Under uttermost weather experimental condition succeed - up may be necessary . Three to four predatory jot per leaf are sufficient to keep thrips under ascendancy . ”
Different dosage“As we irrigate the pot plants from above , the dosage is different than usual , ” sound out Matheusen . “ We use 250 grams Nutrimite per hectare weekly , instead of 500 grams biweekly . With the Makita electric fan system , spreading is straightforward . While we now have thrip under controller , it is also decoct costs . ”
Spider tinge control also biologicalAs thrip are so well controlled , biologic control of the wanderer mites has also better . The team releases the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis , using Phytoseiulus - System , to combat the spider tinge . “ We bring in this every other week , 10 per m2 , as the plant are particularly prone to this pest . Doing it this style we do n’t usually need to spray . In utmost wanderer mite atmospheric condition , we sometimes make an adjustment , however , that is an exception . As we are attached to using maximal biological ascendency , we encounter that beneficial insect from the environment also help out , for example , the gall midge Feltiella acarisuga against spider mite . ”
Residue - destitute plantsTo tackle territory insects and the Duponchelia caterpillar , Damsigt employs the Atheta - System involving the predatory beetle Atheta coriaria . The team find the BT product Delfin a good alternative .
Aphids are keep under ascendancy with fortnightly liberation of the lacewing Chrysoperla carnea , at a rate of 8 per m2 , using the Chrysopa - System – a intersection that also works against thripid . “ For all plague we now employ biological solutions to the upper limit , ” says Matheusen . “ This room , we can deliver residue - free plant to our client . ”
Bluestim works well against drought stressDamsigt has not only had good experiences with Biobest biological pestilence control , but also with plant life - strengthen products such as Bluestim . Containing the instinctive heart genus Glycine betaine , Bluestim promotes more in effect water management and protects plants from stress .
According to Matheusen : “ A year ago we treated some species of our female parent plants with Bluestim three days before taking cuttings , to help protect the works from drouth accent during this phase . We were delighted with the results . After taking cut , we note how the works develop and could particularly see the difference in the Bluestim - care for slow - growing mintage . These plants grew better and their leafage was glowering . Due to full outgrowth , the failure pace was reduced . ”
