I don't use pesticides because I like to grow herbs. I've had plenty of whitefly infestations, and I use a homemade soap-and-vegetable oil spray. I have to be persistent and spray every couple of days, but it does eventually get rid of them. I think the secret to organic gardening is patience.

i'm organic through laziness (it's easier than buying all the chemicals) and i've had a couple of infestations of little green bugs. both times, i've taken the plant into the sink and washed all the bugs off. they haven't come back since the second washing.

i don't know how much this helps you, as my "balcony" is basically a windowsill and a fire escape, and you may have many, many more plants than me, but that's my two cents. :)

good luck, either way you go :)
heidi

I'm not such a big fan of chemicals, but I do look at container gardening (and especially balcony container gardening) as a time when you are likely to have very little impact.

As long as you are very careful and judicious (which given that you were trying for organic is likely), you are close to the ideal situation for pesticide use.

1. Little risk of groundwater contamination/run-off contamination
2. Little risk of pesticide blow-over (no windy days please!)

Store carefully, use as little as you can get away with (or use it to suppliment the soap/vinegar spray) and you're only environmental impact will be in the actual creation of the stuff (pretty nasty process).

I take it you have tried bt (which would be the organic version of the big mean pesticide).

~b

I was planning on spraying Sevin on all my plants, but today I saw this:

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I guess I owe it to him/her to stay away from chemicals. For some wierd reason he/she has been burying peanuts in my pots. I live on the 5th floor in a very bleakly urban part of San Francisco and Im thrilled to bits to see any bird but pigeons.

On my balcony, the best cure for critters is an icy cold shower! I have one of these nifty coiled hoses with a shower attachment, very easy to use.

But remember, cold water! Last couple of years I've been showering with tempered(sp?) water, trying to be nice to the plants, and wondering why people claimed that water would make aphids go away. This year I read something about cold water and it works like a charm.

It's best to do this in the morning so the plant has the whole day to dry. For me this has worked on both green and black aphids, whiteflies, some annoying little black fly that tried to suck out the juices of my squash's leaves AND some evil mites on a tomato plant.

Last year I had some mold on a couple of plants, the Cornell Formula cleared that right up (used plain old vegetable oil instead of the hort oil described in the recipe).

i live on 5th floor, too. plants galore- i really want you to think twice about using systemic insecticides. i've used it in one of my big pot and it's alot of troble and it's something that i regret so much.
it doesn't really get rid of the pest. i know, funny, right? that's what they are there for. i had some weevils and some unidetifiable tiny pests on my moprning glories that was sucking many leaves. i applied systemic insecticidal granules and it didn't get rid of it at all, not only that, they come back even worse. plants are not doing well besides. and whatever the benificials that could come can't come such as spiders, can't have bird. can't touch the soil. always have to fear watering.... it's really TOXIC if the water comes out through the bottom of the pot and gets into neighbours balcony they could be affected , it could drip from the balcony and get on people, kids..... it also gets absorbed through skin , so you are just no where safe. hard to keep it safe. it's really hard to dispose. so you are basically stuck there with the poison. so i always have tray underneath the pot and i could only water tiny bit at the time so no water comes out ever. therefore the soils don't get enought oxegen and push out the air, that makes them unhealthy. it's hard to take care of, but you have to be very responsible. i mean , i need to call harzadous material branch or poison control to try to find the way to dispose the soil and left over at the end of the season.... basically i never ever want to see that stuff again in my life after i had better sense of what they are and what it takes. and at the end of it your plants don't do well. i'd rather battle it with my homemade insecticidal soap. i just normally go through daily patrol to keep them sort of undercontrol, if not completly. i understand exactly what you said and believe me, i had my fair share with pest and that's why i reached out for systemic insecticides. but now i think of it it creates far more problem than ever. have you tried differnt traps? diatomaceous earth? BT as someone here mentioned? Neem? Pyrethrum? Rotenone? Ryania? - they require same caution as toxic chemical but they are organic and the big differnce is that they degrades pretty quickly. i haven't used them yet myself but i've read many people experinced very good result.

Some plants, like tropical milkweed and crape myrtles (mini varieties for the balcony), will attract beneficial insects. Here you can plant milkweed or crape myrtles near citrus, and it helps reduce aphids, for example.

Organic balcony garden can happen. However, organic doesn't necessarily mean you can grow everything without pest problems. Marigolds for instance here are earwig food therefore don't put marigolds on your organic balcony. I'd advice re thinking your balcony. Do some research and find plants that are insect resistant in your area. There are likely hundreds of plants you can grow that are beautiful and don't require any work to fend off insects. Organic can be less work if you play your cards right.

I was just surfing by and although I do not garden on a balcony, I might be able to help. I use what I call tobacco tea. I buy an inexpensive pack of chewing tobacco and take about 2 tablespoons or less and place it in a pot of hot water and steep it like tea. Once it is a nice medium brown color (about 15 Â 20 minutes) I pour it into a gallon milk jug (strain it!). Then, as you need it pour this into a bottle sprayer and spray away. Tobacco is a natural inspect repellant. You can also steep your "tea" in a coffee maker using a filter. It is much easier that way. Just make sure you wash it before making coffee! Ha!
Hope this helps. If you have any questions, please email me directly as I donÂt venture on this side very much.
Happy gardening!
Hoyt
Hoyt_SC