New to greenhouse growing and need help with pest id and medium recycling...

Hartford, AR

My family and I moved to our new home with a 20 x 40ft climate controlled greenhouse in July of this year. Having no experience with greenhouse growing we immediately planted a plethora of plants and ended up with butternut squash, tomatoes and golden cayenne peppers. This evening my 16 yr old noticed bugs on our golden cayenne. After searching the other plants I have not found the bugs on any other plants. I have tried Google with no success. I am hoping someone here can help me. As well I am interested to know what this community's opinion is of recycling Mycorrihaze medium and how to do it. Thank you in advance for any assistance.

Thumbnail by Prometheus217 Thumbnail by Prometheus217
Castro Valley, CA

They look like green aphids to me which evidently love pepper plants. Google "How do I get rid of green aphids on pepper plants?" and up will come a plethora of articles of them on pepper plants.

Aphids are actually the best bugs to get if you have to get any, They are easy to get rid of if you keep after them, I bet you have them on more than just that plant. I would treat all the plants near the infested one.

I always used Palmolive dish soap liquid in them. I would put a couple of cap fulls of it in a hand sprayer full of water. Spray the tops and the bottoms of the leaves as they love the back of leaves. Then once the aphids would dry up, I would wash the leaves with water. I always did this outdoors so not sure if the build up of the soap will do to your soil. You might want to really flush the soul in the pots after your treatments. I would keep the sprayer right by the plants to use every couple of days for a bit. Just make sure you shake it up well each time to keep the soap thru out the water.

I found this for you but I didn't read it. I hope this helps.
https://growingspaces.com/aphid-control-aphids-suck/

I have no idea on the question about the soil you use.

Hartford, AR

Thank you very much for the reply. I will have to check out that remedy. I would be semi concerned since the peppers are in 3 gallon grow Bags and I don't know how or if it would affect the soil. I will definitely do some research on that. After I saw it was aphids I read about diamataceous earth. Have you tried this?

Castro Valley, CA

I have only used Palmolive on aphids and it worked great for many years for me.

I only have heard of diatomaceous earth in regards to fungus gnats. But they are in the soil. I do not think aphids dwell in soil so not sure how that would help. I never used it because I found the mosquito dunk it thingies worked quickly to get rid if the gnats.

While you investigate, take a hose and your fingers and squish and wash off as many of aphids as you can or they will be all over your entire GH in a flash.

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