Malathion on strawberries?

Sharon, TN

My DH built a beautiful strawberry pyramid last year. This spring, he was delighted to see so many blooms and berries forming. But when he found ants and other bugs on the plants, he applied malathion. A few days later, all blooms and berries were dried up. Needless to say, no strawberries this year. Did the malathion kill the crop? He followed the directions for applying the chemical. What happened?

Thanks for your advice.

Efland, NC(Zone 7a)

Just noticed your post, HeyJude...(Love the name! Love the song!)

Yes, it sounds like your DH may have overdone the spray. I don't use such a harsh spray as that but know that unless it is properly diluted according to instructions it will definitely have an adverse affect on plants.

Hope your plants survive, especially after he put so much work into making your pyramid. In the future, just becuz there are ants and bugs around your plants is no need to pull out the bazooka. Many plants require bugs for pollination; no pollination, no fruit.

Happy Gardening~

Bay City, MI(Zone 6a)

thats how i lost my first passionvine-25.00 huge lots of flowers and spider mites-so i got out the spray and poof it was gone!!! lesson learned-i never used that stuff again!!!

Sharon, TN

Thanks for your advice. The plants still look fine. We'll have to wait until next spring to see if they produce.

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