Quote:
Originally Posted by feldon30
I searched Google for diatomaceous earth and vegetable gardens and get thousands of results of people successfully using it. Numerous experts say as long as you use food grade vs. pool filter DE, you are good to go. Not sure why Garden Safe is having trouble meeting this standard.
As for their Garden Safe Fruit & Vegetable Insect Killer, the concentrations seem incredibly low to be effective. Just 0.02% Pyrethrins and .20% Piperonyl Butoxide.
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That is an incredibly small amount to be effective against mites. I think it would be better to buy something with a bit more punch because they are very hard to kill. I used a dog shampoo that had the same ingredients but at much higher concentrations and it was only moderately effective against them. I ended up finding a Permethrin poison that was more effective especially if used with very soapy water but I want to avoid it if possible so I will try the DE today and see if it does any good. I really hope it does because at 4 Tablespoons of DE to the gallon it would be the cheapest thing I have ever tried to get rid of spider mites and even cheaper than soapy water. I am going to be using a large back pack sprayer and hope it doesn't settle out and clog my sprayer. I wonder if adding a little soap would help it stay suspended without affecting how it acts against mites.
Bill