How many dust their tomatoes?

[Ruth_10]

Never dust my tomatoes. Hardly ever dust my house, same as Brokenbar. Occasionally I'll use a Bt spray (made from concentrate) on broccoli, but mostly I use the ol' thumb and forefinger method. You get used to the green slime, lol.

[kath]

Originally Posted by Lunacy

I am tying some "Diatomaceous Earth" this year, has anyone dusted with this stuff?

I used it before I gave my dustinmizer away. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
Anyway, be sure to protect your lungs from inhaling the stuff. Works well on the bugs it targets but will get the good guys as well and needs to be reapplied after rain.

[lurley]

I've never had to dust tomatoes here. Just wait til the hornworm is fat and happy enough that I can see him and squish him. I have sprayed with an organic fungicide on occasion if it has been really really wet. I have sprayed malathion on my eggplants and grape vines before when desperate but usually organic controls work most of the time for me.

Originally Posted by Worth1

The only thing I have used to dust with is Seven dust and that was 7 years ago.
Then the grasshoppers were so bad it was like a biblical plague.
I mean really bad, every plant must have had 1000 hoppers on it.

I dont like to use seven but if need be I will and never around where honey bees are pollinating.
When I first moved here there were 0 bees.
I planted flowering trees and plants and now they are every where and I'll be if I do something to kill them.
I plan on growing melons this year and I need them bees.

Worth

I third the vote for Sevin. Whenever I had to use something Sevin was what was always recommended.... by professionals. My brother went to Michigan State, and so did my cousin. And the neighbor's grandchild did also. He now owns a large landscaping business. All these recommend Sevin as the best all-around dust for vegetable gardens. Even the County Extension recommended it [to me]. Of course I will not use chemicals anymore unless as a last resort.

[brokenbar]

Sevin is even safe enough to use on your dog for fleas and ticks and many people dust their poultry with it to remove lice. If you have to use something, Sevin is the lesser of evils.

[erlyberd]

I use nothing but homemade og fert, compost and water for my maters. Never needed any pest control except cut worm collars and I hand pick the horn worms unless they have the parisitic hitchhikers on their backs!

[BigdaddyJ]

Our house cleaner company won't do it...;-) Seriously, I grow organicically. I have found better and easier solutions than chems like sevin dust. The fumes alone gag me...