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I'm curious as to what states have banned what pesticides so far, and what people's practices are. We still have a fair amount of herbicides available, I live in B.C., Canada, Ontario has taken away far more than we have (which puzzles me, but I'm sure we're not far behind.) Also, do you spray with anything, including bacterial agents like BTK or the mosquito one, Bti?
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Re: Pesticide Poll
Fri, August 14, 2009 - 4:41 AMI use BT when i need to. Also use neem fairly regularly and pytrethrins on occasion. -
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Re: Pesticide Poll
Fri, August 14, 2009 - 1:45 PMI use homemade garlic spray when I must. This year I had to use some fungicide because it was sooo dang wet for so long. But that's about it. I'm trying to eliminate chemicals from my diet.
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Re: Pesticide Poll
Tue, August 18, 2009 - 6:28 AMHow well do you find the neem works. I have a terrible time with ants and aphids on some of my plants here and have resorted to use of chemical pesticide on rare occasion to control them. -
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Re: Pesticide Poll
Tue, August 18, 2009 - 10:25 AMIn my experience, neem works very well as a miticide (spider mites is what I've used it on mostly,) and it helped my dog with his demodectic mange. It's supposed to be kind of a systemic, in that a soil drench will make the plant unpalatable to sucking insects, but I have no idea what it would do to the soil flora, so this is something I have not done. If you were doing something hydroponically, it could be invaluable, but I prefer not to mess with my soil if I'm not sure what I'm doing will be overall beneficial. I use neem more on indoor plants, but beware, it is very stinky.
Ants, in and of themselves, are no big deal, just symptomatic of aphid infestations. Which of your plants are routinely suffering? -
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Re: Pesticide Poll
Tue, August 18, 2009 - 10:34 AMactually, ants farm aphids and place them on plants, so aphids would be symptomatic of an ant problem. I don't like to use pesticides or fungicides at all; I find them completely unnecessary if there is no water stress (drought) or overhead watering. Making soil/sun/water conditions better for growing plants can do wonders - weak plants attracts pests. -
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Re: Pesticide Poll
Tue, August 18, 2009 - 10:42 AMHm, damn, you're right, it is the other way around generally when you find them both- but aphids can certainly appear without the help of ant colonies. And yes, you are so right, healthy plants do not send out the chemical signals that attract pests, or have a compromised immune system if insects just happen to have a population explosion- Compost, mulch and leave it alone but for a bit of trimming is best- and lucky for me, lazier than obsessive cleaning, spraying, etc. -
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Re: Pesticide Poll
Tue, August 18, 2009 - 11:34 AMThere is a huge difference between fungus and pest problems with gardening in the humid and verdant blue ridge mtns and new mexico or other arid regions as far as pests goes. -
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Re: Pesticide Poll
Tue, August 18, 2009 - 12:26 PMyes true wil! I have to deal with fog so I tend to have powdery mildew issues due solely to fog. grrr not much to do about climate issues eh? BUT I have way less mildew where I underplant, therefore having better ventilation within the bed, and also where I water the soil well - as fog doesn't exactly provide enough water. -
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Re: Pesticide Poll
Fri, August 21, 2009 - 6:04 AMsprinkling a ring of coffee ground around the stem of the plant will discourage ants so that the predator bugs can move in. I've also used crushed egg shells. Once the ants are off the plant the aphids are quickly gobbled up but other critters. -
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Re: Pesticide Poll
Sat, August 22, 2009 - 4:14 PMI've never used grounds in that way, just threw 'em into the compost pile, interesting to know you use it for ants- eggshell I use all over the place to repel the dreaded BC giant banana slugs (beer does not faze them, rum is needed for these behemoths.)
Thanks for the tip!
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Re: Pesticide Poll
Sun, August 23, 2009 - 8:20 AMI use pesticides rarely including neem. If their is a safe way to do it with something safe from my kitchen I am always experimenting. All pesticides build tolerace from the pest and are not good for the environment.
I do experiment with some hybrids and resistant plants but I rely mostly on heirlooms that are not so pretty but always seem to produce. -
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Re: Pesticide Poll
Thu, August 27, 2009 - 9:23 AMI have just bought pure neem oil and diluted it in alcohol to spray my veranda etc.. it seems to be the only thing that stops wasps nesting etc.. but other than that I have to agree with chili, if the plants get enough water, mulch etc,- I have not had a need for any applications..- I have picked off aphids before.. and prayed them off with a water jet..- that seemed to have gotten them off ok.
oh wait, there was the cabbage incident,- where all my cabbages got eaten in one night, practically, by caterpillars- but they were only a trial batch and as said before, were not growing under ideal conditions..
I do have a tomato fungus problem,- and was told by a famers wife that if you stick a fine copper wire horizontally through the plant early on, it will be a great fungicide.. but I havent tried that yet..
(I live in Switzerland, btw) -
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Re: Pesticide Poll
Fri, August 28, 2009 - 2:14 PMThat's an interesting tip- copper wire as fungicide? Sounds plausible, you can use copper dust as fungicide- and the slugs sure won't like your tomato plants if it's got copper wire running through it! I use old nylons to tie my tomatoes up, on a tip given to me by an old german gardener. He said it makes them greener, but whatever the reason for doing it, it's a good use for old nylons. The idea as I understand it is that the static generated forms NOx next to the plants, and the atmospheric nitrogen helps 'em out a little, like rain in a thunderstorm. I cannot find the science to back this up, however- so don't take my word for it. -
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Re: Pesticide Poll
Fri, August 28, 2009 - 2:55 PMoooh, good one. Guess I'll have to start wearing nylons...nah.
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Re: Pesticide Poll
Sun, August 30, 2009 - 3:27 PMWe have a friend who creates aquaponic garden system using fish to fertilize plants and clean the water. He swears by diamateceous earth, a natural compound made from tiny fossilized water plants. It is also apparently of enormous benefit to humans when ingested. Found this link today with lots of information on it. www.earthworkshealth.com/
The way to change and undermine a system that is determined to promote chemical and earth harming pesticides is to just do something different as we are sure most of you experts do!
Unfortunately, as we are starting to wake up here in the states, other nations following in our disastrous wake are using all kinds of pesticides. In the the Dominican Republic for example, they still spray hotel gardens with DDT!
A friend developed a resort in St Lucia, refusing to crop the mangroves [where mozzies are rife] and uses Carbon Dioxide machines to destroy them naturally.
with love and blessings
Sunny and Pierre Soleil
www.alternativeresearchconsortium.org
Please contribute your links to this directory for alternative technologies for food, wellness, shelter building, economy. We are dedicated to putting out the message...
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Re: Pesticide Poll
Fri, September 4, 2009 - 5:24 AMI don't use anything at all. I grow using a farmers almanac and save my strongest seeds for next spring. I continually add composted soil at least 2 time per year under the best conditions to my garden.
