Question

[slugflinger]

Hi folks, newbie here. Looked for this but couldn't find it elsewhere. When I was young, I remember my Father using powdered lime to dust garden vegetable plants for the purpose of discouraging insects from eating the plant leaves. He has been gone now for several years so I can't ask him. Can this be done? If so, which form of lime should be used? I know others that dust with sevin dust, and I don't like the idea of using insecticides on something that will be eaten.

 

[Chuck]

Hi folks, newbie here. Looked for this but couldn't find it elsewhere. When I was young, I remember my Father using powdered lime to dust garden vegetable plants for the purpose of discouraging insects from eating the plant leaves. He has been gone now for several years so I can't ask him. Can this be done? If so, which form of lime should be used? I know others that dust with sevin dust, and I don't like the idea of using insecticides on something that will be eaten.

Using lime is an old time method of keeping insects off of plants. It sort of works. Back in the 1950's and 60's that's about all we had besides dangerous chemicals but at the time we really didn't know just how dangerous they were. The lime that we used was hydrated lime. It keeps some insects like aphids at bay but later research proved it reduced production fairly dramatically, so it is no longer recommended. Todays organic insecticides are harmless to pets and humans up to time of harvest. The best being spinosad as it safely controls most insects and caterpillars. You can use it prophylactically and actively against pests.

 

[slugflinger]

Thanks for the reply Chuck! I will be looking for the spinosad you mention. Is this the product name or is it the actual chemical name to look for in the ingredient list?

 

[Chuck]

Thanks for the reply Chuck! I will be looking for the spinosad you mention. Is this the product name or is it the actual chemical name to look for in the ingredient list?

It is the actual name of the soil bacteria it is derived from. Monterrey, Bonide, Captain Jack, Hi-Yield are but a few of the brand names.

 

[slugflinger]

Never mind, just googled it. I see it is available in many products. I will pick some up for myself, and for my brother and maybe he can retire the sevin he has been using. Again thanks for the good information!

 

[Chuck]

Never mind, just googled it. I see it is available in many products. I will pick some up for myself, and for my brother and maybe he can retire the sevin he has been using. Again thanks for the good information!

There is another spinosad product called spinosad soap. It has potassium salts and fatty acids added to make it an effective killer of mildews, plus being a great insect killer.

 

[slugflinger]

Thanks Chuck! You are the man! Glad that you are the kind of person to take the time to help out someone you've never met.