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babiebee33
- Full Member
- Posts: 11
- Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 3:13 pm
- Location: San Diego
Diatomaceous Earth....
It was recommened I use this, because I would like to avoid chemical pesticides as much as possible. Any one with experience with this stuff that can share some tips. Please and thank you. I have Slugs, snails, earwigs and I think japanese beetles.
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rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
The diatomaceous earth is effective against the slugs and snails. However, it tends to get washed away when it rains and you need to reapply it. In San Diego, you are probably in a very different weather pattern than I am. Here I would have to be reapplying it every day... You can look into Sluggo, an organic treatment for them that breaks down into iron phosphate, a nutrient for the soil. Or you can go out at night with a flashlight and hand pick them. There's some great threads here about slug hunting, if you want to search for them!
The diatomaceous earth would work against the earwigs also. But they are not necessarily a problem in the garden unless you have lots of them. Earwigs can be beneficial because they eat aphids, mites and insect eggs. They usually only do significant damage to plants when present in large numbers. In the soil (and compost pile) they are detritovores, helping break down decaying organic matter.
The japanese beetles being flyers would not likely be affected by the DE (which works by cutting the insect when it crawls over it, so it leaks fluids out). You could type japanese beetles into the Keyword Box in Search the Forum and find a lot written here about them.
The diatomaceous earth would work against the earwigs also. But they are not necessarily a problem in the garden unless you have lots of them. Earwigs can be beneficial because they eat aphids, mites and insect eggs. They usually only do significant damage to plants when present in large numbers. In the soil (and compost pile) they are detritovores, helping break down decaying organic matter.
The japanese beetles being flyers would not likely be affected by the DE (which works by cutting the insect when it crawls over it, so it leaks fluids out). You could type japanese beetles into the Keyword Box in Search the Forum and find a lot written here about them.