shangib74
Full Member
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2012 10:19 am
Location: West Virginia

Question about Organic Garden

I am new to the gardening and have a question that may seem silly but honestly I just don't know the answer lol. My question is... If you have to put dust on the plants to get rid of bugs, is it still organic. I know this is a total newbie question but thats what I am lol. Thanks so much for your time.

DoubleDogFarm
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 6113
Joined: Sun Mar 28, 2010 11:43 pm

Dust? More information please.

Eric

DoubleDogFarm
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 6113
Joined: Sun Mar 28, 2010 11:43 pm

Marlingardener wrote:Organic gardening is basically using the most natural, least hurtful additives and "dusts" in your garden. If you are using Sevin as your "dust" I think you'd have trouble calling your garden organic. If you are using a garlic/hot pepper spray, or insecticidal soap, that is more in line with going organic.
Tell us what "dust" you are using, and if it's not organic and is fairly destructive, we may be able to suggest something that is kinder to your garden, you, and the environment.
This is from a lady who is ready to take a sawed-off shotgun to grasshoppers. It isn't organic, but it is becoming necessary!
Have you tried flour? I've read that flour gums up the mouths of chewing insects. I haven't tried, but it sounds intriguing. Maybe the shotgun full of flour. :lol:

Eric

User avatar
rainbowgardener
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

Tell us more and we can help more. Depending on what bugs you are talking about, you don't necessarily need to get rid of them.

If it is a destructive pest, present in big enough numbers to be really harmful, then as noted we can probably help you figure out a way to deal with it organically, that is not harmful to the environment and to all the beneficial insects you want to keep around.

Definition of organic gardening: the practice of gardening so as to increase the health, structure and life (micro and macro) of the soil and enhance the production and health of developing plants, without using synthethic commercial fertilizers, pesticides, or fungicides.

So if your "dust" is (as I presume) a synthetic insecticide, it is not organic and if you use it you are not gardening organically.

shangib74
Full Member
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2012 10:19 am
Location: West Virginia

Well then rats I don't have the bag in front of me but I believe it is called eight dust. The store I got my tomatoe plants from told me it was better then sevin dust. However I am not one that can not change and I would be happy to try things you all recomend. As for the bugs the ones that got me to get it were the potatoe bettles that ended up on my tomatoe plants as well. As for my other plants I am not sure what is getting them but I do see tiny holes in the leaves of the plants but no bugs. The plants that have the holes are pepper plants, some of my cabbage plants and just a few on my cucumber and bean plants. My whole goal is to be as healthy as possible and I felt really guilty useing the stuff but remember I am still learning and if I can find a better way I am going to do it. I also have a goal of getting a greenhouse on our property so I have control of my plants from the very beginning. If I remember I will bring my phone out to the garden and if I see any bugs I will snap a pic of them maybe that will help. Thanks again.

User avatar
GardenRN
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1102
Joined: Wed Jan 12, 2011 10:01 am
Location: Chesterfield, Va

Marlingardener wrote:Organic gardening is basically using the most natural, least hurtful additives and "dusts" in your garden. If you are using Sevin as your "dust" I think you'd have trouble calling your garden organic. If you are using a garlic/hot pepper spray, or insecticidal soap, that is more in line with going organic.
Tell us what "dust" you are using, and if it's not organic and is fairly destructive, we may be able to suggest something that is kinder to your garden, you, and the environment.
This is from a lady who is ready to take a sawed-off shotgun to grasshoppers. It isn't organic, but it is becoming necessary!
My chickens LOVE the grasshoppers :) well.......love to eat them. wanna borrow em? :lol:

User avatar
rainbowgardener
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

Active ingredient in Bonide Eight dust is permethrin.

Permethrin is labelled as low toxicity in humans and most mammals (but can be harmful in over exposure): It is not known to rapidly harm most mammals or birds, but is dangerously toxic to cats[1][2] and fish.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permethrin

Permethrin is highly toxic to both freshwater and estuarine aquatic organisms
(if you use it in your garden it does tend to end up in the water table and eventually in streams, etc)

Permethrin toxicity data show that the compound is highly toxic to honeybees, as well as other beneficial insects.
https://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/REDs/factsheets/permethrin_fs.htm

Definitely not something that would be used in organic gardening where we try to protect eco-systems, beneficial insects, etc.

Here's an article on organic potato beetle control:

https://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/potato-beetle-control

At a guess the holes in the leaves of pepper and cabbage plants are damage from slugs. Roundish holes in the middle of leaves? You will never see the slugs in the daytime, but you can go out at night with a flashlight and see what you find. If so, the insecticide doesn't work against them anyway, as they are not insects. Type slug control in the Search the Forum Keyword box to find lots written here about them.

shangib74
Full Member
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2012 10:19 am
Location: West Virginia

Thanks so much for the info I will look at the info shortly. I really do appreciate it.

User avatar
rainbowgardener
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

And don't over-fertilize! Organic gardening is a system; it doesn't work to just adopt parts of it. If you are using synthetic fertilizers and giving big boosts of nitrogen, you will get tons of tender lush growth that will look very pretty. You will be thinking look how nice my garden is with all that Miracle Gro. Then tons of bugs will move in, attracted to all that tender lush greenery, which will be very vulnerable to them. So then you will go see, I really need those poisons. But if you hadn't been fertilizing like that, you wouldn't have attracted so many bugs and your plants would have withstood them better.

shangib74
Full Member
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2012 10:19 am
Location: West Virginia

Ok thanks for the tip, the only time we have fertilized was when we origionally planted the seeds and plants. Our garden is on a piece of land that used to be a cow pasture and there has never been a garden there. My mother inlaw said that there shouldn't be much needed at least this season. Next season I will have compost to put in my garden and I am going to rotate where my veggies go. That is one thing I keep hearing so I am going to remember to do that lol.



Return to “Organic Gardening Forum”