-
Springfever
- Full Member
- Posts: 28
- Joined: Sun May 26, 2013 8:24 am
- Location: Zone 5 Missouri
Spinosad
Is this safe? I have lots of bugs in the garden and sprayed it on a lot of the plants. It states it is for organic use.
-
Lindsaylew82
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 2115
- Joined: Wed May 21, 2014 9:26 pm
- Location: Upstate, SC
Well, if you use it responsibly. It is approved for organic use, and it is effective.
I've never used a liquid form of spinosad but I have used granules for fire ants. I have to use it on mounds every week or so until there are no signs of life, for it to be completely effective. And it is effective for fire ants. They are extremely aggressive here.
I'm big on hand picking garden bugs and giving them the "spa treatment" ( ivory dish soap and really hot water). I know they're dead if they've been spa'd for 24 hours. It's pretty reliable insect control and it's the safest pest control there is. It is time consuming and fairly gross if you're squeamish or creeped out by bugs. And there are some weird and scary looking creatures. If I can do it, anyone can do it!
If you're gonna spray, do so in the late evening. That way it has time to dry on the leaves. Whatever eats the leaves or fruits will be poisoned. I use a lot of neem, which is said to be non toxic to bees and beneficials, but I do so with a guilty conscience, and only at dusk. It is effective on insects by messing with their reproduction. It's also a very effective anti fungal. Where I live, we gonna have fungi.... No matter what. I like that neem has a dual purpose, and that's pretty good justification for me.
I've never used a liquid form of spinosad but I have used granules for fire ants. I have to use it on mounds every week or so until there are no signs of life, for it to be completely effective. And it is effective for fire ants. They are extremely aggressive here.
I'm big on hand picking garden bugs and giving them the "spa treatment" ( ivory dish soap and really hot water). I know they're dead if they've been spa'd for 24 hours. It's pretty reliable insect control and it's the safest pest control there is. It is time consuming and fairly gross if you're squeamish or creeped out by bugs. And there are some weird and scary looking creatures. If I can do it, anyone can do it!
If you're gonna spray, do so in the late evening. That way it has time to dry on the leaves. Whatever eats the leaves or fruits will be poisoned. I use a lot of neem, which is said to be non toxic to bees and beneficials, but I do so with a guilty conscience, and only at dusk. It is effective on insects by messing with their reproduction. It's also a very effective anti fungal. Where I live, we gonna have fungi.... No matter what. I like that neem has a dual purpose, and that's pretty good justification for me.