Diatomaceous Earth in veggie garden?
ckbozeman
14 years ago
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Comments (17)
organicguy
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoKimmsr
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
How long does diatomaceous earth last in the garden?
Comments (2)rockguy Thanks. That's what I was afraid of. For the time being, I dug a hole in the strawberry bed, put a styrofoam cup in the hole with the lip slightly above ground level, and filled it full of beer. Then I put a larger plastic tub upside down over it on stilts (long spaces cut off the bottom edge of the larger container) so the slugs could reach the beer. If it rains, little of it will go in the beer, and there's a little room for a bit of standing water. Not the best solution, I know, but can't go out until the weekend to find anything better. Thanks for the suggestion about iron phosphate. I'll look for Sluggo and its other brothers......See Morediatomaceous earth
Comments (32)"how is it then, that the food grade DE is safe, and not a danger to lungs ?" Because garden grade DE is mostly just silica, not crystalline silica ~ pool grade DE is mostly crystalline silica, not plain silica. Just like I said above, just plain silica is usually harmless, but crystalline silica isn't. Crystalline silica can cause silicosis (scarring of the lungs) and cancer. The pool grade De being in crystalline form allows it to "hang on" inside your lungs and cause scarring instead of being flushed out like normal dust. Garden grade DE is easier for the cilia in your lungs (little hairs lining your lung passages that "flush" out particles) to push along with mucus and expel. But, like Rhizo said, I still wouldn't say the garden grade is really "safe" to breathe in. If you have asthma, I can easily see doing so causing an asthma attack. And even if you don't have any lung problems, breathing in any kind of dust isn't exactly good for you. But the chance of it causing silicosis or cancer is significantly less, as in very-tiny-little-bitty chance....See MoreDiatomaceous earth and aphid control
Comments (14)Thanks so much to everyone for the continued advice. The pyrethrum is a new one to me - if the DE doesn't work, I'll move on to that. I had considered the Sevin dust, in extremis - it's been mentioned several times as the Holy Hand Grenade of critter control in various threads. Honestly, one reason I hadn't gone there is that the label does not identify aphids among the five or six dozen insects that the dust controls, so I figured that the little buggers weren't affected by it. The other is my daughter, just turned three today. While I'm reasonably confident I can keep her out of the garden until the dusts and sprays settle, I'm still a bit reluctant to use anything too potent. I'm not losing my veggies just to stay organic, but I'm not risking exposing my daughter to something nasty just for veggies. Albaby...See MoreHas anyone tried Diatomaceous Earth?
Comments (18)I purchased a 50 lb bag for 25$ and find it works for: reducing the baldness that comes from outside on my dog and cat. Works wonders. I am also putting it in their food for Tx for worms. I am currently using it on my horses for the same. However, it ruined my veggie garden by warding off my pollinators. How sad! I got one zuke and 3 yellow squash only. We have those japanese beetles that have so many offspring I had to try something. I had not even gotten 1 zuke in past years. The diatomaceous earth is food grade and edible. Supposidly it is pure silica, and it is good for hair, nails, and worming! It doesn't kill the ants, but makes them move. I have been herding them out of the front yard and have way less that in previous years. I bought a duster to use on the lawn, nothing is going to help with this seasons numbers of fleas. Oh yes, got 1 apple per tree, only 4 peaches on two trees? Of course I applied to the trees! It does kill the black power on my gardenia. I guess it is trial and error?...See Moremaddie_maddox
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoKimmsr
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agockbozeman
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoorganicguy
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoena_louise
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoKimmsr
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agogolphr_cox_net
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agotim_edwards20_yahoo_com
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agoshebear
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agojolj
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agorhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agojolj
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agorhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agojolj
13 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
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Kimmsr