Everything I grow is 200% organic - nothing but air, light, water, and soil. I don't want my food or medicine to have anything in it except that which Nature intended.
But bugs happen. Flies, gnats, thrips, aphids, larva, mites, and all manner of crawling or flying 6 legged critters. In a lot of cases, we don't want them on our plants or in our soil. Here's a cost-effective and safe way to bug-proof your indoor garden without any pesticides, chemicals, sprays, or products of any kind!
Diatomaceous earth, as the name suggests, is earth (dirt) made out of diatoms, which are fossilized microorganisms like tiny corals that lived millions of years ago. Massive deposits of it are found in various places. Once collected, it is pulverized to dust. It's a whitish colour because the diatom fossils are made of Silicon Dioxide - the same compound that makes sand, and glass.
How it works
The tiny glass particles get between the moving parts of insects (and mites) and cut them up. This makes it an effective natural pesticide when added to dirt, without affecting nutrients or anything else about it!
Just incorporate about 1-5% diatomaceous earth to your soil mix, depending on your needs, and/or sprinkle some directly on your soil surface (and anywhere insects may live or travel).
It's harmless to plants, and to mammals (except as an eye and lung irritant). It can't cut your skin, and it feels just like any other dry powder. It's inert - it doesn't break down, react with chemicals, or add/remove nutrition from the soil. It works wet or dry, and never gets used up.
I just got a HUGE bag!
I just got back from my garden supplier with a lifetime supply of diatomaceous earth! Check out this bag:
Here's a closeup of the product info:
Here's what it looked like once I opened the bag:
I used a funnel and chopstick to get the powder into my empty dispenser bottle from a previous purchase:
Now I'm ready for action once again:
That little bottle originally cost me ten bucks. I've got about 100 more bottle refills here!
I bagged and taped it up so it remains in good condition and available for years to come:
The bag was about $30. They aren't available in this form everywhere, but it's worth checking around and locating a bag!
Why consider diatomaceous earth?
Even "organic" products like Azadirachtin ("Neem") can be dangerous when used incorrectly, such as on cannabis plants. Neem toxicity causes repetitive vomiting, also known as cannabis hyperemesis syndrome. We should also remember that it was a supposedly safe product, Myclobutanil, that caused the "vape crisis" in 2019.
Go 200% organic - no products! Just upgrade your soil! Diatomaceous earth will deal with almost any crawling bugs, and many flies that land on the soil surface to drink or deposit eggs. And use a little prophylactically, to keep pristine gardens pristine.
Grow in peace.
DRutter
