Ms. Eudora’s Garden Tool Blog

Natural garden pesticides are an alternative to synthetic chemical pesticides. Often called botanical pesticides by some and natural or organic pesticides by others these types of pesticides break down easily in the soil and their effects are not as long lasting as synthetic pesticides.

One of the more common knows is Insecticidal Soap. It is a combination of fatty acids and potassium or sodium salts. The fatty acids in the soap cause the outer cover of insects to collapse when penetrated.   It is by far the safest to use of all the natural pesticides, because it is non-toxic to humans, and animals it leaves no residue and can be used all the way up to harvest time.

Some pesticides come in a powder form and can be used as a dust on plants or mixed with water and used as a spray.

Bt (Bacillus- thuringiensis) has more than 80 forms that are used as pesticides. It is a stomach poison to insects which causes them to stop eating and starve.    It is slow acting so this process may take up to several days.  It is very host specific and will not harm humans, pets, birds or bees. It will break down quickly in sunlight and it may cause some skin irritation, so wear protective clothing.

Neem is a less know insecticide that is made from seeds of the neem tree fruit and still in the developmental stages, it is however non-toxic to humans, and it May harm your pets, so keep them away until sprayed leaves are completely dry. It washes away with rain and breaks down in the sunlight.

Horticultural Oil is highly refined petroleum oil and comes in several grades, so before purchasing, make sure that you are getting the one that is right for the season. This oil is mixed with water and sprayed onto the foliage, coating and suffocating feeding soft bodied insects. It has no toxic residue with a low toxicity to humans, pets and birds.
Pyrethrum: is a powder derived from the chrysanthemum is a fast acting poison that is dusted on plant leaves poisoning insects. It degrades within a day with low toxicity to animals, but kills any insect and is highly toxic to honey bees. Use only if you have a major infestation problem.

Sabadilla: is very finely ground seeds from the sadadilla lily, found in a powder form and used as a spray another type of stomach poison that is deadly to bees and should be used only as a last resort.

Rotenone: is derived from the roots of tropical legumes and is applied as a dust which deprives insects of air, breaking down quickly in sunlight so it is best applied in the evening.

Potassium Bicarbonate combined with horticultural oil can be spread on leaves and is good for fungus problems, its safe on plants and should be used at the first sign of infestation or as a precautionary measure. Can be used on vegetables up to harvest, avoid use in full sun, it can burn plants, but last from 2 to 3 weeks.

Remember: Just because a pesticide is organic doesn’t mean that it is not toxic, so always wear proper clothing, read the instructions carefully and take pre-cautions, and always apply insecticides locally before using in the entire garden. Also Natural Pesticides may be hard to find.

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