Diatomaceous Earth: A Natural Killer

It goes under many brand names -Diatomaceous Earth, finely milled fossilized shells of minuscule organisms called diatoms


.....and it kills all "exoskeletal" insects almost instantly. It's like a flour. You mix a 1/2 teas. into the average spray bottle -prefer the ones where you can swing the nozzle up with the bottle level so you can simply spray under leaves where larvae and insects often feed or hide.

It's safe and it works. Whiteflies, ants aphids, mites and more... Use it a couple days in a row as neccesary without any risk of burning etc. while you innihilate your enemy.

Here's one place that tells you where to get it

Great info! I need to ace some whiteflies and thats a cheap pest killer. Cool!

Kills Spider Mites too

defenitly does NOT work for fungus gnats

u mix 1/2 tea and the other wit water?

707DankSmoker said:

defenitly does NOT work for fungus gnats

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I have used it for fungus gnats and it worked gret, but you have to reapply every three weeks or so.

this works for mites? any comparable product i could get at a local hydro store?

I have some of this. But I'm still unsure of the proper way to use it.

Diatomaceous earth doesn't kill instantly. It works by cutting into exoskeletons which can dehydrate them over time. I found it very effective against earwigs and ants seem to hate it too, but spiders and some larger beetles will live for days after exposure. If it's applied during the day, the dust can irritates bees, wasps, and lady bugs, or if it's worked into the native soil it can also injure worms.

I find it works best as a deterrent. Apply it early in the morning, once a week, and right after doing light misting so the dust can better stick onto the leaves. A garden duster works the best but in a pinch you can mix it into water and apply it with a paintbrush. I don't recommend adding diatomaceous earth directly into a spray bottle because it can clog the nozzles. Better to use the spray bottle to mist the leaves then dust afterwords.

In the photo below I sprinkled large amounts on the cement, then placed my smart pots on top of the diatomaceous earth. I also dusted the leaves with it. Doesn't look pretty, but it works really well. I still get grass hoppers that will take a bite or two, but they don't seem to wreak havoc.

I have been using this diatamceous earth for fungus gnats and I have the pool grade DE and today someone told me you are supposed to only use food grade DE. Does anyone know anything about the pool grade kind?

ThomJefferson said:

It goes under many brand names -Diatomaceous Earth, finely milled fossilized shells of minuscule organisms called diatoms


.....and it kills all "exoskeletal" insects almost instantly. It's like a flour. You mix a 1/2 teas. into the average spray bottle -prefer the ones where you can swing the nozzle up with the bottle level so you can simply spray under leaves where larvae and insects often feed or hide.

It's safe and it works. Whiteflies, ants aphids, mites and more... Use it a couple days in a row as neccesary without any risk of burning etc. while you innihilate your enemy.

Here's one place that tells you where to get it

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Try this, its the shit! also look at the SNS 209 on the website. I use the 209 every grow...never have mites!

http://sierranaturalscience.com/products/natural-pesticides/sns-217

Pool grade de has salts that can ruin your soil , burn your plants and its poisonous if you or your pets eat it. Food grade de is the exact opposite of all of that

Thank you! Pool grade DE must be what ruined my three nice white widow clones upon transplant, because nothing else was different.

Vindicated said:

Pool grade de has salts that can ruin your soil , burn your plants and its poisonous if you or your pets eat it. Food grade de is the exact opposite of all of that

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It is used as a dust...it doesn't help as much once you mix it with water...and it is a fine textured silicate that pretty much just pokes hole under the armor plates on crunchy bugs...it helps with fungus gnats in the fact they they won't lay their eggs in something dry...but if you top water after using DE then you end up with a caked gnat paradise...so just leave it sprinkly and the babies can't get out, and the adults can't get in without getting shredded..so it does help with gnats...but I find sand to be super super easier to deal with...and if you top water sand it just dries up again...as opposed to making a weirdo paste

Can you use sand that says "play sand"? the guy at the nursery at Home depot said it was ok, but he is the same idiot that told me the pool grade DE was ok for gardening.

missnu said:

It is used as a dust...it doesn't help as much once you mix it with water...and it is a fine textured silicate that pretty much just pokes hole under the armor plates on crunchy bugs...it helps with fungus gnats in the fact they they won't lay their eggs in something dry...but if you top water after using DE then you end up with a caked gnat paradise...so just leave it sprinkly and the babies can't get out, and the adults can't get in without getting shredded..so it does help with gnats...but I find sand to be super super easier to deal with...and if you top water sand it just dries up again...as opposed to making a weirdo paste

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Also if I get the food grade DE will that take the place of silica blast?

missnu said:

It is used as a dust...it doesn't help as much once you mix it with water...and it is a fine textured silicate that pretty much just pokes hole under the armor plates on crunchy bugs...it helps with fungus gnats in the fact they they won't lay their eggs in something dry...but if you top water after using DE then you end up with a caked gnat paradise...so just leave it sprinkly and the babies can't get out, and the adults can't get in without getting shredded..so it does help with gnats...but I find sand to be super super easier to deal with...and if you top water sand it just dries up again...as opposed to making a weirdo paste

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should be used dry..........

missnu said:

It is used as a dust...it doesn't help as much once you mix it with water...and it is a fine textured silicate that pretty much just pokes hole under the armor plates on crunchy bugs...it helps with fungus gnats in the fact they they won't lay their eggs in something dry...but if you top water after using DE then you end up with a caked gnat paradise...so just leave it sprinkly and the babies can't get out, and the adults can't get in without getting shredded..so it does help with gnats...but I find sand to be super super easier to deal with...and if you top water sand it just dries up again...as opposed to making a weirdo paste

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I encountered the same issue.. sprinkle it on the top soil but then when you water it becomes like plaster and its so messy and dusty. Now I just sprinkle it around the perimiter of my grow room along the concrete floor and floor boards to keep any crawling critters out of my garden if they are there.. I know lots of people out here in AZ have been using DE earth for years to kill off Scorpions. The Scorpions crawl and their belly scrapes against the floor so DE earth cuts them up and will keep them out of your home.