Diatomaceous Earth Question.
- Thread starter Sunbiz1
- Start date
B166ER420
Well-Known Member
I wont lie I GOOGLED it!
.....There was no definate answer but I would use at least a 1cup per bag.....or more?....ive used de before,only outside.I did not know there was so many uses.There is food grade and garden grade.From what I gatherd food grade has been washed/cleaned?,garden grade has not.I only knew De was sold at the feed store and was used for garden bugs and livestock for ticks and fleas.You can eat DE and is used for all sorts of stuff.Ive also learned about all the uses for Colloidal Silver.....anyway www.dirtdoctor.com
www.themorristribe.com
www.earthworkshealth.com are a couple sites with good info.
.....There was no definate answer but I would use at least a 1cup per bag.....or more?....ive used de before,only outside.I did not know there was so many uses.There is food grade and garden grade.From what I gatherd food grade has been washed/cleaned?,garden grade has not.I only knew De was sold at the feed store and was used for garden bugs and livestock for ticks and fleas.You can eat DE and is used for all sorts of stuff.Ive also learned about all the uses for Colloidal Silver.....anyway www.dirtdoctor.comwww.themorristribe.com
www.earthworkshealth.com are a couple sites with good info.
Sunbiz1
Well-Known Member
I wont lie I GOOGLED it!
www.themorristribe.com
www.earthworkshealth.com are a couple sites with good info.
Google is a great search engine, directs me to old threads here with good info all the time...but as you already know I came up empty on this subject.
What I do know is a cup in 3 gals of medium took care of the fungus gnat problem almost immediately.
I haven't had any plant issues with this ratio, so guess I'll simply stick to what works.
Too funny, DM is also used as a stabilizer in dynamite.
Peace
chuck estevez
Well-Known Member
I just ran it around the top of the whole pot. I didn't know you were suppose to measure it,lol
Sunbiz1
Well-Known Member
You're topdressing with it, while I'm mixing it right into the medium before I plant. Perhaps there isn't a correct measurement, so I guessed at 1/4 cup/gal.
Adult gnats love to hang out near the watering/drainage holes, topdressing doesn't cover that area.
Peace
Can you dust plants with it or only for use in soil. Thanks
ValleySmoke209
New Member
I've never mixed it into my medium, but I have top dressed and it worked better than sprays or drenches. I put just enough to cover all the dirt and bottom fed for a week or so. I have used it to dust. Drop it into an inside out sock and dust over the plants. Two tips wear a mask, & not on a windy day or in windy areas. It blows the dust right off.
NietzscheKeen
Well-Known Member
I use it in my soil mix and just eyeball it. I don't measure, but probably use a couple pints for 20 gallons of soil. I don't know if it adds calcium to the soil, probably over time, but I use it as an anti-caking agent; that is what it is used for in the food industry.
As for using it in teas, I don't think it would add anything to the mix except viscosity.
As for using it in teas, I don't think it would add anything to the mix except viscosity.
Vindicated
Well-Known Member
I use a Gilmour garden duster, and $15.99 on the Amazon. First I mist my plants with water then I dust them with DE. I also sprinkle some on top of the soil. If I'm really trying to target an area I mix up a thick slurry of DE and water, then paint it on the area with a brush and pour what's left over the root zone / stem area.
ValleySmoke209
New Member
I always thought DE was to be kept dry? If wet it takes away it's effectiveness as I've always read. I'd like to know how well it works for you and against what bugs?
Sunbiz1
Well-Known Member
I am re-thinking my quantities on DM, as in I need to use even more. I still have a few gnats, but they are adults and wingless...DM must have cut holes in their wings.
And I also know where they originally came from, bagged mushroom compost...never again will I use it for anything.
Shit's always contaminated with gnat larvae.
neosapien
Well-Known Member
Getting the DE wet I think would make it less effective. We use it as pool filter media. The way it works is when wet, the sharp glass-like edges lock together letting only the smallest particles pass through. If wetted all the sharp edges would be locked together and do a minuscule amount of cutting I would think.
Sunbiz1
Well-Known Member
Responded via other thread, pasting text below:
To an extent, I've tried everything organic including cinnamon etc. Once they move in, they are very difficult to get rid of using any organic approach...including BT or mosquito dunks. BT doesn't actually kill the larvae, it affects their nervous systems over time...which is why it takes forever to work.
The good news is fungus gnats are actually a very minor pest compared to the dreaded spider mites.
Usually by August I get frustrated enough to drench the soil with pyrethrin, which is the only thing I have found safe and effective enough to use.
However, this year the DM has been keeping them enough in check to make it not necessary.
And yes, bagged products are usually the culprit...compost in particular.
Good luck!
panooq
Member
DE is the bomb. I get it from a landscape supply place down the street. Used to only dust the top of the soil and the leaves whenever there was an issue, but now that I have 50lbs of the stuff, it's in the soil, it's everywhere. No more bugs.
Gave some to my Mom in Reno and she said it didn't deter the ants she has there. Maybe they're mutants?
Gave some to my Mom in Reno and she said it didn't deter the ants she has there. Maybe they're mutants?
snowboarder396
Well-Known Member
DE DOES not! Work if wet. You do not mix it with soil. Pool stuff mentioned by someone is not to be used on plants it is toxic if consumed. DE bought by most places should not be used for the fact that it is cut with chemicals and poisions. If your trying get rid of pests DE DOES work great but make sure you get food grade only especially considering this is with something you plan on consuming. Dust either the top of the soil or the plant itself. DE works as a mechanical killer on anthropods , and other hard shelled insects. It acts like glass shards cutting them up and killing them through dehydration. I say again do not use anything but food grade DE! Which is also completely organic and edible. People even drink water mixed with tsp. For health benefits. But for the garden dust the plant and top of soil if wet needs to be re applied.
