Using citric acid as a pesticicde

J

jonnynobody

Well-Known Member
I finally tried the citric acid in my nursery. I only did 1 tent instead of both tents just in case there was a negative reaction. I can stand to lose some plants but not all. I mixed up 3tsp/qt as recommended and all the plants took it without a problem except for my bruce banger. Her tender new preflower sites were damaged on about 20% of the plant. Nothing major, but next time I'll opt for 2tsp/qt. All 3 other plants that were sprayed have a nice shiny sheen to them today and look healthy as can be. As I was applying it yesterday I got some on my knee from the run off when I was crouching down. That shit ain't no joke man. I could feel the corrosive effects on my skin immediately. I've noticed some strains are like tanks. They can take a lot of abuse and can withstand stronger pesticide applications than other strains. My blue dream and maui waui almost never show damage after any type of pesticide is applied. The bruce banger appears to be much more fragile.

All in all it was a good experience. I'm adding it to the IPM rotation moving forward. At 2tsp/qt though. One thing I noticed this morning when I walked into the tent my shoes stuck to the floor. Sticky stuff. Better than toxic pesticide though and super cheap.
 
Three Berries

Three Berries

Well-Known Member
I buy citric acid by the 5 lb bag. Always looking for new uses. It's a great rust remover and water softer cleaner. It's what is in softener salt with the cleaning agent. And if a cooking recipe calls for lemon juice, citric acid is what they are looking for to give it a sour taste.
 
Norml56

Norml56

Well-Known Member
jonnynobody said:
I finally tried the citric acid in my nursery. I only did 1 tent instead of both tents just in case there was a negative reaction. I can stand to lose some plants but not all. I mixed up 3tsp/qt as recommended and all the plants took it without a problem except for my bruce banger. Her tender new preflower sites were damaged on about 20% of the plant. Nothing major, but next time I'll opt for 2tsp/qt. All 3 other plants that were sprayed have a nice shiny sheen to them today and look healthy as can be. As I was applying it yesterday I got some on my knee from the run off when I was crouching down. That shit ain't no joke man. I could feel the corrosive effects on my skin immediately. I've noticed some strains are like tanks. They can take a lot of abuse and can withstand stronger pesticide applications than other strains. My blue dream and maui waui almost never show damage after any type of pesticide is applied. The bruce banger appears to be much more fragile.

All in all it was a good experience. I'm adding it to the IPM rotation moving forward. At 2tsp/qt though. One thing I noticed this morning when I walked into the tent my shoes stuck to the floor. Sticky stuff. Better than toxic pesticide though and super cheap.
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I've been using Plant Therapy which I believe the main ingredient that actually kills bugs is citric acid. It is a great IPM.
 
J

jonnynobody

Well-Known Member
vtbud10dr said:
@jonnynobody what bugs are you trying to get rid of and how did it work on them?
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Spider mites. It's a contact killer so thorough coverage is necessary. I hosed 'em down top and bottom of the leaves. Stems, stakes, top of the medium, and the top of the buckets the plants are in. I'm rotating spinosad, citric acid, and forbid 4F. One product every 3 days so the mites don't build any type of resistance. I tried horticultural soap but I had to use 1/2 the strength the bottle recommended to prevent foliage burn. That stuff is no joke. I've got neem oil on hand too but I really dislike the stuff. It stinks horribly and I can never get it to emulsify with the recommended ratio of neem to emulsifier. I always have to do a 1:1 ratio @ .75tsp/qt. It works, but it stinks horribly.

There's a commercial product that isolates the active ingredient in neem oil in a concentrated form that doesn't require emulsification. It's a little spendy, but a great long term investment. It'll last years. www.domyown.com has it. They also have spinosad concentrate. I'm planning to buy a bottle of each for my IPM regimen. Buying watered down bottles gets expensive in the long run. Concentrates are always the way to go.
 
Three Berries

Three Berries

Well-Known Member
You can use some water and dish soap to spray on your plants to kill any soft body insect. Completely safe for you and your babies. No worry about rinsing or residue.
 
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