Diatomaceous earth also called Diatomite or in short DE, is rightly called MAGIC POWDER because it has got several important uses not only in gardening but also in medical field and multiple other uses.
This is a naturally occurring organic substance obtained from certain natural rocks. It is made up of fossilized diatoms. Diatoms are single-celled organisms having a silica rich shells. This powder looks and feels like chalk powder and has great porosity and abrasive properties. This is not so expensive and you can purchase this online from HERE!
Now, lets list out the top 7 uses of diatomaceous earth in gardening.
- Ant Control
Why is it so important to control ants in your garden? Actually Mealybugs and Aphids have a symbiotic relationship with Ants which protect these pests from predators and also carry them to the plant tips. The Ants in turn get the honeydew sugars excreted out of their anus as their gift.
How to use DE for ant control? Sprinkle DE dust over the infested plants and also over anthills and you should get great results. - Get Rid of Slugs and Snails
These creatures eat away a lot of your plants in your garden overnight. To get rid of slugs and snails, apply DE powder in a circle around the plant and when their soft bodies come in contact with the powder, the sharp silica particles inflict tiny cuts on the skin. The dehydrating effect of the powder causes them to lose too much fluid and they eventually die. - In Compost
Bin
Maggots in your unfinished compost pile can be a nuisance. Just sprinkle this powder in your compost pile and get rid of maggots organically without using any chemical pesticides. - Mix it in your Potting Soil
Although it doesn’t have much to offer by way of nutrition, it has the properties to hold the nutrients from fertilizers and then offer it as a slow release to the roots. Plus it also makes your soil well draining and well aerated. - Prevent
Rodents and Animals from Entering your Garden
How to use it for this purpose? Do You know most rodents and animals run away from the smell of citrus and peppermint?
You can use small containers with DE powder and add few drops of the essential oils of lemon or peppermint and keep these near the entry points of these animals. The DE powder absorbs these oils and retains the smell for a longer period of time unlike some cotton balls or a piece of cloth soaked with these oils. - Control Other
Insects like Flies, Ticks and Mites
These are not only troublesome but can transmit diseases in humans and pets and hence dusting DE powder on your plants and around them will keep your garden clean from these insects.
1. As an Organic Pesticide
Diatomaceous earth is a non-toxic way to control pests in the garden. It is very
effective against all types of pests on your plants like aphids, mites, thrips,
mealy bugs, caterpillars and almost every pest. The mechanism of action is it’s
a contact poison which kills pests by extreme dehydration.
How to use Diatomaceous earth on plants?
First of all Water your plants for the day. Then dust the plants with an
applicator or just sprinkle the powder on your plants. This will help the powder stick to plant
surfaces. Since dehydration is the main mechanism of action, moisture on your
plants renders the powder ineffective and also in rainy season – apply when
there is no rain.
To avoid killing beneficial pollinators like bees and butterflies, do not sprinkle on flowers.
So, there you
have it folks. With DE powder and neem oil, you can eliminate most of the pests
in your garden safely and organically without using any harmful chemicals.
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Happy Gardening!
The greenhouse millipede, also known as the hothouse millipede, short-flange millipede, or the garden millipede, is a common creepy pest in your garden that can cause severe damage to emergent vegetable seedlings and young plants.
How do I identify These Millipedes?
There are few types of these millipedes with hundreds of legs and can be white or brown or black in color. Unlike their cousin, the centipede, millipedes are not carnivores, instead they eat dead and rotting vegetation and they hide in moist places like your soil mulch layer, debris or inside the top layer of soil. They prefer darkness and moisture and hence they are more common in rainy season.
Are Millipedes Poisonous or Venomous?
Do not be
too scared, Millipedes, unlike centipedes, are not venomous and are generally
considered to be non-poisonous. However, there are some millipede species that release
some fluids that can cause irritation to human skin. Hence its always better to
wear garden gloves and employ safety precautions.
How do I kill or get rid off these
garden pests?
There are many solutions to control millipedes. We will list out these one
by one in 5 steps:
5. Visible Millipedes can be smashed or can be swept with a broom or a vacuum cleaner and can be disposed. But this is difficult because most of these are not visible and are found hiding under the soil or mulch layer.
4. Sticky Traps and Light Traps are another option that attract and trap these millipedes. But these are not available easily.
3. Chemical Pesticides: We will just name these pesticides because, we will not use any chemicals in our garden, specially vegetable gardening. The chemical pesticides that work are Propoxur, Cyfluthrin, Pyrethrins, Piperonyl butoxide, Deltamethrin, Cypermethrin, bifenthrin, etc.
2. Chicken and Cats: Before we proceed to our natural remedies, we will discuss on chicken. Chicken love to eat these type of insects and pests. Keeping a few hens can do wonders to get rid of these millipedes and even other pests in your garden.Cats, though they do not eat millipedes, they may chase them, play with them and smash them to some extent.
- Natural and Organic Pesticides. The mechanism of action of any pesticide whether organic or inorganic chemical is Systemic effect which can be slow in action and Contact poisons which kill the pests when they come in contact with it.
- Diatomaceous Earth is first in the list: This white powder is easily available at many garden stores and even online. Its completely harmless to people and pets.
- Borax: Similar to Diatomacous Earth, Borax is derived from boric acid and dries the millipedes out and kills them. It also acts as a stomach poison that will kill millipedes if ingested. It’s completely safe to humans. Just sprinkle the boric acid over the areas of infestation and do not water it for atleast 24 hours. You can check out my detailed video and article on boric acid or borax powder for plants and garden.
- Wood Ash: The action is similar to borax powder which dries out the soil and the pests. I also have a detailed video and article on the benefits of wood ash in gardening.
By using Chemical Pesticides in our garden, we intentionally release harmful toxic and cancer producing substances into our environment.
Thankfully, there are a number of easily available natural substances that act as organic pesticides and are completely safe to use on our plants.
These home made natural pesticides can kill a variety of pests and bugs in our garden, either singly or in combinations. Combination of multiple substances can help you to provide a broad spectrum killing of a variety of pests like Aphids, whiteflies, mealybugs, spider mites, beetles, fleas, flies, mosquitoes, larvae, caterpillars, slugs and snails and many more.
Today, we will look into the formula or the recipe to make this All-purpose cocktail pesticide and most important its completely organic and safe to use.
Before we go into the ingredients, make sure you follow these three rules in applying this natural pesticide for your plants.
1. First and foremost, Always do a patch test on a leaf or a branch before applying all over your garden. If your leaf is getting burnt or wilting, then probably you need to reduce the concentration. And if you learn this adjustment, am sure you will have a pest free garden one day.
2. Secondly, make sure your spray even on the under sides of the leaves, and also flower buds and new growing shoots.
3. And lastly, do not apply during the sunny hours. Best time is evening and after sunset.
Now the Formula or the Recipe for this All purpose Organic Pesticide: We add 4 Ingredients to make this powerful pesticide liquid. This formula is to make 1 litre of this solution. So to 1 litre of warm water we add:
10 Drops Clove Oil – if you do not have clove oil, you can make a clove solution by taking 1 tablespoon of cloves and then crush them roughly and add this to a cup of warm water and leave it for 1 or 2 hours and then use this solution. Add a cup of this solution to water. But if you are using pure clove oil, you can use 10 drops only. The one you are seeing here I purchased online and this is approved by the ministry as a safe pesticide for organic vegetable gardening. You can use any pure clove oil brand from your store. You can find a link to purchase this at my website www.gkvk.in and also from a link in description below this video.
10 Drops Pure Neem Oil – get this from a trusted source. Even this purchase link you can find in description.
5 – 10 Drops of Eucalyptus Oil – This actually drives away bees and wasps. Use it if you do not mind driving away these pollinators or sometimes they are scary for your kids or you have a risk of anaphylaxis or allergic shock to bee or wasp stings or use them in special areas to protect your kids from bee or wasp stings.
10 drops of liquid soap like dish wash soap liquid for the coating or surfactant effect.
Its easy to remember this Formula like the Rule of 10 – that is 10 drops of each of these 4 ingredients.
Mix this well and load into your spray bottle and spray on your plants but first do a patch test and follow the rules already mentioned earlier.
i have used this same recipe and cleared almost all pests from my plants.
Initially you can use this weekly once for 3 weeks and eradicate all pests from your garden. Then as a maintenance dose or prophylactic use it in little lesser dilution atleast once every fortnight or atleast once a month.
Also watch my videos on Universal Fertilizer Recipe and Universal Potting Mix Recipes from the end screen links.
So there you have it folks, if you like this video click a thumbs up for me and share the video with your friends. Please do not forget to write your feedback in the comments section below the video.
Happy Gardening!