Radishes and squash

[sequin]

I don't know if this would work, or not, but I know some people do it with fruit like apples and pears... could you put something around the fruit to keep the bugs off? Like a fine mesh cloth(think cheese cloth)?? If you attach a loose bag of fine mesh over the fruit near the stem it is growing off of, might that not work at keeping the bugs away and off of eating the fruit? Just a thought.

 

[wifezilla]

Does DE work against vine borers? I am using it in the soil to break the breading cycle of the flea beetles that ate all my radishes. It seems to be working.

 

[897tgigvib]

Where can a person get 100 pounds of Diatomaceous Earth?

Not for my garden, but for my cabin...

 

[so lucky]

A farm store might have it, or be able to order it for you. Our Tractor Supply here gets it in 25 lb bags.

 

[The Mama Chicken]

Where can a person get 100 pounds of Diatomaceous Earth?

Not for my garden, but for my cabin...

We have an old fashioned seed store here (with bins of seed rather than packets) where you can buy it in bulk. My husband brought me home a paper grocery bag full (maybe 5 pounds) for $5. I don't know if you have any stores like that in your area, Marshall, but if you do they always seem to have the coolest stuff.

 

[897tgigvib]

It'd sure be nice to have an old fashioned store like that around here, but we don't.

We do have a modern Tractor Supply though, 40 miles away in Ukiah. I'm going to check there.

Our Tractor Supply, a good sized store, does not seem to have those farm days or what exact thing they are called. But if some of the tractor supply stores have diatomaceous earth, I think I should be able to order some.

There used to be old fashioned feed and seed stores around when I was a kid. Seems like there was at least one in every town. Often they had a cool tin sign with a red and white check pattern. Those signs would sure be a collector's item!

 

[The Mama Chicken]

Our feed stores still have those red and white checkered signs, it means that they are licensed to sell Purina products.

 

[897tgigvib]

Ye haw! Thank you Mama Chicken,

the Tractor Supply store did have Diatomaceous Earth. I got a 25# bag for only 13 clams!

When I was there I thought about those red and white checker signs. Sure enough, they do have a smallish one.

Now I have to use it just right to get these little "stink" ants we get in this forest. I'm one of the few who can smell them, and it is a strong smell to me. They are marching in lines toward my cabin. Yes, I well know what they do to wood.

Whatcha think...block their marching paths...place a full perimeter around my cabin...find as many of their ground holes as possible and put some on and in each one...

This is much better stuff than what my landlord/boss tried to have me use, PYZEN stuff called Sevin, which I know works, but I don't want pyzenous stuff around my cats, or me either.

This Diatomaceous Earth is food grade, and can be used even up to 3% in feeds, and it says something about using it for poultry...

 

[The Mama Chicken]

I would do it all. Perimeter around the house, in the ant holes, and especially in your kitchen and bathroom. Ants usually come into a house looking for water, not food, and that's the places they're most likely to find it. And yes, it used as a wormer if added to animal feed, and also keeps mites and fleas down on chickens if sprinkled into the coop. I'm using it to fight off fleas on our cat and kittens right now. It works but it does require multiple applications.

 

[catjac1975]

If you see a vine bore pour a little BT solution into the hole-it should kill it. Also if you have a true vine, put dirt every few feet on the vine and it will root. If the borer does kill the vine it will not kill the whole thing. Since our chickens are let loose in the veggie garden during the off season my incidence of pests has decreased immensely.

Does DE work against vine borers? I am using it in the soil to break the breading cycle of the flea beetles that ate all my radishes. It seems to be working.