Comment on Natural Insecticides

Engywuck@lemmy.zip ⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago

• harmbugler@piefed.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago

  Most oils will suffocate aphids when applied directly, but neem oil contains azadirachtin, a pesticide which will stay on the plant and will keep aphids away by disrupting their lifecycle.

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  • Engywuck@lemmy.zip ⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago

    This makes sense. Thanks.

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• blackbrook@mander.xyz ⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago

  You can just make a simple soap solution to spray them with. Look up home made insecticidal soap.

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  • Engywuck@lemmy.zip ⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago

    Last time I tried that I killed my plant, lol.

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    • I_am_10_squirrels@beehaw.org ⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago

      That’s thinking outside the box! No more plants, no more pests!

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      • sem@piefed.blahaj.zone ⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago

        Get at the root of the problem 

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  • BodyBySisyphus@hexbear.net ⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago

    You can’t use regular soap; insecticidal soaps are fatty acid salts with potassium, while regular soaps are made with sodium.

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    • blackbrook@mander.xyz ⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago

      As I do more reading though, I find warnings that many dish detergents will harm plants. Some people do spot tests, but buying a commercial insecticidal soap is safest. I guess I’ve been lucky, maybe because I use a crunchy natural dish detergent that is pretty mild.

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    • blackbrook@mander.xyz ⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago

      I don’t know what you consider regular soap, but my understanding is that liquid soaps typically have potassium, bar soaps may use either. But I was using the term pretty loosely, people often make homemade insecticidal ‘soap’ with dish detergent which isn’t technically soap at all. Any surfactant tends to kill insects by compromising the waxy coating that keeps them from drying out.

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• Andrzej3K@hexbear.net ⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago

  I would also like the answer to this question please

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