I try not to use pesticide unless absolutely necessary, fertilizer is a must though, be it miracle grow or put into the ground pre-planting. Herbicide to clear the land then keep it covered with tarps after is the plan so I don't have to spray anymore. Hoping to kill all the rhizomes, they are a pain. Also using weed barrier as well, so that should take out a good portion, I'll leave that down until I have to plow and till again.
-
If you need help identifying a pepper, disease, or plant issue, please post in Identification.
pests Whats the general consensus on using Herbicide, Pesticide, and Synthetic Fertilzers here?
- Thread starter Hawkins
- Start date
might want to look up " herbicide drift " and its effect on peppers and tomatoes ( and that's tiny micro droplets that caught a ride on a breeze 
)
personally i dont even want herbicides on my property.
only pesticides i have used are Azamax and BT and i would prefer to use ladybugs or parasitic wasps
hopefully someone who actually has more experience using herbicides and pesticides will chime in with more information here.
)personally i dont even want herbicides on my property.
only pesticides i have used are Azamax and BT and i would prefer to use ladybugs or parasitic wasps
hopefully someone who actually has more experience using herbicides and pesticides will chime in with more information here.
I used it about 3 weeks ago to kill all the weeds before plowing in about a month, I have no intentions of using it again, I just have no other option for getting rid of the roots. I wouldn't risk spraying around my plants once planted, too much time and effort went into getting them ready to lose them. I don't spray any pesticides once flowering starts, I ain't trying to eat that stuff, but I do use fertilizer.
Guatemalan Insanity Pepper said:might want to look up " herbicide drift " and its effect on peppers and tomatoes ( and that's tiny micro droplets that caught a ride on a breeze
personally i dont even want herbicides on my property.
only pesticides i have used are Azamax and BT and i would prefer to use ladybugs or parasitic wasps
hopefully someone who actually has more experience using herbicides and pesticides will chime in with more information here.
The only "pesticide" I use is diatomaceous earth which is food grade (some hippies say it's good for filtering out toxins if you eat it lol.)
It works great as it is a crystalline material with very rough edges, and the mechanism for its operation as a pesticide isn't quite clear (does it get into the cracks of bug appendages and then cause tearing, or do they eat it and get torn up, etc).
A 50 lb bag can be found online for around $50 with shipping in the US. All you have to do is sprinkle it on the plants. Downside is it can really only affect bugs which get covered by the DE, and you also want to ensure that you wear a mask over your nose and mouth when you apply it. That microcrystalline structure is just as bad for your respiratory tract. It's safe to eat though!
I'm also thinking of purchasing a fair amount of ladybugs this year (aphids weren't a problem last year, but it never hurts to keep predators around.) I may go ahead and buy up assassin bugs as well - they're not abundant here in my part of the midwest, but when I first really got into gardening, I found them lording over my garden down in Florida, looked them up, and appreciated them ever since. They earn their name!
It works great as it is a crystalline material with very rough edges, and the mechanism for its operation as a pesticide isn't quite clear (does it get into the cracks of bug appendages and then cause tearing, or do they eat it and get torn up, etc).
A 50 lb bag can be found online for around $50 with shipping in the US. All you have to do is sprinkle it on the plants. Downside is it can really only affect bugs which get covered by the DE, and you also want to ensure that you wear a mask over your nose and mouth when you apply it. That microcrystalline structure is just as bad for your respiratory tract. It's safe to eat though!
I'm also thinking of purchasing a fair amount of ladybugs this year (aphids weren't a problem last year, but it never hurts to keep predators around.) I may go ahead and buy up assassin bugs as well - they're not abundant here in my part of the midwest, but when I first really got into gardening, I found them lording over my garden down in Florida, looked them up, and appreciated them ever since. They earn their name!
The main thing to consider with herbicides and pesticides is the half life. Which is when they reach 50 percent presense/effectiveness after application. The chemicals in these products begin to degrade and neutralize over time. This will help you determine when it's safe to plant and/or harvest after application.
Ladybugs are a great thing to consider as an alternative to pesticides. They just need to be released at night after temperatures have dropped off for the day so they stay put. If you try releasing them during the warm hours of the day they'll fly off.
There are tons of organic fertilizer options available these days, and some really good ideas for different products all over this forum.
Cardboard laid down under topsoil/compost can be a good alternative to weed barrier, blocks weeds from coming up, and eventually breaks down too.
There are tons of organic fertilizer options available these days, and some really good ideas for different products all over this forum.
Cardboard laid down under topsoil/compost can be a good alternative to weed barrier, blocks weeds from coming up, and eventually breaks down too.
I agree that pesticides do impact the flavor of the crop, but organic ferilizer is almost completely BS. There have been numerous studies that have figured out that organic and non-organic crops have very similar, within 5%, nutrient composition.
When did I say anything about crop production. I was saying the belief that synthetic fertilizers make crops less nutritious is false. You are literally putting words in my mouth, lol.Dalia said:
SpeakPolish said:
Dalia said:
nobody Put words in your mouthSpeakPolish said:
Double-Facepalm
Show me the average persons miracle grow garden after 10+ years of building up salts and maybe heavy metals ?
or let's look at the effect it has to groundwater, runoff, and algal blooms in nearby lakes.
Organic gardening promotes learning how and why to feed the soil which then feeds the plant
IMO the average newby gardener isn't going to want to learn when and why to feed and just keep dumping synthetics because it's "simple"
and works like a "miracle"
Then they'll wonder why, years down the road there are no worms or good "bugs" left in their raised beds
All fertilizers promote algal blooms and nasty stuff to aquatic life. Organic just means derived from nature, that is not sustainable for 7 billion people. Very synthetic processes such as the Haber Process produces useable ammonia from air. This is the reason most of us alive. Half of our nitrogen in our tissues come from that process.Guatemalan Insanity Pepper said:
nobody Put words in your mouth
Double-Facepalm
Show me the average persons miracle grow garden after 10+ years of building up salts and maybe heavy metals ?
or let's look at the effect it has to groundwater, runoff, and algal blooms in nearby lakes.
Organic gardening promotes learning how and why to feed the soil which then feeds the plant
IMO the average newby gardener isn't going to want to learn when and why to feed and just keep dumping synthetics because it's "simple"
and works like a "miracle"
Then they'll wonder why, years down the road there are no worms or good "bugs" left in their raised beds
overuse of concentrated fertilizers
vs
learning to feed the soil what it's actually deficient in
excess boron as well anyone mmmmmm no thanks
different strokes for different folks i guess.
I still think organic gardening promotes learning more about what and why you are putting into your soil and downstream vs just "fertilizing" as the all purpose instructions say too
vs
learning to feed the soil what it's actually deficient in
excess boron as well anyone mmmmmm no thanks
different strokes for different folks i guess.
I still think organic gardening promotes learning more about what and why you are putting into your soil and downstream vs just "fertilizing" as the all purpose instructions say too
Snark and hostility notwithstanding, I think we can at least answer the topic question now.
Q: What's the general consensus on using Herbicide, Pesticide, and Synthetic Fertilizers here?
A: There doesn't appear to be one.
It looks like you could probably start three totally independent flame wars by splitting up that question into its constituent parts, though, so I guess that's something.
Q: What's the general consensus on using Herbicide, Pesticide, and Synthetic Fertilizers here?
A: There doesn't appear to be one.
It looks like you could probably start three totally independent flame wars by splitting up that question into its constituent parts, though, so I guess that's something.
Exactly right. It's kinda like if we went to thehoticecream.com and asked "what's the general consensus on chocolate versus vanilla ice cream; which tastes better?" Ppl would probably have plenty to say, but there'd be no consensus, or maybe a vague and neutral thing like "go with your own preference."internationalfish said:Snark and hostility notwithstanding, I think we can at least answer the topic question now.
Q: What's the general consensus on using Herbicide, Pesticide, and Synthetic Fertilizers here?
A: There doesn't appear to be one.
It looks like you could probably start three totally independent flame wars by splitting up that question into its constituent parts, though, so I guess that's something.