Well, it's that time of year again! We have to deal with pests, and I don't mean the Internal Revenue Service. I'm talking about insects that eat our plants and sting and annoy us.
Many moons ago, I was indiscriminate in my use of pesticides and herbicides. As I began to be more aware of our precious heritage and how finite it was, I looked for alternatives to chemical pesticides.
Not long after I built my first greenhouse and began growing vegetables in it, I knew I had to deal quickly with the bugs. I found white flies everywhere, and moths and every other type of flying pest would race in through the door every time I opened it. The greenhouse itself was well-sealed but the open door was the issue.
I did some research and I found that some plant oils are annoying to, or downright deadly to, invertebrates. I started experimenting with various oils. Not long after, I found a product at Home Depot that was already mixed and in a spray bottle.
The spray is called “ EcoSmart Organic Insecticide . “ I have used this product for nearly three years and I am completely satisfied with it. It even has a sort of “potpourri” smell to it. I did a video evaluation of the product in video # 4, ' Easy Inexpensive Passive Wick Hydroponics Hydrosock Video 4 ' on my YouTube channel at Plain 2 Grow Jim (or plain2growjim).
Here are five very good reasons to use an organic plant-oil based insecticide: 1. It WILL NOT harm your children. 2. It WILL NOT harm your pets. 3. It WILL NOT harm the environment. 4. It WILL NOT harm the plants. 5. It WILL kill most adult insect pests and it WILL disrupt their growth stages.
Here is their claim on the front of the spray bottle: “ Kills and repels garden insects and mites. Kills exposed eggs, larvae, and adult stages. Spray and harvest on the same day. Environmentally safe. Works fast. Kills by contact. Safe around children and pets. Non-toxic.”
I don't believe anything can be completely safe and non-toxic, but I believe that this product, if used as directed, is a safe and effective tool for controlling pests. I can tell you from personal experience that it will burn your throat and eyes for a short time if you inhale it or get it in your eyes!
On the back, there is more information, including what types of insects it will kill, and what ingredients are used. It states that it will kill “many garden pests, including aphids, mites, thrips, whiteflies, beetles, and caterpillars.”
The ingredients are: “ Rosemary oil, peppermint oil, thyme oil, and clove oil.” The other ingredients listed are: “Water, white mineral oil, potassium oleate, and lecithins.”
Will it kill mosquitos? I never saw any adult mosquitos fall, but they certainly weren't interested in me when I sprayed it as a mist in the air, and some EcoSmart settled on me. I believe that the current offering of non-toxic organic mosquito repellents from various manufacturers are basically the same thing; they smell the same to me.
I had an attached tick on my arm a year ago, and I used some of this spray with a cotton swab. I held the swab to the tick for a few minutes. It fell off my arm.
I'm not sure if this a Home Depot product. I haven't seen this particular item in other stores but I have seen other manufacterers' similar products in other stores. A Boy Scout leader I work with uses a mix from a small home-based company. He tells me that he loves it. He said that it was pricey from that source but you could mix up in large batches from the concentrate.
Cinnamon, cayenne powder, and aspirin are also possible insecticides and repellents.
The company contact information is: EcoSmart Technologies Inc., 20 Mansell Court, Suite 375, Roswell, Georgia 30078 . It is made in the USA.
I have no personal or monetary interest in EcoSmart Technologies Inc. I bought the product that I use and I am giving my personal opinion on the product. I am responsible for my own opinion.
Many moons ago, I was indiscriminate in my use of pesticides and herbicides. As I began to be more aware of our precious heritage and how finite it was, I looked for alternatives to chemical pesticides.
Not long after I built my first greenhouse and began growing vegetables in it, I knew I had to deal quickly with the bugs. I found white flies everywhere, and moths and every other type of flying pest would race in through the door every time I opened it. The greenhouse itself was well-sealed but the open door was the issue.
I did some research and I found that some plant oils are annoying to, or downright deadly to, invertebrates. I started experimenting with various oils. Not long after, I found a product at Home Depot that was already mixed and in a spray bottle.
The spray is called “ EcoSmart Organic Insecticide . “ I have used this product for nearly three years and I am completely satisfied with it. It even has a sort of “potpourri” smell to it. I did a video evaluation of the product in video # 4, ' Easy Inexpensive Passive Wick Hydroponics Hydrosock Video 4 ' on my YouTube channel at Plain 2 Grow Jim (or plain2growjim).
Here are five very good reasons to use an organic plant-oil based insecticide: 1. It WILL NOT harm your children. 2. It WILL NOT harm your pets. 3. It WILL NOT harm the environment. 4. It WILL NOT harm the plants. 5. It WILL kill most adult insect pests and it WILL disrupt their growth stages.
Here is their claim on the front of the spray bottle: “ Kills and repels garden insects and mites. Kills exposed eggs, larvae, and adult stages. Spray and harvest on the same day. Environmentally safe. Works fast. Kills by contact. Safe around children and pets. Non-toxic.”
I don't believe anything can be completely safe and non-toxic, but I believe that this product, if used as directed, is a safe and effective tool for controlling pests. I can tell you from personal experience that it will burn your throat and eyes for a short time if you inhale it or get it in your eyes!
On the back, there is more information, including what types of insects it will kill, and what ingredients are used. It states that it will kill “many garden pests, including aphids, mites, thrips, whiteflies, beetles, and caterpillars.”
The ingredients are: “ Rosemary oil, peppermint oil, thyme oil, and clove oil.” The other ingredients listed are: “Water, white mineral oil, potassium oleate, and lecithins.”
Will it kill mosquitos? I never saw any adult mosquitos fall, but they certainly weren't interested in me when I sprayed it as a mist in the air, and some EcoSmart settled on me. I believe that the current offering of non-toxic organic mosquito repellents from various manufacturers are basically the same thing; they smell the same to me.
I had an attached tick on my arm a year ago, and I used some of this spray with a cotton swab. I held the swab to the tick for a few minutes. It fell off my arm.
I'm not sure if this a Home Depot product. I haven't seen this particular item in other stores but I have seen other manufacterers' similar products in other stores. A Boy Scout leader I work with uses a mix from a small home-based company. He tells me that he loves it. He said that it was pricey from that source but you could mix up in large batches from the concentrate.
Cinnamon, cayenne powder, and aspirin are also possible insecticides and repellents.
The company contact information is: EcoSmart Technologies Inc., 20 Mansell Court, Suite 375, Roswell, Georgia 30078 . It is made in the USA.
I have no personal or monetary interest in EcoSmart Technologies Inc. I bought the product that I use and I am giving my personal opinion on the product. I am responsible for my own opinion.
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