Why Diatomaceous Earth Might Be Useless (Unless You Do This)

Comments · 110

• GA

  @GardeningInCanada · 1 year ago · pinned

  👉 GIC Crew have you used DE in your garden? Share your experience in the comments!<br>📌 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and turn on notifications for more science-based garden myth busting.

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• LO

  @lordbaddkitty · 1 year ago (edited)

  Kills nymphs and larvae in the soil if you mix it into the top inch, and bottom water. And it also breaks down to silica, which strengthens cell walls ;)

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• AR

  @ArtFlowersBeeze8815 · 1 year ago

  I use a fine sieve to apply on my potatoes for flea beetles. &nbsp;A few days of dry windless weather knocks them back enough to slow down their life cycle. I try to apply it directly where I see them. &nbsp;(little jumpy black specks!). &nbsp;Having said that, I watched a vet apply it to a dog to get rid of ticks. Who knew? Ticks!

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• JE

  @JennJenn9 · 1 year ago

  I used to use DE in my veggie beds to combat ants farming aphids… but I now interplant with Allysum…brings in tons of cute hover flies and now no aphids… plus the Allysum shades the veggie roots and just looks soo pretty 😊

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• AS

  @Asti.sayAhstee · 1 year ago

  A couple of yrs ago my 16 ft row of 5 ft high green beans were attacked by an infestation of Japanese beetles. &nbsp;I DE’d the leaves in only a few random spots. &nbsp;The beetles moved to a stand o thick growing flowering vines I had trellised. &nbsp;Since they were leaving my garden vegetables alone, I sacrificed the vines. &nbsp;When they were done there was nothing left but the skeletons of the leaves. &nbsp;They never returned to the green beans even though I treated them just once.<br><br>BTW, DE is useful beyond the garden. &nbsp;I treat my pets topically for fleas &amp; ticks &amp; the chickens to prevent lice. &nbsp;I sprinkle it on the dog’s &amp; cat’s food for deworming. &nbsp;That’s definitely a wet environment yet it’s very effective.

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• PI

  @PineLakePermaculture · 1 year ago (edited)

  I&apos;ve used Diatomaceous Earth vs potato bug larvae and similar for spot treatment for decades. It works very well for my circumstances.<br><br>I buy 100% pure DE marketed for cattle (Star Lake Diatomaceous Earth) from a local Co-op feed store and use a flour sieve to apply it. It&apos;s around $50 for a 50lb bag. It also works very well when storing grains, absorbing spills, livestock parasite control, etc<br><br>Wear appropriate protection/adequate ventilation when handling, as it should not be inhaled.

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• JU

  @julielepretre2383 · 1 year ago (edited)

  My garden is right beside a creek. Thus, we get large grubs in the garden that eat bits off all my potatoes. So we till Food Grade DE(buy at an animal feed lot by the 20Kg bag) in the soil just prior to planting. &nbsp;It has helped tremendously.

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• AL

  @alannagroen-brunsting · 1 year ago

  I co-own the largest you pick flower farm in the Ottawa area. We use DE on our farm, mostly on the zinnias and rudbeckia because they get eaten alive by flea beetles. It is incredibly effective when used properly like you said, in dry conditions. We apply it with a flour sifter! <br><br>Since we buy it in bulk, we buy it from an animal feed store because it can be used for parasite control in animals.

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• DO

  @DongusKong · 1 year ago

  I use DE in my hoop houses. I wait a couple days after I&apos;ve watered, and use a leaf blower (and respirator! PPE is important!) to blow it throughout my greenhouse coating the underside of the magnets

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• TH

  @thenagain-KB · 1 month ago

  My four raised vegetable beds were looking fantastic in June, then I came out one morning and the leaves on everything were full of holes. It was like a plague of locusts had descended overnight. I couldn&apos;t find the culprit, but I dusted with DE and the problem immediately resolved. Next summer I&apos;m applying it BEFORE the bugs arrive.

• BE

  @BenSketchingVideos · 1 year ago

  As pest control I mostly use it on my succulents when I have them indoors for the winter, also around the foundation in my basement and behind furniture that never/almost never moves. In the garden it really only seems useful for getting rid of ants when conditions are dry. So I will spray it on my succulents if ants are hanging around them(which usually means they are farming mealybugs.), or I will drop a handful on an ant nest if I know it will be dry for a few days.

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• RE

  @redstone1999 · 1 year ago

  For ants I mix 50/50 DE and icing sugar and sprinkle on and around hill. It never fails when dusting with DE. Weather station says no rain for next 3 days. I dust for squash bugs and cucumber beetles, then overnight we get a surprise downpour.

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