DE for gardens?

[redgate]

We had a huge problem with squash bugs this year, and since we don't use chemicals, I'm trying to find the best option for dealing with them so I can increase my harvest before they decimate my plants. I have heard of the soapy water and picking my hand. Has anyone used diatomaceous earth? I have tried to encourage beneficials in the garden, and hate to kill them, but, they clearly aren't helping much with the squash bugs. Is there an effective way to use them in just the squash beds? Would I sprinkle the plant or soil beneath?

[Jhn56]

Check out Surround WP (OMRI Listed), it's powdered Kaolin Clay ground as fine as baby powder. I apply it to my pole beans, raspberries, and asparagus to keep the Japanese beetles away, it works! I apply it with a backpack sprayer that has a built in diaphram agitator, once the plants are painted, nothing touches them.

It's generally good thru a few light rains before its washed off.

http://www.cdms.net/ldat/ld7JJ007.pdf

I used DE for everything from yard fleas to bed bugs in rental houses to roaches in said rental... I dusted my little garden with it, and didn't see hardly ANY bugs, but also don't have anything to compare it to since I don't use chemicals...

I swear by DE for the majority of my bug removal. It works best on crunchy bugs, as it slices their coating and they dehydrate... Not sure how effective it would be on worms and caterpillars, from personal experience.

[geo in mi]

Since it is the end of the growing season, the best thing you can do now is clean up and burn or bury curcubit residue and don't allow the adult squash bugs to overwinter(freeze 'em out). Next year your first line of defense is row covers, bug resistant varieties, kaolion clay and last resort naturals such as sabdilla and rotenone. DE may possibly get a few nymphs as they crawl.....Post #26 in the "fireside" sticky above.

http://www.michiganorganic.msu.edu/u...%20Control.pdf

geo

[JoePa]

DE will kill garden worms - that is not good - there is a place called Gardens Alive that sells organic sprays that will kill squash bugs and other bugs - the sprays are such that you can eat the vegetables the same day that you spray -

[AdkRBTIgardener]

Your garden soil is lacking some element. get a soil test and read The Ideal Soil from
www.soilminerals.com. buy a refractometer from ebay. that will help.

I have had squash bugs bad the last two years also. but they were grown on land
not amended. We grow Uncle Dave (Podoll) Dakota Dessert Squash that we get from
Fedco Seeds. When they are good, syrup boils out of them when baked. When
they are well grown, they should keep until March. I'm still trying to achieve that.

Dave Rogers