Can I disburse milky spore with a leaf blower or hand duster?

[JerryHaskins]

I have been fighting moles in my lawn and garden for decades with basically no success. I have bought and tried EVERY trap and bait and spray sold. None of it has worked.

I am now going to try the milky spore treatment to eliminate grubs.

QUESTION: Is there any reason I cannot just blow the milky spore powder around my yard with a leaf blower or a hand duster?

All of the instructions say, "Apply one teaspoon of milky spore powder to turf every 4 feet in rows 4 feet apart. It should look like a grid pattern when finished. Areas between direct applications will be inoculated naturally."

That seems kind of laborious and tedious.

Is there some reason milky spore needs to be concentrated in spots?

[henry]

Originally Posted by JerryHaskins

I have been fighting moles in my lawn and garden for decades with basically no success. I have bought and tried EVERY trap and bait and spray sold. None of it has worked.

I am now going to try the milky spore treatment to eliminate grubs.

QUESTION: Is there any reason I cannot just blow the milky spore powder around my yard with a leaf blower or a hand duster?

All of the instructions say, "Apply one teaspoon of milky spore powder to turf every 4 feet in rows 4 feet apart. It should look like a grid pattern when finished. Areas between direct applications will be inoculated naturally."

That seems kind of laborious and tedious.

Is there some reason milky spore needs to be concentrated in spots?

Have you considered a granular product?
http://stgabrielorganics.com/product...granules-20-lb

[beasl004]

Originally Posted by henry

Have you considered a granular product?
http://stgabrielorganics.com/product...granules-20-lb

I used the granulated milky spore year before last and had a tremendous reduction in japanese beetles last year. Just be aware that milky spore will work, but it's not immediate. The good news is thats it's persistent and should last for 15-20 years.

[JerryHaskins]

I have not tried the granular milky spore but the powder I got came from the same source: St. Gabriel Organics.

Reading the label, I am now wondering if the powdery milky spore could grow in a person's lungs if he did an aerial application.

I bought an N-95 mask, but still not sure I want to risk it.

OK. It does not sound too bad. I found this:

Milky Spore Powder itself is not toxic. However, Milky Spore contains chalk and a powder carrier. Care should be taken not to get any dust in one's eyes as it is an irritant. You should wear protective clothing and a mask to prevent the powder from getting in your lungs.

And this SDS:

http://www.biconet.com/biocontrol/in...ySporeMSDS.pdf

[brownrexx]

A leaf blower is pretty powerful and with such a light powder, I think that you would probably blow away quite a bit of it.

[JerryHaskins]

Originally Posted by brownrexx

A leaf blower is pretty powerful and with such a light powder, I think that you would probably blow away quite a bit of it.

I can damp the air flow on the leaf blower to low flow, and I can aim it downward, but my yard and garden are pretty large. Wherever it settles will be OK with me.

Of course, I would wait on a non-windy day---assuming that we will ever get such a thing.