Surround Crop Protectant

[Tomatovator]

Has anyone tried using Surround all season long instead of insecticides and fungicides? How effective was it? I bought some of it last season. I had removed a lot of leaves that were sick looking and as a result was getting sun scald on the exposed tomatoes. It seemed to work pretty good protecting the tomatoes from sun scald but now I have almost a full bag left. I probably have enough left to last 2 or 3 seasons as I only put in a dozen or so plants.

[feldon30]

I didn't know Surround was a fungicide or fungus preventative (ala Daconil). I know it's a clay-like substance you spray on which makes the plant inhospitable to bugs. Of course I have bigger problems now. The mockingbirds have found my tomato patch. I've lost 2 SFTs to them.

[Tomatovator]

Feldon
I'm not sure either. In its description is says:
"Surround At Home Crop Protectant forms a Barrier Film, which acts as a Broad Spectrum Crop Protectant for Home, Landscape, and Garden Use for controlling damage from various Insect, Mite, and Disease Pests, Growth Enhancer, and Protectant against Sunburn and Heat Stress"
I don't know if you would or could use it along with Daconil or not.

[creister]

feldon,
get a cat that likes to be outside. Mocking birds won't be so quick to come into a mater patch when there is a cat lurking.

[tjg911]

Tomatovator,

surround is as feldon described it a clay based substance that deters insect damage as they do not like the feel of it on their feet or in their mouthes. it also is supposed to protect against sun damage, i remember reading that at either the website of the company or in a description of the product on a farming site. i have read at gw and posted in a discussion about it. it is quite effective based upon comments from those who used it. the only problem i see with surround is that it is washed off after a heavy or prolonged rain and you have to be really careful to clean your sprayer nozzle per folks that use it. for protection from insects you have to coat both sides of leaves a pain to do. i think it is an excellent product for cukes to stop bacterial wilt spread by cuke beetles.

tom

[Tomatovator]

I may just use it "as needed" on the tomatoes to protect them from the sun like I did last year. I was also thinking about "dunking" the seedlings in a bucket of it when I plant them out to protect the under sides of the leaves from insects. Early last season I did have a lot of aphids on the plants when they were small. They were on the under side of the leaves and hard to spray. I can tell you that I think Surround holds up pretty well even in the rain. Parts of the plant do have to be re-sprayed after a heavy rain but even then some of it still remains on much of the plant.