General information and discussion about cultivating melons, cucumbers, squash, pumpkins and gourds.
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#1 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Augusta area, Georgia, 8a/7b
Posts: 1,685
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I've read posts about using kaolin-based Surround to help keep insects away from plants. It's given me an idea for next spring. I'm right in the heart of white kaolin country. Maybe I could make a thick kaolin slurry and paint it on the main squash stems next spring and see if it confuses the SVBs. Maybe the squash borers wouldn't recognize the stems and leave them alone.
Two days ago while at the feed & seed, I was telling the young lady who always helps me about this and she said that her dad is the boss at one of the nearby mines and she could get me some of that beautiful white kaolin to play with. She called the next day and said that she had some for me. Good grief, I just needed a cup or two and got a couple pounds in a brown paper bag! It's been processed into a fine white powder so I'm ready to play with it come spring. |
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#2 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Brownville, Ne
Posts: 3,291
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Thanks for the post. This is the information that is the new thing I learned today. I had never heard of Kaolin or all the uses it has. Interesting.
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there's two things money can't buy; true love and home grown tomatoes. |
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#3 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: washington
Posts: 498
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We spray it on our bing cherry trees and it works great! It takes a few applications with an organic spreader/sticker to get a good enough coverage to keep the birds away. It also keeps the worms out of the cherries!
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#4 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Augusta area, Georgia, 8a/7b
Posts: 1,685
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The mines around here dig it, process it into a fine powder and then make a slurry which is shipped out in tank cars by rail or road. |
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#5 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 97
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Best of luck with your experiment.
SVB's have been awful in my garden for the last few years. I would gladly welcome a solution that doesn't include strong pesticides. |
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