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What do you do when your favorite houseplant is attacked by aphids or spider mites? You have three options: a) frantically try everything home treatment you’ve found online to solve the problem; b) shrug your shoulders and accept life with insects; or c) throw the plant out the window and go buy a new one. It’s A, B, and C for me, in that sequence. At least, it was until I learned about diatomaceous earth, an all-natural remedy that effectively gets rid of insects indoors. Additionally, it benefits more than only plants…
For those who are unfamiliar, diatomaceous earth is a fine “dirt composed of diatoms, which are fossilized algal plants from long ago. It is very common to mine diatomaceous earth from sediment deposits in streams, rivers, lakes, and seas. It also kills nuisance insects inside the home quite effectively.
Although diatomaceous earth feels like baby powder in human hands, insects find the small grains’ jagged edges to be razor sharp. Insects are killed by dehydration as a result of the abrasive particles nicking their bodies and the absorbent dust soaking up the oils from their exoskeletons.
This material is a fantastic solution to solve your plant’s pest problem, as was previously discussed. Just sprinkling the powder over the dirt in your planter will do. Do this before your plant is in severe need of watering since soaking up water would render it ineffective. This will yield the best results.
Even better news: By spreading diatomaceous earth around baseboards or other problem areas, you may also use it to get rid of other home insect pests including silverfish, ants, roaches, bed bugs, and earwigs. Make sure to place it in all crevices and tiny places where they like to hide.
Diatomaceous earth is safe to use on houseplants.
It’s simple to use diatomaceous earth on your potted plants. When utilizing it, it would be great if you kept a few things in mind.
What Is Diatomaceous Earth?
Unique, soft sedimentary rock known as diatomaceous earth is made up of tiny, fossilized aquatic diatoms. It is broken down into a white powder that is sufficiently absorbent to aid in preserving the ideal moisture content of the plant soil. Additionally, it safely eliminates insects that are attempting to infiltrate your indoor plants without using dangerous pesticides.
Read the package carefully before purchasing any diatomaceous earth. It is available in various grades.
For instance, diatomaceous earth that is suitable for food can be consumed in moderation. Toxic diatomaceous earth is sold for use in swimming pools.
You don’t have to fear (as much) that your pets and young children will consume poisonous compounds from your plants if you have little children and animals who love to get into everything.
Why You Would Use Diatomaceous Earth in Your Potted Plants
Potted plants can draw bug pests, just like an outdoor garden does. Desiccant diatomaceous earth has sharp particles, despite being a powder.
Without using toxic pesticides, diatomaceous earth destroys soft-bodied insects like fungus gnats (black flies), mealybugs, spider mites, and aphids.
Insect exoskeletons are pierced by the powder grains’ pointed edges, which also absorb lipids from their waxy surfaces. By doing this, the insects are killed by being dried out.
It is a great amendment for indoor plants because of its absorbency. It holds onto moisture, keeping potting soils moist while assisting with water drainage. It also aids in aerating the roots of your plants.
How frequently should I sprinkle my plants with diatomaceous earth?
The most frequent form of diatomaceous earth is “dust,” although it is not poisonous. In actuality, it is non-toxic. In houses, gardens, and even on pests, it has long been employed as a pesticide. Insects having exoskeletons are known to be killed by diatomaceous earth. Their bodies get drier when exposed to DE because the DE takes the oils and lipids from the exoskeleton of the insect. DE is a material that is safe to use around your animals as well as in your house, garden, and farm.
Cautions
There are several warnings even though DE is fairly safe. When applying DE, avoid getting it in your eyes or the eyes of your animals because it will irritate them. One should avoid breathing in (or allowing your animals to breathe in) DE that is in the form of crystalline dust since the edges of DE particles are fairly sharp (often used in pesticide products). Breathing in crystalline DE can result in breathlessness and can build up in lymph nodes or lung tissue.
The National Pesticide Information Center notes that DE also appears in another form called amorphous, which is quickly excreted from lung tissue. Nevertheless, it is advisable to avoid situations where anyone—human or animal—could breathe it in because some crystalline DE can be detected even among amorphous DE.
Finding the Right DE to Use
You can use a few different forms of DE in your garden. The most common form is the white, additive-free DE of food grade. This kind is pricey, but it’s worthwhile because it won’t hurt you if you eat it on your vegetables. Additionally, if your children or dogs accidentally come into contact with it while in the garden, it won’t damage them. In reality, a lot of people concur that giving it to our pets and ourselves has advantages!
We can also buy a sizable bag of clay-mixed DE at our neighborhood feed store, which is far less expensive than the pure variety (see image below). When there is no risk that anyone will consume it, like as in the vegetable garden or around animals, I use this sort of DE.
Pros and Cons
There are some considerations to make before using any pesticide in the vegetable garden, including the following:
- What effects will utilizing this product on my garden have?
- Will eating fruit from plants that have been treated with this material have any negative effects on my body?
- If I use it, would it affect my animals?
- Is it corrosive?
- How should I remove it?
- What happens finally if it enters the water table? Does it threaten the good guys in my garden?
These questions are addressed in this section, along with the benefits and drawbacks of utilizing DE in vegetable gardens.
Pros
The fact that it is non-toxic to both humans and animals is arguably the largest advantage of utilizing it in the garden. If you accidentally get food-grade diatomaceous earth on your garden vegetables, it won’t harm you because it can be consumed (though you may want to rinse before eating).
DE can be used to prevent pests like roaches and other unpleasant insects away from your plants. If you have a lot of beneficials with exoskeletons, like ladybugs, you should try to apply it sparingly or locate an other chemical-free treatment that won’t harm them.
Cons
It’s not the kind of pest control method where you just set it and forget it. If you’re trying to manage a colony of undesirable bugs, it’s crucial that you do this since once it becomes wet, it must be reapply. It normally takes me a focused daily effort for about two weeks to get things under control when I treat my garden for pests with any natural kind of pest management. In a more urgent case, you might want to try something stronger or quicker if you are taking longer than that.
Another drawback is that while applying diatomaceous earth, you have to be careful not to let it kick up into the air. The crystalline forms of it, which are present in DE products intended to be used as pesticides, are dangerous for you to breathe in. Avoid making dust with it for your own safety as well as the safety of any pets or livestock that may be present while you are using it. Dust can irritate the eyes and cause respiratory problems for both you and your animals. Applying to your garden can be done while wearing a mask.
Some people have questioned if DE is damaging to our already declining bee population. Diatomaceous earth should not be applied to plant flowers, according to this article on the website of the Planet Natural Research Center. Additionally, as was already said, while deciding whether to apply DE in your garden, you should take into account the presence of helpful insects.
How to Use DE in the Garden
Sprinkle powder on leaves of plants that are being attacked or around the bases of plants that are vulnerable to attack. Be careful not to inhale any of it. When it rains, reapply.
Want to know more about organic and natural pest control techniques you can employ this year? Check out this video that I made with a few of my gardening pals to show you how to keep pests out of your garden this year!
Can diatomaceous earth be used to potted plants?
When you discover that your plants are pest-infested, you might put diatomaceous earth in the potting soil. The diatomaceous earth works best against insects with soft bodies.
The morning after the dew has dried is the ideal time to spread diatomaceous earth. also immediately following a small rain.
You will need to reapply diatomaceous earth if you sprinkle it over potting soil and it rains since it will wash away.
Since diatomaceous earth is a dry powder, you should wear respiratory protection. For your safety, you must put on a mask and safety eyewear.
As soon as you’ve sprayed the diatomaceous earth on your plants and the dust has settled, keep your kids and dogs away from the area.
Make sure you only spread the powder in non-windy conditions. This will enable you to spray the powder directly onto the plants as opposed to the entire garden.
To apply the diatomaceous earth to your potting soil, use any dust spreader. To get rid of the insects, I’d advise you to also spray the powder over the leaves. Spray the dust onto the leaves’ inner and exterior surfaces.
Make sure the dust has coated all of the vegetation and the ground. If not, the insects will steer clear of the substance and look for another route to your plants.
After combining the diatomaceous earth and water, you can also apply it. This will lessen the likelihood of the dust covering your entire garden.
Diatomaceous earth and water can be combined to make a spray that can be used on potting soil and plants. When the substance dries down, the dust will adhere to the plants and become effective.
To how much potting soil should I add diatomaceous earth?
Diatoms’ fossilized remains are used to create diatomaceous earth. Diatoms are tiny, ancient aquatic animals whose skeletons are composed of the mineral silica. In some places of the planet, diatoms have accumulated and left behind enormous stores. Diatomaceous earth is composed of these reserves once they are mined and processed into powder.
There are various uses for the same product, depending on what you wish to utilize D.E. for. Diatomaceous earth can be added to animal feed, utilized as a pest-prevention method, and ingested by people as a health supplement.
(Diatomaceous earth is frequently used as an insecticide for mites, aphids, and other pests, among others.)
Versions of diatomaceous earth that have received EPA registration and are marketed as pesticides are available. Some of these are OMRI classified, and they can be either food grade or feed grade D.E. Diatomaceous earth that has been approved for use as a pesticide is applied mechanically to kill insects. The diatoms used to make d.e. behave as minuscule razor blades to sever insects’ exoskeletons. The waxy coating on the outside of the insect is removed by these minute scratches and abrasions. As a result, the insect is unable to retain moisture and eventually perishes from dehydration.
Employ a light dusting of diatomaceous earth to effectively use it as an insecticide. Giant d.e. mounds in your garden won’t work because bugs will just avoid them. Wherever the problems are, you should scatter a very thin coating of dust over the area to block the insects’ access points. Eventually, you ought to see a decline in the population of nuisance insects. If it gets wet from rain or watering your garden, you must reapply the d.e.
Only soft-bodied insects will respond to this, and I have personally found that it has only moderate success. You might notice a change for things like fungus gnats, but I think this is mainly because the diatomaceous earth dries out the soil and eliminates the gnats’ food source. I personally haven’t had any luck using d.e. for things like aphids and mites, and I wouldn’t suggest it for that usage. It won’t harm to give it a shot, but you shouldn’t count on it to solve all of your pest problems; if you do, you’ll be sorely disappointed.
Using DE as a soil amendment is one of my favorite uses for it. It is a fantastic source of silica for your plants when added to potting soil or your yard. Your plants’ cell walls will be strengthened by silica, which also increases their resistance to heat and drought. It also aids in boosting the soil’s ability to store more water, which is an excellent quality to add to virtually any potting soil.
Outdoor Planters & Flower Beds: 2 to 5 pounds per 100 square feet (Applied Once Per Season) 1 to 3 tablespoons per gallon of soil for potted plants (Applied Once Per year) Cannabis Plants Grown Outside: 1/8 to 1/4 Cup Per Cubic Foot Of Soil (May Be Applied Twice Per Season) For indoor cannabis plants, use 1/8 to 1/4 cup of soil per cubic foot (Applied Once Per Cycle)
Many farmers are aware of the advantages of adding various feed additives to the diets of their livestock. For many years, D.E. has been utilized as one of these feed additives to enhance the health of agricultural animals. When D.E. is added to animal feed, animals may have better digestion, a better glossy coat, and as an added bonus because D.E. is so dry, it may help absorb moisture from the feed, extending its shelf life.
You should adhere to a simple rule if you use diatomaceous earth in your cattle or horse feed. Utilize diatomaceous earth that is food-grade first. Feed for cattle or horses should contain 2% by weight of food-grade d.e. Therefore, 3 to 4 ounces of feed can be used for every 10 pounds of food. Feed your cattle or horses as usual, and make sure they have easy access to plenty of water.
It is now more typical to utilize d.e. as a health supplement. It is hailed as having beneficial effects on the body, including enhancing digestion, promoting the growth of your hair and nails, lowering cholesterol, supplementing your diet with trace minerals, and possibly enhancing bone health.
On the other hand, research have shown that those who take supplements containing diatomaceous earth do not have higher levels of silica in their urine. According to the results of those research, d.e. is primarily eliminated when taken as a supplement, and there is little benefit to the user. According to some studies, using diatomaceous earth as a supplement may be harmful to your health.
We are unable to advise anyone to utilize anything we sell for personal health reasons because it is solely intended for use in gardening. Before starting to take anything, make sure you research it thoroughly and always talk to your doctor.
Large home improvement retailers like Home Depot and Lowes sell diatomaceous earth. Typically, during the growing season, even smaller hardware stores like Ace Hardware will stock smaller sacks. Of course, you could always order some diatomaceous earth from Amazon, but depending on how much you need, you might end up paying too much.
Diatomaceous earth from Redbud Soil Company is typically one of the more affordable options. We repackage and buy in quantity, allowing us to pass on the savings to you, the customer. Online shopping for diatomaceous earth is typically more affordable and practical. It is literally something you can order while working in your garden, and it will arrive in a few days.
The garden appears to be just one of the many applications for diatomaceous earth. Having safer, natural substitutes is always a good idea because so many of the things we use for the garden, ourselves, and our animals include chemicals.