If you have a garden, you’re going to have to take steps to keep it free of the different types of pests that may find your garden as appealing as you do. To keep your garden healthy and pest –free, you’ll need to choose the pesticide that’s right for you.
A pesticide is any product that controls plant pests. Pesticides can be chemical or organic and serve to block weeds (unwanted plants), insects or stop fungi from growing on your plants. Let’s take a closer look at some common pesticides.
There are three main types of chemical pesticides available to purchase on the market – organophosphates, carbamates and pyrethroids. Organophosphate pesticides are insecticides that attack insects’ nervous systems. They’re highly toxic, but break down in the environment more quickly than many other pesticides.
Carbamate pesticides are made with carbamic acid, and also attack insects’ nervous systems. In addition to being insecticides, they’re also used as herbicides (weed repellants) and fungicides (fungi fighters).
Pyrethroid pesticides are a synthetic version of a naturally occurring chemical called pyrethin which is found in chrysanthemums. These pesticides work similarly to the other chemicals by attacking the nervous systems of insects. Pyrethroid pesticides don’t break down quickly in sunlight.
Organic pesticides can be purchased or some can be made at home. Insecticidal soap is a combination of sodium or potassium salts and fatty acids. The soap must come in direct contact with the insects before it dries. The fatty acids in the soap seep into the insects’ outer body and collapse the cells. It’s non-toxic for humans and animals, and can be used on vegetables up to harvesting time.
Neem is an organic pesticide that gets sprayed directly onto plant leaves, and upsets the hormonal system of insects and stops their development. It’s non-toxic for humans, but animals should be kept away until the plants dry. Neem washes away in rain, and breaks down easily in sunlight. It’s acceptable any insect.
Horticultural Oil is highly refined petroleum oil. It gets mixed with water and sprayed onto foliage. It coats and suffocates insects making them unable to eat. Horticultural oil has low toxicity to humans, animals or birds, and leaves no toxic residue. A con with its use, though, is that it can burn plan leaves. Also, there are several grades, and you have to be sure to choose the right grade for the season in which you’re spraying.
Thank You to all of our gardener friends and we really appreciate your support. Please contact us anytime with any questions,
The Watch Us Grow Team
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About Stephen Follett Company… Our company has its roots on a farm outside the Village of Egg Harbor, Wisconsin, where in 1952 our founder, botanist and horticulturist Stephen Follett, began production of his newly developed liquid plant food concentrate Follett’s Watch Us Grow®.
He spent the previous decade experimenting with various compounds of fertilizers, trace elements and other organic and inorganic materials to find a formula that would foster healthier and better plant growth. He based his studies on the ancient idea of foliar feeding; the theory that plants can absorb nutrients through leaves, branches, stems, buds, fruits and even flowers as well as its root system. After years of trial and error, Mr. Follett perfected his gentle 8-8-8 liquid formula . . . a 256 to 1 concentrate of three major elements (nitrogen, phosphorus and potash) and five micronutrients (boron, copper, iron, manganese and zinc) plus his proprietary compound Fol-Ade® which contains eight ingredients that react on the elemental plant foods in the formula.
Since his death in 1992 at the age of 81, Mr. Follett’s grandson Phil Faustini has run the 50 year old family business. Few things have changed over the years. We’re still located on a farm a few miles from where the company started and the Watch Us Grow formula remains the same. We just don’t see any reason to tamper with something that works so darn well on everything — flowers, shrubs, trees, grasses, vegetables, fruits and house plants. Mr. Follett, known for his sense of humor, jokingly said in his later years, “why it works so well is my little secret, but I think plants grow up to get away from the stuff.” He did share his secret but only with his family. We’re glad he did. You will be, too.
Check out our FAQ or contact us with any questions you may have about our products.
Email: sales@watchusgrow.com
Phone: (920) 746-9062
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