Plant Soap
Plant Soap is a high viscosity plant extract, which is colourless and odourless.
It is diluted in water and sprayed onto any plant leaves and stems, which are infested with crawling insects.
The Plant Soap uses a mechanical action to cover and smoother the insect pests.
The most likely affected plant pests would be those that breathe through their exoskeletons and are less mobile.
These include Scale, Mealy Bug, Whitefly (Egg Stage), Spider Mite Juveniles, Leafhopper, Thrips and Aphids.
Plant Soap offers virtually no residual effect on the plant and little if any effect on highly mobile pollinating insects. It is compatible with Integrated Pest Management programs and has no withholding period.
The cost of Plant Soap is modest and insects are unlikely to develop resistance because of its mechanical action.
Being a plant extract the likelihood of toxicity to either mammals or the environment is considered to be very low. Plant Soap acts as a surfactant and once applied reduces the surface tension of water droplets on foliage. This drier foliage surface is less hospitable to the establishment of fungal pathogens.
Pricing (Liquid Concentrate)
1kg NZ$45.00 + GST (makes up to 200 litres of ready to use product)
5kg NZ$125.50+ GST (makes up to 1000 litres of ready to use product)
20kg NZ$415.00 + GST (Makes up to 4000 litres of ready to use product)
Directions
- Apply as a high volume spray, to run-off @1-3ml per litre to both sides of the leaves.
- Do not spray under high light intensity or rapid drying conditions.
- Trial on each plant species on a modest scale to check for safety.
- Ensure that the longest interval possible between application and either rainfall or overhead irrigation can be achieved. Several hours and even several days would be expected to achieve the best results. Ideal for greenhouse hydroponic situations as the crop foliage is always dry.
- Check compatibility before tank mixing with fungicides first before large scale use.
- Repeat application will most certainly be better than isolated use infrequently.
- Use at 5-7 day intervals.
- Continue to monitor pest populations carefully and if you feel the infestation is out of control resort to considered chemical pesticide use.
Disclaimer
Plant Soap is NOT a registered pesticide.
It has not undergone independent or regulatory body efficacy or toxicity trials.
Use at this time is experimental and entirely at the users risk.