copiapoa
Succulents, in addition to being beautiful plants, being fleshy, are one of the most vulnerable to attack by a multitude of insects such as mealybugs, not to mention mollusks. Some in summer and others in autumn, our poor cacti, succulents and caudiciforms need us to protect them. But how?
If you are tired of using chemical products which are very toxic to the environment and humans, whose effectiveness sometimes leaves much to be desired, I'm going to recommend that you use diatomaceous earth, a natural insecticide that can even serve as a fertilizer.
What is diatomaceous earth?
It is a siliceous mineral formed by fossilized microscopic algae. When the algae die, their organic content is destroyed, leaving only their silica skeleton which is deposited at the bottom of the water. Over time, large deposits of fossilized algae known as diatomaceous earth form.
How does it act?
What every grain of diatomaceous earth does is penetrate the body of the parasite, insect, or small animal (like the snail) that is damaging the plants, thus causing them to die of dehydration. Thus, these enemies of succulents cannot develop any type of resistance to this insecticide.
What are the benefits of diatomaceous earth?
As we have commented, it is a very interesting insecticide, but what benefits does it have exactly? That is, why use diatomaceous earth and not another type of insecticide? For all this:
- Neutralizes acid soils.
- Prevents and fights fungal (fungal) diseases.
- Increases water retention.
- They protect against solar radiation.
- It is an effective insecticide. It can be used both as a preventive and to treat pests. It repels and eliminates a wide variety of insects: mealybugs, ants, bedbugs, mites, spider mites, mosquitoes, caterpillars, lice, lobsters, etc., without forgetting mollusks.
- It contains almost 40 minerals and trace elements, including calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, zinc, silver, silica, titanium, uranium and zinc, all of which are very important for the good growth of plants. succulents.
What is the dosage?
The recommended dose is 30 grams for every liter of water, which I recommend pouring into a shower. Being a powder type and very fine, if we put it in a sprayer it would immediately get clogged and it would be quite difficult to clean it. With the shower this also happens, but you just have to remove the »cap», put it in a bucket with water and that's it.
Where to buy diatomaceous earth?
You can get it in online stores. Also in agricultural warehouses and garden centers (Garden Center). Its price is about 5 euros for a 250 gram jar, and up to 44 euros for a 25kg bag. Also since here.
Image - Innatia.com
Have you heard of diatomaceous earth?