Safer 3 in 1

[wisewiz]

I'm having some white flies show up on my outdoor crop,I've seen these before.Ialso have some purple/blue flies that I have never seen.This has been a very dry summer so far.there have been some light brown spots on the leaves,then they appear to be getting chewed,it's not killing them,but it can't be good.So I purchased a product called Safer 3 in 1.It's a fungicide,kills flies and mites.Has anyone ever used this product? Is it safe for my plants? Is it safe for me when I consume these plants?

They are just starting to flower now.

 

[-~Wind Walker~-]

Wisewiz,

Welcome to ICmag.

I did a quick search with google and found this description of the Safer 3 in 1.

http://www.groworganic.com/item_PBT..._Spray_32_oz_co.html?welcome=T&theses=5286676

"It can be applied directly to fruits and vegetables up to day before harvest."

I would not spray the 3 in 1 the day before harvesting buds and would even be concerned spraying this a few weeks before harvest. However you have much time between now and harvest.

If you have to use this spray during the later stages of budding, I would spray the buds heavily with water several times before chop time to clean off any excess 3 in 1. Most fruits and vegitables are easier to wash / spray clean compared to bud so I would use a modest amount of Safer 3 in 1 if you need to use this spray during later stages of flowering.

Many people here use Neem oil as a natural or organic insecticide. If you still have concerns consider this as an alternative.

My last resort would be to smush several white flies and leave their dead corpses as examples to rest of those naughty nibblers...maybe then they would get the message!

 

[wisewiz]

Thanks for the input Wind Walker, I sprayed the 5 worst last evening. Then it rained 1/4 inch this A.M.So I'm not sure if it had time to do anything.Will the Neem oil do the same things the Safer product claims?i'm going to check on some others tonight and see if things have changed with them. So far these bugs have not bothered all my Girls. Thanks Again!

 

[-~Wind Walker~-]

Wise,

If you sprayed your plant and it rained right afterwards. I suggest a light follow up spray, and then monitoring the results

I am unsure if the neem will do the same things the safer product claims. Neem will not have an effect on fungus however. Neem covers a broad range of pests, where it seems safer 3 in 1 does not.
_________________________________________
From Wikipedia:

Formulations made of Neem oil also find wide usage as a bio-pesticide for organic farming, as it repels a wide variety of pests including the mealy bug, beet armyworm, aphids, the cabbage worm, thrips, whiteflies, mites, fungus gnats, beetles, moth larvae, mushroom flies, leafminers, caterpillers, locust, nematodes and the Japanese beetle. Neem Oil is not known to be harmful to mammals, birds or some beneficial insects such as earthworms, butterflies, honeybees and ladybugs. It can be used as a household pesticide for ant, bedbug, cockroach, housefly, sand fly, snail, termite and mosquitoes both as repellent and larvicide (Puri 1999). Neem oil also controls black spot, powdery mildew, anthracnose and rust (fungus).

For use as a bio-pesticide, pure Neem oil should be diluted at the rate of 1 teaspoon per quart, or 4 teaspoons per gallon of water (metric: 5.2 millilitres per litre) and used as a foliar spray or used as a soil drench at the rate of 1 liter per square meter of soil (3 ounces per square foot). Adding a surfactant greatly enhances its effectiveness. Ordinary liquid dishwashing soap may be used as a surfactant, added at the rate of 1 tablespoon per gallon.
________________________________________

Continue to search this site for useful information. I would use the ICmag search engine with different words relative to your specific issue.

Likewise, plants will use Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K) to repair themselves and protect themselves from disease and pests.

Since your plants are starting to bud I would think you are going to use fertilizer that are high in these nutrients, no?

I am glad to hear your plants are doing better.

GOOD LUCK

-~WW~-

 

[sixheads]

I use it for bugs and mold works fine. I spray it on right up to harvest for mold issues and its ok. I would not wash down the buds with water before harvest as it might start mold.

 

[wisewiz]

Thanks again for your input WindWalker,yes I'm using a flowering fert. now.Finally we're getting some rain every few days for the last 2wks. or so.Just over 2'' in that time.Before this I was carrying about 90 gal.a week.Anyway the plants look much better than when I first came here looking for help.I don't think it is the spray as much the plants fighting through it.I think the rain helps also,there seems to be less sign of them on the other patches as well. sixheads are you talking about Neem oil or safer 3in1?
Good Luck to you folks also!!