Fish4Fun420
New Member
I did a little bit of searching and saw some vague posts that mentioned it but after last nights discussion about mite problems and creepy crawly creatures I decided that I should find out the name I couldn't recall at the time when I mentioned "powdered glass" on BAR's Reps Game (which was awesome btw!). I have used DE myself but I knew very little about it, as I am not an expert I decided to use a few .gov and .edu sites, I referenced off each other and the facts seem to be solid. I should also add that these facts are based off of pure DE studies if you were to get it in a bag mixed with other chemicals there may be other side effects. Like making your weed taste like a dryer sheet, no one likes dryer sheet weed so look at the labels people. I'll start this shebang and from there let's talk about it. I had to look it up how to pronounce: DIE-A-TOE-MAY-SHUS 
What is DE? Diatomaceous Earth or DE for short is a large deposit of the fossilized remains of plankton and other aquatic remains. Sometimes DE is found on the surface in deserts but for the most part the deposits have to be mined to be extracted.
What does DE do? DE causes insects to dry out and die by absorbing the oils and fats from the cuticle of the insect's exoskeleton. "But Mr Fun" you might ask "Do mites have exoskeletons they are tiny!", yes little Jimmy they do! "But Mr Fun how long does it take them to die?", well Jimmy the bigger the bug the longer it'll take to perish. Studies show:: Bedbugs and smaller start to die within 24hrs, Beetles 7-21 days. Black ants within 24 hours and Red ants in only 16 hours.
Is DE safe for me? DE is not poisonous. If you happen to get any in your system from applying it and possibly inhaling or getting some in your mouth it will dissolve into your system and you won't be harmed. In a study they had people eat DE and there were no noticeable differences, blood and urine studies did not show any changes.
Is DE safe for my pets? DE is not poisonous to the furry four leggeds. It's all natural and will dissolve into the body just like with humans. I could not find any long term studies but I personally would not want my dog eating it for my own peace of mind.
Different applications? DE can be spread around the grows where your plants are buried.
I have also seen people use double sided tape and place one side in DE and then wrap it around the base and or lip of the pots. On the same token I have also personally used those gooey bug strips you hang from the ceiling and have wrapped that around the base of the pot and it stops bugs dead in their tracks but also gets gunked up if anything touches it.
You can blow DE directly onto the plants which would be fine but if you are in the budding phase I would doubt that would be a course of action you or I would want to take. If the plants are in a pot or in the ground a trash bag and some lady bugs will do the trick. Wait till night time, bag the plant and add a few cups of lady bugs. Lady bugs are active around the clock so come morning you can take the bag off, they will fly about but are harmless and then the next night you can repeat the process. Also if you notice only the top of a plant has mites you can bag just that area so the Lady Bugs have an easier time in close quarters with those intruders. I have also used a vacuum in the past before I bag and after I take the bag off to get quicker results.
As I was reading up on DE it looks like it has a use as a medium in hydroponics grows as well! That is a bit outside my realm of knowledge but I would love to hear stories from you aqua-growers out there!
Don't be shy folks, step right up and tell us about your own experiences with DE or other methods you have to keep the bugs away!
Thank you for the read I hope everyone is having a great day!
What is DE? Diatomaceous Earth or DE for short is a large deposit of the fossilized remains of plankton and other aquatic remains. Sometimes DE is found on the surface in deserts but for the most part the deposits have to be mined to be extracted.
What does DE do? DE causes insects to dry out and die by absorbing the oils and fats from the cuticle of the insect's exoskeleton. "But Mr Fun" you might ask "Do mites have exoskeletons they are tiny!", yes little Jimmy they do! "But Mr Fun how long does it take them to die?", well Jimmy the bigger the bug the longer it'll take to perish. Studies show:: Bedbugs and smaller start to die within 24hrs, Beetles 7-21 days. Black ants within 24 hours and Red ants in only 16 hours.
Is DE safe for me? DE is not poisonous. If you happen to get any in your system from applying it and possibly inhaling or getting some in your mouth it will dissolve into your system and you won't be harmed. In a study they had people eat DE and there were no noticeable differences, blood and urine studies did not show any changes.
Is DE safe for my pets? DE is not poisonous to the furry four leggeds. It's all natural and will dissolve into the body just like with humans. I could not find any long term studies but I personally would not want my dog eating it for my own peace of mind.
Different applications? DE can be spread around the grows where your plants are buried.
I have also seen people use double sided tape and place one side in DE and then wrap it around the base and or lip of the pots. On the same token I have also personally used those gooey bug strips you hang from the ceiling and have wrapped that around the base of the pot and it stops bugs dead in their tracks but also gets gunked up if anything touches it.
You can blow DE directly onto the plants which would be fine but if you are in the budding phase I would doubt that would be a course of action you or I would want to take. If the plants are in a pot or in the ground a trash bag and some lady bugs will do the trick. Wait till night time, bag the plant and add a few cups of lady bugs. Lady bugs are active around the clock so come morning you can take the bag off, they will fly about but are harmless and then the next night you can repeat the process. Also if you notice only the top of a plant has mites you can bag just that area so the Lady Bugs have an easier time in close quarters with those intruders. I have also used a vacuum in the past before I bag and after I take the bag off to get quicker results.
As I was reading up on DE it looks like it has a use as a medium in hydroponics grows as well! That is a bit outside my realm of knowledge but I would love to hear stories from you aqua-growers out there!
Don't be shy folks, step right up and tell us about your own experiences with DE or other methods you have to keep the bugs away!
Thank you for the read I hope everyone is having a great day!
