Winter is coming, and if you have an indoor garden, it’s time to prepare for the inevitable bug problems you might encounter.
There are a few Cultivate products that are great for preventing pest control. They can help you deal with problems before they occur, or dealing with them should you catch them too late. From organic ingredients to heavy duties and sulfurs, you should be able to pick one of these products to help with your preventative pest control.
While some of these products can be used up until harvest, it is up to you, the grower, to make that decision.
Green Cleaner
Green Cleaner kills spider mites and their eggs, predatory mites, aphids, white flies, broad mites and russet mites on contact. This safe & all-natural, 100% concentrate product can be used as a solution to dip tender new cuttings in, to prevent garden contamination when outsourcing plant starts, and can be used from start through harvest as a treatment.
The soybean oil in Green Cleaner acts to quickly suffocate pests, such as spider mites, broad mites, and russet mites, while the sodium lauryl sulfate coats bugs in slimy goodness to immobilize them. Green Cleaner is also very effective against the common fungus, powdery mildew.
Safer Brand Insect Killing Soap
The Safer Brand Insect Killing Soap utilizes the power of potassium salts of fatty acids (insecticidal soap) for pest control. The potassium salts weaken the insect’s waxy protective outer shell. Apply every 5-7 days when insects are present or as needed to prevent further damage. Safer Brand’s Insecticidal Soap is ideal for aphid control and mealybug control, as it will dehydrate the insect by breaking down its waxy membrane.
This OMRI-listed and compliant for use in organic gardening pest control formula kills a variety of insect pests but is gentle on plants. Since Safer Brand Insect Killing Soap is a contact killer, several applications may be needed for full control.
Mighty Wash
Mighty kills all accessible stages of spider mites including eggs! Mighty can be used Indoors, Outdoors or in Greenhouses. Mighty is fast acting and kills on contact. Simple to use with no mixing necessary, Mighty can be used straight out of the bottle to solve your bug problem fast, or prevent it all together.
BotaniGard ES
BotaniGard ES is registered for an extensive number of ornamentals and edible crops such as herbs, spices, vegetables, fruits and berries. There is no limit to the number of times that BotaniGard ES can be applied in a season. A weekly application program can prevent insect population explosions and provide a level of control equal to or better than conventional chemical programs.
Additionally, it has a 0-hour pre-harvest interval allowing it to be sprayed up until the day of harvest. BotaniGard ES uses Beauveria bassiana, a beneficial fungus, to target and control a wide variety of soft-bodied insects in greenhouse, field and nursery crops such as Whiteflies, Thrips, Aphids, Psyllids, Mealybugs, scarab beetles and Weevils.