Organic gardening is about working with nature to grow your plants, harvest the fruits of your labors, and share the planet with the plants and animals around you. Sometimes, though, the animals, specifically the insects, get greedy and you need something to make sure you get your share. Spinosad is an organic pesticide that can help with that.
Spinosad
Spinosad is the fermented juices of a soil bacterium called Saccharopolyspora spinosa. It is approved for use in organic production, so you will not lose your certification if you use it. Even better, spinosad is very selective about what it kills.
Caterpillars and thrips
Caterpillars and thrips are the main targets of this insecticide. Beetles die, too. Adult butterflies and many insect predators and parasites are safe, though. People and animals are safe, too.
Great residual
The other great thing about spinosad is that it has a residual effectiveness of up to four weeks. This contrasts with Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt, which has a residual of only one or two days. A longer residual means less spraying and less expense.
Using Spinosad
To use spinosad, you will have to find a commercial product containing it. Although spinosad is not new, having been certified as organic by the USDA in 2003, it is not as well known by home gardeners. You will have to ask your nurseryman what products contain it or search the shelves. Products focused on caterpillars and thrips are more likely to contain it than more broad-spectrum products. Always read and follow the label. The label is the law.
Want to learn to garden? My first attempt at gardening ended up in failure. The weeds took over and squeezed the vegetables out. I was very frustrated by this waste of good seed, time, and money. So I became a master gardener and spent a lot of time helping other people avoid or overcome problems in their garden.
In order to help others garden successfully, I have written a book, Vegetable Gardening from the Ground Up, available in an ebook or a paperback from Amazon. It is also in Kindle Unlimited.
Hi Stephanie,
Was just reading your post in Hesham’s contest ( congratulations!) and was very interested to read what you had to say about the importance of building a community of bloggers – especially because of your own niche … organic “vegetable gardening”. You are obviously concerned about healthy living and will hopefully be interested in the invitation to join the new Noaspa community below . It aims to spread the word about the health issues surrounding the use of aspartame and sodium fluoride in our daily lives.
Best wishes from Hamburg
Will