I have little green worms devouring my hardy hibiscus every summer. I have always used Sevin powder but discovered the spray Sevin recently. I much prefer it as it does not drift onto nearby flowers like the powder (dust) does, but it is much less economical. Has anyone mixed the powder with water? What ratio? Thanks, Mary
Liguid spray Sevin from the Sevin powder?
Mary, I've done it dozens of times. I use one heaping tablespoon to a gallon of water with a little dish soap as a sticker. Never had any trouble with it. Makes the powder go a long way.
I'm much obliged to you Brugie, for the ratio and the dish soap tip. I wouldn't have thought of that. Mary
you know I get a headache from just thoughing the dust on the plant I didn't know you could make it into a spray....
ely
ely, I'm glad to know I wasn't the only one who did not know this. I'm fairly new to DG and when I didn't get an answer for a couple of days, I decided I had just ask a silly question (should have known the 'right' person to answer it just had not come along yet, thanks again, Brugie). When I use the powder, I always feel 'nasty'-from the powder residue and nasty (mean) for using the poison in the first place. But I lost a Lady Baltimore hibiscus to those worms and am determined that my Lord Baltimore doesn't suffer the same fate. The powder drifts so and being a bird, bee and butterfly lover, I would run around after myself with the water hose trying to get all the nearby flowers rinsed off before they were 'visited'-therefore I was thrilled to discover the spray because you have more control over where it goes, but it is SO expensive compared to the powder and doesn't go very far either. Now I can mix my own cheap spray.
I'm glad I could help. Would have caught your post sooner, but have had a lot of company over the last week or so and just haven't had time to get caught up here.
mjtip,
Welcome to Daves!
Years ago I knew a woman who had a little shopselling all kinds of exotic birds.
She told me they were having a flea problem in their carpets.
They sprinkled 7 Dust through the entire place including under sofa cushions, as well as between the mattress and the box spring. A couple of applications like this is supposed to erradicate the fleas.
The day after they had spread this stuff all through the house they were gone for most of the day.
When they arrived back home, birds had gotten out and were flopping around in the stuff. She was so worried about losing these delicate, exotic, expensive birds.
Well the birds were not affected and she says 7 dust is the safest thing you can use around pets and people. Of course, there is probably always an exception.
Good to know the Sevin dust can be mixed with water-and the dish soap addition sounds like a touch of genius. Always good to learn more about tending to our precious flowers!
Thanks, TwinLakesChef, for the welcome and the reassurance about my 'poison of choice'.
Not to worry Brugie, about not checking in earlier to answer my question-just attribute my whining to 'new subscriber anxiety'.
And yes, Joyce, those of us with brown thumbs need all the help we can get in the care and feeding of our pretties. LOL
you know I like hardy hibiscus but I wish they would be more of a bush than a stalk? if that makes since? I was thinking next year to chop its top and see if that want give it a bush look
ely
I think it will make them more shrubby. I believe it is Hibiscus that does this and if I remember right, she said she gets a lot more blooms that way.
My Disco Belle and Southern Belle hibiscus stay pretty bushy for me, but my Texas Star is a tall gangly thing-I may do like you ely, and chop the rascal's top next year. Bet we will get more blooms, as Brugie said. My Lord Baltimore has numerous stalks that are growing sorta horizontal this year, but since I got the worms off it, it is really showing itself, blooming non-stop. I just realized I probably should have started this on the perennial forum as it is about hardy, not tropical hibiscus. Sorry
I would'nt recommend using Sevin, an outdoor pesticide, inside the house. Other products are better formulated for indoor use.
FYI : I used a product called IMMUNOX by Spectricide and the tiny red aphids just laughed at it. Even after being fogged and soaked repeatedly.
If you Spectricide people are "listening" I want my ten bucks back!
for animals I would have used rotenone.
sevin dust can indeed be made into a spray, but make sure you have a diaghram pump, if you have a piston sprayer the lifespan on it will be nil as the abrasive powder will wear out the peices very quickly.
as far as worms, why not just use acephate? you would only need to spray it every month or so during the season.... plus as a systemic you wouldn't need to really hit every inch of it.
drew