There seems to be a trend these days where people are 'returning to their roots' (literally AND figuratively). Backyard homesteaders abound and Pinterest is crammed full of pictures and links to tons of "how to" websites covering everything from DIY planter boxes using reclaimed and recycled products to utilizing empty 2 liter bottles to create window-sill hydroponic gardens.
Because of this, more and more people are buying products to protect their investments of time, money, blood, sweat, and tears not to mention those sweet baby plants we all come to love and become attached to as if they were our very own offspring - I mean we did "create" them right? We helped them grow big and strong and be productive so yeah, they can be like our kids and we get a sense of accomplishment.
Any who... there were a few products I learned about during my internship that would fit into this category. These products are also fall into the sub categories of "organic" and non organic.
Merriam-Webster defines organic as:
of, relating to, or derived from living organisims of, relating to, yielding, or involving the use of food produced with the use of feed or fertilizer of plant or animal origin without employment of chemically formulated fertilizers, growth stimulants, antibiotics, or pesticides
of, relating to, or containing carbon compounds relating to, being, or dealt with by a branch of chemistry concerned with the carbon compounds of living beings and most other carbon compounds
In a nutshell, organic means NATURAL and "un-fooled around with" (that line is from some commercial but I don't remember which one, I think its cranberry or orange juice). Non organic means it was manufactured in a facility using chemical compounds that have really long words that use too many letters for the average person to mess with. They usually also have some type of warning in the fine print. And THAT my friends, is what freaks people out about non-organic. (But!!! in many cases, the chemicals found in "chemicals" are either identical or closely related to an organic option. I'm not a chemist (heck, I just barely passed Chem101) so I have to rely on chemists and chem professors and people way smarter than me to help me understand it all. So I ask you, please do some research on your own.... don't worry, I will too because I'd love to understand how it works... when I figure it out, I'll update you.)
Ok, let me get back to my point. Formulas/products to protect your precious garden from the 'bad guys'.
Disclaimer: this is not intended to be continuous plug or advertisement for Bayer Products, however since I did my internship with them, I kinda have to include info about them so this all makes sense.
There goes that tangent again... my apologies.
Natria is Bayer's organic line. They use insecticidal soaps made with 'Potassium Salts of Fatty Acids'. These salts dissolve the waxy cuticle of these pesky crawlers and leave them open to dehydration. Dehydration equals dead bugs. YAY!
Now Neem Oil works as follows (taken from http://www.discoverneem.com)
Neem oil has many complex active ingredients. Rather than being simple poisons, those ingredients are similar to the hormones that insects produce. Insects take up the neem oil ingredients just like natural hormones.
Neem enters the system and blocks the real hormones from working properly. Insects "forget" to eat, to mate, or they stop laying eggs. Some forget that they can fly. If eggs are produced they don't hatch, or the larvae don't moult.
Obviously insects that are too confused to eat or breed will not survive. The population eventually plummets, and they disappear. The cycle is broken.
How precisely it works is difficult for scientists to find out. There are too many different active substances in neem oil, and every insect species reacts differently to neem insecticide.
Neem oil does not hurt beneficial insects. Only chewing and sucking insects are affected. It is certainly fascinating.
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