Orchard Products - SURROUND Crop Protectant
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What is Kaolin and how does it work?
Surround WP presents a unique form of pest control: a non-toxic particle film that places a barrier between the pest and its host plant. The active ingredient is kaolin clay, an edible mineral long used as an anti-caking agent in processed foods, and in such products as toothpaste and Kaopectate. There appears to be no mammalian toxicity or any danger to the environment posed by the use of kaolin in pest control.
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The spray was developed by Drs. Michael Glenn and Gary Puterka of the USDA/ARS at Kearneysville, WV, in cooperation with the Engelhard Corporation , which began marketing the product in 1999 on a limited basis. Surround was available in 2000 in much of the U.S., and it was listed by The Organic Materials Review Institute for use in organic production on March 7, 2000.
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Effects of SurroundWP™ in trial applications on apples:
• Control: leafrollers, leafhoppers.
• Suppression: mites, codling moth, plum curculio, apple sucker, stink bugs, apple maggot, thrips.
• Horticultural Benefits: reduced heat stress and fruit drop, reduced sunburn, improved color in certain cultivars.
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Surround is sprayed on as a liquid, which evaporates, leaving a protective powdery film on the surfaces of leaves, stems, and fruit. Conventional spray equipment can be used, and full coverage is important. The film works to deter insects in several ways. Tiny particles of the clay attach to the insects when they contact the tree, agitating and repelling them. Even if particles don’t attach to their bodies, the insects find the coated plant or fruit unsuitable for feeding and egg-laying. In addition, the highly reflective white coating makes the tree less recognizable as a host.
The standard Surround spray program for plum curculio and first-generation codling moth starts at first petal fall and continues for 6 to 8 weekly sprays or until the infestation is over. Discontinuing sprays at this point will leave little or no residue at harvest because of rain and wind attrition. If a full-season program is used to suppress later-season threats such as apple maggot, growers will need to use a scrubber/washer to remove any dust remaining on the fruit for fresh market sales. Although this residue is not considered harmful, it might be considered unsightly by consumers. However, the dust residue is not a problem for processing fruit.
Mix is 25 - 50 lbs. per 100 gallons of water
Spray methods - Air blast, high pressure hand gun or boom sprayer. Chemigation, not recommended.
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Surround comes in 25 pound bags for
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Trial applications of the spray showed that where plum curculio damage was 20–30% in unsprayed checks, the treatments receiving the particle film had only .5–1% damage. Dr. Puterka is careful to say that his trials indicate “suppression” of PC damage rather than complete control. For the organic grower looking to achieve an economic level of control, the distinction is probably not relevant. What the researcher terms “suppression” in these USDA trials is very close to control, far closer than any other organically suitable option. For the non-organic grower, kaolin alone will not achieve quite as high a level of control as is ensured by the organophosphates. However, Surround is comparable to the OPs in that it’s a broad-spectrum tool effective against most of the major pests of apple. As growers gain experience in timing applications of this new tool, efficacy data will very likely improve.
Use on - Pome Fruits, Stone fruit, citrus fruit, Tree nuts, Berries, Grapes, Legumes, Root and tubers, fruiting vegetables, bulb vegetables, cucurbit vegetables, Brassica, leafy vegetables, cotton, Cereal grains and nongrass anumal Feeds, tropical fruits, nursery and Ornamentals.
More info available on request, and/or click the links on the upper left of this page.
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Coming soon.
PyGanic pyrethrum
and
Entrust Naturalyte insect control.
Actually, we have them available now by special order.
1.877.213.3828
8:00-5:00PM M-F
Try Diatomaceous Earth too.
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