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Post by numpty on Jan 17, 2010 2:33:22 GMT -5
Hi there,
I have a question about pesticides. Can anyone suggest any systemics I might be able to get hold of in Canada? I used to live in Taiwan and had horrible trouble with thrips, fungus gnats, scale, etc. The thrips especially wiped out a load of plants. I used Acephate as a soil drench, which seemed pretty effective, but I haven't seen any for sale here in BC. I've only just moved to Canada and hope to start a CP collection, and while I don't know if the pests will be anywhere near as bad here as in Taiwan, I'd like to know what's available out there just in case. Any recommendations?
Thanks in advance!
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Post by vraev on Jan 17, 2010 2:52:53 GMT -5
lol!! it reminds me of my pest nightmare last year. I had seen thrips, scale and spider mites. ALl the dreaded CP pests during the same time. At that time...I bought some bayer systemic pesticide and used it on the plants only once. But after just a week of treatment....in order to prevent further spread..I threw away all scale and thrip infected plants. I then used thorough alcohol swab treatments to get rid of any straggling scale. Thanks to the Lord it seems to have gone. For spider mites I used the neem oil that I bought from sheridan nursaries and it seemed to work pretty well.
However...coming to systemics...recently there has been a ban on pesticides and insecticides and you cannot buy any systems anywhere in ontario. I am unsure about BC though. You should check with hawaiian botanicals as they are in the biz for a long time and must have some insights on dealing with pests.
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Post by deedle on Jan 17, 2010 18:43:33 GMT -5
www.agf.gov.bc.ca/pesticides/a_3.htmHi, above link ought to answer any legal issues surrounding all pesticides in B.C. My husband works at Rona, and still sells all varieties.There was some discussion about a year ago regarding the possibility of a province wide ban,however this has not happened yet.
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Post by numpty on Jan 17, 2010 20:09:17 GMT -5
Thanks!
I'll have a look at that link, Deedle. A quick glance suggests the Website might be tilted towards farmers and the like, but maybe the hobby gardener is covered too. I actually asked in a garden centre today and was told that systemics are "banned, forever", unless I'm a farmer, but if you say that your husband sells systemics to ordinary folks, then that certainly sounds hopeful. Maybe the store assistant was referring to some local legislation, or was just ill-informed.
By the way, I never had much joy with neem oil, at least not with the thrips. Initially I tried spraying and drenching my plants with it, but the thrips just swam through it and resumed their munching. Oh, how I laughed ...
Thanks again for the tips!
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Post by deedle on Jan 17, 2010 22:01:51 GMT -5
Yeah sorry about that. Upon further investigation that link really is geared to agricultural applications more than the average gardener.The bottom line is that as of today one may still go into A Rona, Canadian Tire,Home Hardware etc.... and purchase pretty well anything,the exception here in B.C. is Diazanon,was banned about 5 years ago, but if I wanted to buy some, I could.I asked my hubby and he said his store just received their spring booking and it included RoundUp and Killex,both are systemic and currently banned in most other Canadian provinces.So if you need something, better get it now before it is legistlated here in B.C.
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Post by Syble on Jan 17, 2010 23:44:14 GMT -5
ah a systemic to kill thrips but is CP safe, what a beautiful concept, alas i'm in ontario and pretty much screwed unless i want to buy a 5 galon pail of something and experiment. Sib
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Post by numpty on Jan 18, 2010 1:52:32 GMT -5
I know that back home (I'm originally from the UK), folk use the CP-safe systemic Imidacloprid (brand name Provado), and in the States they have Acephate (Orthene), but I've yet to see any systemic insecticides available to the general public here (though maybe I haven't been looking in the right places, yet).
Deedle ... RoundUp and Killex are herbicides, is that right? Still, even if they're weed-killers rather than bug-killers, it suggests that systemic insecticides might be available in BC. I'll get onto that in the next few days and see what I can get my hands on. Thanks for the info.
A look at the link provided by Deedle gives the following brand names for systemic insecticides that I know are used for CP use. Anybody see them on the shelves recently?
Acephate: Orthene, Acecap
Dimethoate: Cygon, Dimethoate, Lagon
Imidacloprid: Impower, Admire, Merit, Gaucho, Intercept, Genesis
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Post by lloyd on Jan 18, 2010 13:38:36 GMT -5
I would be very cautious about any pesticides, systemic or otherwise, especially indoors and even more so if you have children or pets. The insecticidal soaps are non-toxic to us but bad for CP's. The Al Bickell Neem recipe has worked for me many times and you could drink it if you didn't mind the taste or smell. It doesn't eradicate thrips but it does seem to slow them down enough for the plant to recover. I don't even like No-Damp much-it stinks (literally) although I use it on rare occasions.
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Post by numpty on Jan 20, 2010 17:59:01 GMT -5
Just checked the local Rona, and that was a bust. Again, the word was that systemics - along with a whole bunch of chemical products - were recently pulled from the shelves. I mentioned to the worker that I'd heard of another Rona in BC selling systemics, and after her initial scepticism she suggested that the ban might be local legislation, or else the store mentioned by Deedle might be an independent Rona. I dunno. It might be worth my while bumbling around the province to see what's out there, though there's still a local ban on actually using the stuff to contend with.
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Post by Syble on Jan 20, 2010 19:35:55 GMT -5
Try something other then Rona, their company decision is the green shift and to go along with that they have weaned out alot of synthetic pesticides. not necisarily banned products just not "green" Sib
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Post by deedle on Jan 20, 2010 21:03:22 GMT -5
Just checked the local Rona, and that was a bust. Again, the word was that systemics - along with a whole bunch of chemical products - were recently pulled from the shelves. I mentioned to the worker that I'd heard of another Rona in BC selling systemics, and after her initial scepticism she suggested that the ban might be local legislation, or else the store mentioned by Deedle might be an independent Rona. I dunno. It might be worth my while bumbling around the province to see what's out there, though there's still a local ban on actually using the stuff to contend with. Okay, I am going to my hubby's Rona tomorrow and I will have a look to see what they have on the shelf. I will report back after that.Yes it is true, must of the B.C. stores are franchise owned.
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Post by numpty on Jan 20, 2010 22:04:01 GMT -5
That's nice of you, Deedle. Thanks. I hope it's no inconvenience for you though ... as Syble says, there are other stores here I could try. And pest season is still quite a distance away!
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Post by labine on Jan 20, 2010 22:53:13 GMT -5
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