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Re: [GWL]: Neem in Canada

Hi Yvonne,

I totally agree with your comments about the average gardener not knowing how to use these
products. At least through the CGC chances are that some knowledgeable people would be around to
advise on the use of Neem, and I know that Lorelei at Environmental Factors is unlikely to sell
milky spore without instructions.

However, these are special cases and certainly don't address the main issue which is how to
educate the public about the options available for pest control and their use in a responsible
manner. One of the more interesting solutions that I've heard is to sell all pesticides, whether
organic or chemical, similar to the way we sell prescription drugs. You cannot purchase a product
unless you have a "prescription", and until you complete a course on the use of a particular
product, you cannot obtain a "prescription". I think this is the approach in either the
Netherlands or Belgium (I can't remember which).

Lorraine

Yvonne Cunnington wrote:

> Lorraine Flanigan wrote:
> > Although Neem and Milky Spore have not been approved for use as herbicides
> and pesticides, they
> > are available for sale (retailers just cannot recommend their use for
> these purposes -- where
> > there's a will, there's a way!) The Trellis Shop at the Civic Garden
> Centre in Toronto carries
> > Neem Oil, and Milky Spore is available from The Environmental Factor, an
> interesting organic lawn
> > care company that has been successfully applying organic practices to both
> private and public
> > lawns in Oshawa, Ontario for a number of years.
> _______________
> Thank for that info, Lorraine. But here's the problem: how is the new
> gardener or the busy gardener supposed to find out about such things? The
> converted and the plugged-in folks may know about it, but the ordinary
> gardener or Jeff's yardener is left out of the loop. And even if he or she
> finds Neem oil in Canada, which may require quite the hunt, how will they
> figure when to use it and how much? Still seems easier to go down to the
> local hardware store and get the usual chemical remedies. And what about us:
> do we as writers recommend that people use a product if it isn't even
> standardized (how strong is the Neem oil from one maker next to the Neem oil
> from another?). And then it comes without any direction of what dosage to
> give and when, and all the rest. We all know that people have enough trouble
> following directions for any product that needs to be mixed or diluted. My
> bet is that the ordinary insect phobic gardener misuses more chemicals more
> often than the pros do. -Yvonne Cunnington

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