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Re: Diatematrous Earth

Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html


"DE" WILL kill hard shell insects. It works by getting in the joints of
the bugs then grinds away and saws off their little legs. Works well on
flea beetles.

Dale Clark
San Antonio, TX
Zone 8
Where plants don't freeze....they fry.

On Sat, 5 Jun 1999 22:49:01 EDT KLViger@aol.com writes:
>Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html
>
>In a message dated 99-06-05 16:17:17 EDT, you write:
><< DE: This isn't the cure all everyone says, but it is almost that 
>good. 
> However, if it gets moist at all, it loses it's grit properties. Mix 
>it 
> with a little flour to improve 'stick to it'ness' and a little longer 
>
> lasting. And prepare to reapply often, just don't choke out the plant 
>from 
> getting any other nutrient via the leaves.
> I'm still trying to figure out how it works so well on intestinal 
>parasites 
> if it loses it's oomph when wet. And if it does work that well, how 
>does it 
> keep from killing earthworms or harming the intestine of animals that 
>are 
> fed on it. >>
>
>     Is DE used specifically to kill intestinal parasites? As far as I 
>know, 
>DE is in animal feed only to kill any bugs that may get in there and 
>it's 
>harmless to both animals and humans (but I've never read anything 
>about it 
>being beneficial as far as intestinal parasite control).
>     DE kills bugs around plants by making little cuts in the skin and 
>
>causing the pests to dehydrate. It's not going to work on anything 
>that has 
>very tough skin or a hard shell....only works on things like slugs and 
>larvae 
>(larvae only in feed and grains, since larvae would be deposited on 
>leaves 
>and not crawling across the DE barrier). Earthworms have pretty tough 
>skin 
>and can recover from injuries to the skin. Intestines are also made of 
>pretty 
>tough stuff...there's a mucus lining as well as heavy duty cell layers 
>lining 
>both the small and large intestine in all animals and people. 
>
><<I still put it in my goat milk soap, even if I'm unsure how stable 
>it stays 
>when wet.
>martha>>
>
>     It should stay stable as an exfoliant in soap. Corn meal works 
>well, too.
>
>HTH
>Lisa Viger
>
>
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