Re: CULT:more on cygon...



> boats are >often now painted with hot pepper based paints (cayenne,
habenero, etc.) because >the barnacles find it distasteful and won't grow
there.
>
>I've tried that in the past.  The paints contain Sulphuric acid and can 
>burn the plant althrough it do not always burn them.


Ah - er - ....excuse me! I don't think the first suggestion was to spray
iris with PAINT ---- but a 'tea' of the hot peppers - I read a long time
ago the stomach's reaction to pepper was remarkable - ordinary table salt
will melt a garden slug to a fizzle.  Many organic sprays are comprised of
peppers, lemon based oils/soap, etc. to deter bugs of several varieties -
what it seems we're looking for is a natural ingredient or a group of them
that will deter or kill the iris borer in any of its several stages.  What
is it in other plants they don't like?  What is it about the iris they do
like?  Do they attack any other plant?  I don't know enough to be
commenting - but it seems with all the experience we have on the list we
might could do a pretty good profile of the borer, what it needs in an iris
to survive, and what natural blends might kill or deter them.  

Sharon Hiltibidal -

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