The Tropical Fruit Forum
Tropical Fruit => Tropical Fruit Discussion => Topic started by: lebmung on April 16, 2018, 03:14:23 PM
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Does anyone use Potassium Oleate as an insecticide? I am not talking about potassium soap from the supermarket, that is made of potassium fatty salts of different oils. It is officially accepted in Europe in organic gardening as an insecticide. I just bought a bottle to spray against aphids. Ants who were feeding on the honeydew died instantly. Now I wait to see the results. Neem oil applied at 2% didn't do too much.
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I used to use "Safer Soap" insecticide in the states on apple trees primarily for aphids. I believe its based on potassium oleate. Works well and was approved for "organic" use. I didn't know it worked on ants and other hard body insects. Maybe is suffocated them?
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I have no idea but the ants died pretty fast. From what I read it seems to be the potassium salt of the oleaic acid extracted from the olive oil.
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The "soap" they sell here as an insecticide is "potassium salts of fatty acids", it can be found under another name as "impede", and I thought the "safer" soap is the same formulation.
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http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/psfagen.pdf (http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/psfagen.pdf)
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http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/psfagen.pdf (http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/psfagen.pdf)
Good info thanks.
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The spider mites are all dead so far but the tips are burned. It seems like, the new growth gets burned after 3 days, this is in greenhouse.
From what I see the best it to spray it, leave it on the plant for 24 hours then wash the plants so it doesn't attack the plant. Also it leaves a whitish soapy residue.