Sources for organic surfactant or foliar spreader

[CT Guy]

How about a lavender spray? Just lavender soaked in water 48 hours diluted in water. I did use some soap but was nervous because i'm in flower and did not want to melt/disolve the trichs. I did not think about it until I was done, but i don't think i damaged them, but still if I'm to spray again, I don't want to cause more damage than my sprays help........scrappy

Not sure Scrappy, I'm sure others have more experience with this. My only point was that if you're making compost tea, you don't need to add a surfactant before spraying.

 

[Microbeman]

I agree with CT Guy here. If you've got something that you absolutely must stick on then follow Cheeze's advice. You don't wanna coat your leaves with crap.

 

[Scrappy4]

Dr. Bronner's is the only soap I use in the garden.
Great surfactant...you only need a a few drops. You can get a little bottle for 3 bucks.
Depending on the use,I'd pick one with or without the oils used to scent them depending on what you are doing. Some of them have a good % lavender or peppermint oil in them...there is one that is scent free.
I use those 3 for different purposes.

How about in flower? I sprayed my plants the other day, then started wondering if i might have melted trics after using dr bronners in a lavender spray. They don't look bad, but it did get me wondering. I'm at 5 weeks in so if there is no problem i might just stop. Or at least not use soap.

A while ago I helped grower friend make some hash. To make a long story short, he had a brown paper grocery bag full of trim and we only got a couple of grams. All the screens got plugged up and the hash was gooey and hard to work with, I also noticed suds. I ask if he had sprayed for bugs and he told me he uses dawn dish soap for bugs and sprayed up till harvest. I think he has been melting trichomes all long.
scrappy

 

[guest2012y]

Since BB88 is asking about low-budget sources for a surfactant I would say that you'll get a lot of use out of that 3 bucks in soap. Also like GoneRooty say's it's the best ecological friendly and quality made castile soap out there.

My first choice as a surfactant would be yucca.

 

[Scrappy4]

Since BB88 is asking about low-budget sources for a surfactant I would say that you'll get a lot of use out of that 3 bucks in soap. Also like GoneRooty say's it's the best ecological friendly and quality made castile soap out there.

My first choice as a surfactant would be yucca.

Agreed, I've used it for years. i got a deal on two cases of gallon bottles of peppermint some years ago and still have a couple of gallons left. I used to use it backpacking for many things.

But it is soap, And i think it could melt trichomes, just something to think about. Probably not as bad as my friends case with dawn dish soap, but still.....scrappy

 

[guest2012y]

How about in flower? I sprayed my plants the other day, then started wondering if i might have melted trics after using dr bronners in a lavender spray. They don't look bad, but it did get me wondering. I'm at 5 weeks in so if there is no problem i might just stop. Or at least not use soap.

A while ago I helped grower friend make some hash. To make a long story short, he had a brown paper grocery bag full of trim and we only got a couple of grams. All the screens got plugged up and the hash was gooey and hard to work with, I also noticed suds. I ask if he had sprayed for bugs and he told me he uses dawn dish soap for bugs and sprayed up till harvest. I think he has been melting trichomes all long.
scrappy

First of all I wouldn't spray much of anything on flowers if I can help it. Secondly,the amount of soap we are talking about is tiny per quart/gallon of whatever solution you are working with. Very mild surfactant,but just enough to be effective without any side effects in a few types of applications. I've never had any damage from properly made sprays. Higher solutions of soap would definitely have a negative effect.
Try the plain soap over the lavender or pepermint. Lavender and peppermint are antifungal/antibacterial and I know that Dr. B's uses a lot of those oils in the soap. The peppermint will burn your eyes if not properly diluted. The directions for dilutions are on that crazy ass bottle somewhere.
I do not foliar feed with anything in flower,only occasional PM concoctions that I avoid drenching flowers with,but in veg I'll maybe do 2 or 3 plant extraction,protekt foliars.

Once in a while I'll need to use neem oil with some Dr. B's and protekt for thrips or something,but I really don't like getting a bunch of oils all over the leaves if I can help it.

 

[mad librettist]

i had some weird looking spots from protekt, which I thought at first to be a fungus. luckily the macroscope showed they were dried drops of liquid. they eventually went away without rinsing.

 

[guest2012y]

i had some weird looking spots from protekt, which I thought at first to be a fungus. luckily the macroscope showed they were dried drops of liquid. they eventually went away without rinsing.

When the PM season is in full swing here,I'll take like 1/4 cup per quart of water and spray all the under leaves under the canopy before flower. The residue isn't oily,it's a dry silicone powder that prevents PM from setting up camp in those areas that are going to be hidden when flower development starts happening. A very cheap insurance for a larger crop.

 

[GoneRooty]

Here's a link to Dr Bronner's FAQ about dilutions
http://www.drbronner.com/faqs_main.html#faq6

 

[who dat is]

You don't need a surfactant with a compost tea, if that's the kind of tea you're making. The bacteria will form their own glues.

Thanks CT. I ended up using a tiny bit of aloe leaf anyways and it didn't hurt anything. I just made the switch to 12/12 yesterday and was also wondering how long into flower I can spray ACT on my plants. I don't know if anything accumulates over time which would impart bad flavors, odd burning, etc. Thanks for all the input guys.

 

[who dat is]

bump for act foliar

 

[Tyson53]

I use Dr. Bronner liquid soap..peppermint repels bugs also..and its organic..made from hemp oil...been using this soap for years as a sticker and also as a body wash....nothing like a shower on a hot day with peppermiont soap ...its like you have A/C on your body..lol...

http://www.drbronner.com/DBMS/LS.htm

stuff works good

Al