Surround was finally delivered today

[EdieJ]

50 pound bag of powder. I don't have a sprayer so I will have to mix it in a bucket and dip and pour over the plants. I think the aphids are about gone but by the time we cut all the dead/dying leaves there is very little left. At this point, not one blossom left. I just this evening went around the corner and took a good look at my Pink Ponderosas. Ugh. Lots of yellow & brown leaves. So tomorrow they will get trimmed back too. Will Surround be of any use since I don't see any bugs just the dying leaves? What about my smaller tomato plants, should I coat them? In addition to tomatoes we have corn, green beans in flower, sugar snap peas, very small squash, cantaloupe and watermelon seedlings coming up. Any of those that should be treated? None of them so far show signs of bugs or disease and I'd sure like to keep it that way.

[pepperhead212]

You might be better off investing in a sprayer, [mention]EdieJ[/mention] as you will want to cover the undersides of the leaves, as well as the tops, and you will save a lot of liquid, spraying it. Once you get them covered, only the new growth needs sprayed frequently - light rain leaves some on, and the undersides layer stays on, for the most part.

I spray all season on large tomatoes, but as soon as cherries start forming, I stop. With those, as well as green beans and small peppers, it's too much of a pain to scrub it off - it doesn't wash off, like DE, but is easy on larger fruits of tomatoes or peppers, or things like eggplants. With okra I'm careful about spraying -usually pull all I can, then spray, trying not to hit any.

Something I do with surround, using a dedicated sprayer, is measure it out into a fine, SS kitchen strainer, and wash it through, to strain out any large particles, about 1/2c at a time, adding a tb of potassium bicarbonate per gallon, for the fungal problems with many plants. The Surround and the bicarbonate can sit in the sprayer, mixed, until next use - they won't decompose.

[EdieJ]

Thank you. I never heard of potassium bicarbonate ... Does it have a brand name? It will be a few days before I can get somewhere to get another sprayer. The one we have now has weed killer in it .

[pepperhead212]

[mention]EdieJ[/mention] They have that bicarb cheap at Amazon; used to be cheaper on ebay, but the last time I found it cheaper in a 2 lb pack on Amazon, but that was a few years ago. There are brand names for it at much higher prices. Some people just use baking soda, the sodium version, but I don't like to add sodium to the soil; besides, the potassium is some of the fertilizer used in bloom fertilizers. And that 2 lbs has lasted me now into my 3 rd year! I just went out this evening, after everything had dried up from the rain, and sprayed everything down again. This will be the last time with the Surround on the cherry tomatoes, as they are just forming fruits. I'll spray them with a separate container of potassium bicarbonate.

I just checked out of curiosity, and Amazon is still cheapest - $8.99 for a lb. You might find some cheaper in larger sizes, but just glancing at the first page on both, this was cheapest/lb.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=potassium+bi ... _ss_i_1_12

On the subject of sprayers, the sprayer I used tonight has a feature not on most, that made me think about saying how I save the leftovers - the pump extends above the tank, rather than down into it. You wouldn't want to have the pump submerged in this, or any liquid, for that matter, as it will decompose the rubber. Unfortunately, they stopped making this sprayer - always happens with good things! It was originally to save leaning over to pump, but this was a side advantage. So whatever sprayer you get, don't just leave it with the pump in place - remove it, and stuff a plug of some sort in the hole.

[Ginger2778]

@EdieJ They have that bicarb cheap at Amazon; used to be cheaper on ebay, but the last time I found it cheaper in a 2 lb pack on Amazon, but that was a few years ago. There are brand names for it at much higher prices. Some people just use baking soda, the sodium version, but I don't like to add sodium to the soil; besides, the potassium is some of the fertilizer used in bloom fertilizers. And that 2 lbs has lasted me now into my 3 rd year! I just went out this evening, after everything had dried up from the rain, and sprayed everything down again. This will be the last time with the Surround on the cherry tomatoes, as they are just forming fruits. I'll spray them with a separate container of potassium bicarbonate.

I just checked out of curiosity, and Amazon is still cheapest - $8.99 for a lb. You might find some cheaper in larger sizes, but just glancing at the first page on both, this was cheapest/lb.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=potassium+bi ... _ss_i_1_12

On the subject of sprayers, the sprayer I used tonight has a feature not on most, that made me think about saying how I save the leftovers - the pump extends above the tank, rather than down into it. You wouldn't want to have the pump submerged in this, or any liquid, for that matter, as it will decompose the rubber. Unfortunately, they stopped making this sprayer - always happens with good things! It was originally to save leaning over to pump, but this was a side advantage. So whatever sprayer you get, don't just leave it with the pump in place - remove it, and stuff a plug of some sort in the hole.

Great tip about the sprayer pump. I just learned a lot!

[EdieJ]

Thank you for the info! Turns out we do have 2 sprayers, the 2nd one had a bit of Daconil & Dawn in it. So DH dumped it out and rinsed it out well, made up some Surround and sprayed the ML's and his corn to hopefully stop whatever was chewing on it. I will order the potassium bicarbonate for the next round of spraying.
And isn't that always the way it goes, the best products are the first to go.