under the benches. (At least one person claims
this keeps fire ants away down in Houston, and if
it works for them…)
◆ ◆ Here’s another volunteered from the world of cy-
berspace: raw grits or corn meal! Sprinkle them
in an area where ants are attracted, and they will
gobble them up. Later they will swell in their bel-
lies. (Need I say more?) Another contributor veri-
fied that the grits or corn meal works, but only
for larger ants. For the small ones, try sprinkling
some bath powder around.
◆ ◆ Along those same lines, a 50/50 mix of powdered
(confectioner’s) sugar and baking soda is sup-
posed to be effective against ants.
◆ ◆ OK, another one volunteered by a reader – aspar-
tame! You know…Nutrasweet, the sugar substi-
tute? Apparently it is attractive to them, is taken
back to the colony, and kills the lot. This one is
even supposed to be effective against fire ants.
You may find it necessary to dampen the powder
or granules to make it attractive to the critters.
Insect Repellant
◆ ◆ Place small, open containers of eucalyptus oil in
the growing area. The vapors will discourage crit-
ters from approaching. (Yeah, it’s going to smell
like a Hall’s Cough Drop factory, but it’s good
for opening your sinuses, too.) Eucalyptus oil has
also been shown to be an effective fungicide, but
I know that dispersion in water and alcohol, when
sprayed directly on the plant, will damage flower
buds, so I can’t recommend that use.
Fungicides
Those of you who frequent the internet orchid
forums know of my “crusade” for the use of cinnamon
as a fungicide. I’ve done a lot of digging, and it turns
out that the chemicals in the bark have all sorts of
medicinal applications (I’ve even cured athlete’s foot
with my alcohol extract!) Choose the consistency that
is best for your situation.
◆ ◆ Powder: Apply normal, household cinnamon
powder directly to the affected part of the plant
by dusting heavily. This has proven to be a good
way to control slime mold and mushrooms in the
mulch in my outdoor flower beds, too!
◆ ◆ Poultice: Mix cinnamon powder with sufficient
casein-based glue (Elmer’s) to make a thick,
brown paste. Apply to the wound and let dry. The
Elmer’s Glue is water soluble, but resists washing-
May 2019
off quite well. This is the preference for mounted
plants that get watered or misted frequently. An
alternative to the Elmer’s Glue, but just as wa-
terproof and long-lasting is made by mixing cin-
namon powder and cooking oil to form a thick
paste.
◆ ◆ Spray: You can prepare a cinnamon spray using
either alcohol or water as the solvent. The alcohol
infusion is faster to prepare, and offers some in-
secticidal properties as well. This is my preferred
method, and has been effective at eliminating all
sorts of fungus problems, including damping-off
of deflasked seedlings.
◆ ◆ Put 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of cinnamon powder
in a pint (500 ml) of isopropyl rubbing alcohol.
Shake well and let stand overnight. Filter the
solution to remove the sediment (coffee filters
work well), and use the brown liquid as a spray.
(While it’s not a big problem for most orchid
growers, I’ve heard that this is good for pow-
dery mildew, as well.) or…
◆ ◆ Put the cinnamon powder in hot water. Shake
well and let stand for several days. Filter and
use as above. (Some feel that the alcohol can be
too desiccating when used on seedlings.)
◆ ◆ Ground Corn Meal: Place one cup of whole
ground corn meal in an old sock or panty hose
leg and immerse it in one gallon of water. Let
stand for a couple of days, and then use the liquid
as a spray.
◆ ◆ Hydrogen Peroxide: If your phals look like
they’re starting to get crown rot, sometimes sim-
ply pouring some straight-from-the-drug store
hydrogen peroxide on the wound can stop the
process. Just be sure to tilt the plant and drain the
grown after about five minutes so it can dry.
◆ ◆ General Purpose Spray: Put one cup of the al-
cohol cinnamon-extract in a pint bottle, add two
tablespoons of liquid dishwashing detergent, and
top up with water. Use as a spray. The soap and
alcohol are good insecticides, while the cinnamon
is a fungicide.
Mildewcide
◆ ◆ Mix approximately 1/3 cup milk into a quart of
water, and spray. I have not tested this one, but
even if it doesn’t work, you end up with shiny
leaves!
◆ ◆ Mix 3 tablespoons cooking oil, one tablespoon
liquid dishwashing detergent, and one tablespoon
baking soda in a gallon of water; spray at three-
day intervals for powdery mildew.
Slug & Snail Treatments
Killers
◆ ◆ Trap: Put a plate or plant saucer full of fresh beer
on the floor; snails and slugs will be attracted to
it, fall in and drown. Stale beer, has apparently
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