mollasses as bug spray for trees?

[glennster]

had a guy at the shop yesterday, has a fruit tree orchard of about 60 different fruit trees, apple, cherry, plum, peach ect. he was telling me he uses 2 ounces of molasses per gallon to spray his trees with as an insecticide. anybody ever hear of this? i would figgure the deer would have a field day.

 

[Leon R]

My neighbour has an organic orchard and that is what he uses. only has to spray a small portion of the tree as well. As for the deer, they like the trees with or without molasses so that is why you have to fence them out.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Molasses slows down the bugs, works well. Some use a kaolin clay as well to act on disease as well, both approved for organic use.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Also heard if you hang one of those little bars of
soap that you get at the hotel of your choice will deter deere from tearing up your trees, tried it this last year and havn't had anymore tore up trees. wonder though, what if anything it does to the ground, looks kinda white down the trunk and on the ground around the tree.

 

[John S-B]

Where can you get kaolin clay?

 

[Anonymous-0]

The trade name of Kaolin clay product is Surround WP. I'll let you google that, or see if a feed store can order it.

I'm trying remay cloth (floating row cover) on my squash this year...if that doesn't work to control the blasted squash bugs, I'm trying the kaolin clay next year. It's a bit more expensive initially, but 25 pounds of it would probably last me 5 or 10 years before I need to re-order...