Natural Mineral-Based Product Protects Fruits And Vegetables From Insect Pests

Helpful Products from Gardens Alive!
Surround at Home^® Broad Spectrum Sun & Insect Crop Protectant

If, by summer, your pear trees are weak and covered with a grey mold, chances are they're infested with pear psylla, a tiny insect pest that can ruin a pear crop.

Damage is two-fold: Adult and nymph psylla suck plant juices, weakening foliage and causing leaves to turn yellow and curl; in addition, psylla produce sugary secretions that encourage the growth of a sticky fungus called "sooty mold" which further disfigures and weakens the tree.

After decades of searching for an all-natural defense, commercial fruit growers now rely on a product called Surround Crop Protectant as their best weapon against the dreaded psylla as well as other insect pests.

Gardens Alive! has now introduced a consumer version of this remarkable all-natural product called Surround At Home Crop Protectant. Surround At Home repels insects by creating a white protective barrier on foliage, vegetables and fruits. Rather than relying on toxicity for its effectiveness, Surround At Home creates a chalky white barrier of fine kaolin, a clay that has been used for many years in paint, pottery and cosmetics. Insects don't like crawling on a plant or tree protected by Surround At Home. Because it sticks to their wings, legs, and mouth parts, they quickly find a more comfortable place to feed or lay eggs.

Surround At Home is the best all-natural product available to fight hard-to-control pear psylla, plum curculio, and Japanese beetles. University and government studies have also confirmed the effectiveness of Surround At Home against thrips, leafhoppers, apple maggots, Mexican bean beetles, aphids, and codling moths. Surround At Home does not affect honeybees and other pollinators, earthworms, or beneficial insects.

Surround At Home is a wettable powder that is mixed with water and sprayed directly on fruit trees, berry plants, and vegetable gardens. Since it acts as a preventative, Surround At Home must be applied early, before the arrival of the insects that plague orchards and gardens. Surround At Home should be sprayed every one to two weeks to ensure that new growth receives protection. At harvest time, brushing fruits and vegetables with water will remove Surround At Home particles.

Surround At Home Crop Protectant is available in 5, 10, and 25 pound bags exclusively from Gardens Alive!

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