Will rain wash off insecticidal soap?

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grrrlgeek Grayslake, IL(Zone 5a) Sep 24, 2009

I have a new (to me) aphid on my container veggies today, it's brownish and tiny. They look like coarse grains of something stuck on the points of the leaves, especially the eggplant, until you watch closely and see them moving. I plan to use Safer soap, but it's supposed to rain later. Is there a period of time of dryness needed after applying for best results? I don't see anything on the label about rain, but these poor plants have these, "normal" green aphids, and the tiny white things that the soap has gotten rid of before.

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DonnaMack Elgin, IL(Zone 5a) Sep 25, 2009

Oh wow, you're in Grayslake too?

Insecticidal soap is a great thing to use, since it is basically a harmless substance. But is a contact only killer. It has to hit the insect to be effective. You can zap every one on the plant and others will return, sometimes within minutes.

You can get the same effect, if they are in fact aphids, with a sharp spray of water. That knocks them to the ground and they can't get up, and is equally as effective as insecticidal soap, in my opinion, if you are in a position to spray water around. To get a longer term effect you can, depending on your personal preferences, use Acephate, the active ingredient in Ortho's Systemic Insect Killer (Ace Hardware carries it). It is taken up in the plants tissues and kills biters (not bees or and other pollinators.) It also works on thrips (I use it to keep them from ruining my peonies) and I spray my japanese anemone foliage with it because the leaves were being ruined but a sharp spray of water or insecticidal soap only worked on those present, and then the damage would start again a few days later.

Does this help?

Donna

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grrrlgeek Grayslake, IL(Zone 5a) Sep 25, 2009

Yep, thanks! I thought maybe it was contact only. It did get rid of the aphids the first time I used it and it took awhile for them to come back, probably 'cause these are in tubs on the balcony. The rain seems to have washed some of the little brown ones off. The eggplant are the favorite menu item this year, even more than the petunias. The plants don't seem to really mind, but they're getting on my nerves.

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DonnaMack Elgin, IL(Zone 5a) Sep 25, 2009

Yes, it's really pouring out there. Great for the plants.

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