Cola as a Pesticide?

Wonders never cease...

http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/top/story/0,4136,76636,00.html

http://www.beverageworld.com/beverageworld/headlines/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000705113

To bad the don't do that here with the corn and beans.Maybe the nitrates wouldn't be so high that it's not safe to drink my well water. Big companies here in the U.S. wouldn't go for that. They'd loose to much money.Greedy Companies and the almighty dollar. Jody

Ok don't shoot me but...in my search about pea/bean innoculent I found this post to another message board and found it interesting....
[I used to spend $15 for powder to innoculate my beans and Legumes. Got it from Burpee. Got about a 70 per cent germination from it. Last year Burpee didnt have it so I went to the garden centers. The first five didnt carry it, they saw no reason for it. The sixth one told me to save my money and soak the beans (or peas, etc) in Coca-cola/Pepsi at room temp for 24 hours. I did this and behold almost got a 100% growth from it. Was told the Coke kills some kind of fungus??, whatever from the seeds. My neighbor does the same and almost every seed germinates. Dont know what does it but it workws and will do it again this year.]

Hmmm....anybody out there in Dave's Garden using Coke/Pepsi on their peas/beans?
-Juli

Cool Juli thanks for the great info.Coke is my favorite drink so I always have some on hand.heehee.Love to learn anything new.Keeps you young,Grandma said the day you don't learn something new is the day you die.think she was right.heehee miss my Grandma.Thanks again,Jody

Oh Lordy! I've heard of people doing all kinds of strange things with Coke/Pepsi. Cleaning toilets and cooking hams in it. I guess it's a very versatile product.
-Juli

heehee rolling

Have you ever poured it on steak and watched what happens, just about cooks it.

that's scarey i drink it like coffee

Juli64, your germination may have been due to phosphoric acid in the cola. When temperatures are low, so is phosphorus uptake and the cola may have given them a boost.

I didn't actually use the Coke. I found that post on another message board. I was trying to read up about bean/pea innoculent or find the brand name of one but haven't been able to. I asked at a couple different garden shops and they didn't know what I was even talking about. People say they use it but nobody has a brand name for it. Burpees offers a "bean/pea booster" that's probably as close as I'm gonna get.
-Juli

Hi Juli:

I have a packet of inoculant but it doesn't have a brand name as such; it's just called "Garden Inoculant"--but the manufacturer is listed as LIPHA TECH, 3101 W Custer Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53209. Hope this helps!

Rhonda

Thanks!
-Juli

I think I saw some at wal-mart last spring.

Johnny's has it too.

http://www.johnnyseeds.com/catalog/results.html?start=1&ct=hg&search_keywords_field=keywords&misc_source=&Checkout_customer_info=1&search_keywords=inoculant

So does Seeds of Change: (I went to this link and found they do not have it this year, but at least you can see what it looks like)

http://www.seedsofchange.com/garden_center/product_details.asp?item_no=S16450&q=+inoculant

Very interesting stuff, thanks for the info. That's why I love Dave's Garden, where else can a person find all this learning in one spot? Here is what they said in their newsletter. I just did a search on "inoculant":

"Legumes and Nitrogen Fixation

Specific soil bacteria live in association with the roots of legumes. Through this mutually beneficial association, the bacteria provide the legumes with access to nitrogen in the air, while the legume roots provide nutrition to the bacteria. The captured nitrogen is stored in nodules on the roots. Whether the legumes are turned under, killed by winter temperatures, or mowed and composted, the nodules provide an essential plant nutrient for subsequent crops.

Legume Inoculants: If you have not grown a specific legume in your soil before, it may be beneficial to inoculate your seed before planting. The inoculant is a fine dry powder that contains symbiotic bacteria specific to that legume. Mix the powder with the seeds before sowing. Inoculants can be purchased online from Peaceful Valley Farm Supply."

The first link's article had been archived, so I copied and pasted the second one here for whomever:


"NOVEMBER 03, 2004

INDIA'S LATEST PESTICIDE - COCA-COLA?
Copyright 2004 by United Press International.

NEW DELHI -- Indian farmers have come up with a new special pesticide, Coca-Cola, which they think is the real thing to keep crops free of bugs.

Instead of paying hefty fees to international chemical companies for patented pesticides, they are reportedly spraying their cotton and chilly fields with Coke. In the past month there have been reports of hundreds of farmers turning to Coke in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh and new western state of Chattisgarh.

Gotu Laxmaiah, a farmer from Ramakrishnapuram in Andra Pradesh, said he was delighted with his new cola spray.

"I observed that the pests began to die after the soft drink was sprayed on my cotton," he told the Guardian.

One liter of highly concentrated Avant, Tracer and Nuvocron, three popular Indian pesticides, costs around 10,000 rupees ($220), but one-and-a-half liters of locally made Coca-Cola is 30 rupees (60 cents). To spray an acre would be a mere $6.

Coke is not happy with the new usage. A spokesman in Atlanta Tuesday said there is no scientific basis for the pesticide claim."


I think that is pretty funny. There is a scientifc claim for it. It is called pH. Acid. Caramel color. Carbonation. It alll robs oxygen and hydrogen and other life giving things, so of course the bugs will die. They are just afraid people will find out what it is doing to people...

DUH!

well it has to be good for something

Actually I had a neighbor once who tried to make his own soda pop. I forget why.....well his first attempts were not so sucessful so he set it outside in a bucket. The next day he came outside almost every kind of insect was in there dead. It was pretty yucky but he may have been onto something

if it's robbing my oxygen,i'd better quit and
go back to tea for my caffine.lol.

Thank you all for the info on innocculents. I ended up ordering it from Burpee. They call it Bean/Pea Booster. The description says it does what an innocculent does so I'll give 'er a try. My local garden supply shops ie; Lowe's and Home Depot and H&E all looked at me like I was nuts when I asked for an inocculent. Atleast H&E asked me what it was.
-Juli

Yes, honestly, it DOES decrease the oxygen in your blood. I wasn't joking... :-) Here's to better health and less pests for all!

Tea it is.oh but that will be hard.How do you spray with coke?Jody

Another place with the innoculant:

http://www.organicaseedco.com/orfesoam.html

Jody, I have never liked tea, but now find som evarities really tasty and good for me too. Get some Celstial Seasonings or Traditional Medicinals, rather than just Lipton...

p.s. their seed prices are out of line, but the innoculant is only 6.95...