JCcares wrote: ↑Wed Jun 22, 2022 1:47 pmSteve do I use it just as the instructions are on the bottle or do I dilute what the instructions recommend because I am using this on cacti Steve?
The recommended dilutions are as follows:
- TetraSan -- dilute 1/2 tsp. per gallon of water, or 1/4 tsp. per quart.
- Avid -- dilute 1/4 tsp. per gallon, or 12 drops per quart. Use an eyedropper, and 12 drops will be equivalent to 1/8 tsp.
A quart of each diluted product for spraying goes a long way for small collections like yours and mine. Maybe too long? We could go even smaller -- TetraSan 1/8 tsp. per pint (16 fl. oz.), Avid 6 drops per pint. My quarts of Avid and TetraSan last for about 2 years, and I do wonder if they might lose their effectiveness after a year in their diluted state. Such being the case, I think I'll get some pint spray bottles and whip up a batch of freshly diluted stuff.
It pays to follow instructions, and with regard to Avid here's a bit of info that escaped me until I visited The Flytrap Store's website a few days ago:
"Although slow acting, any mites treated with Avid are immobilized after exposure. Avid is active on the mobile life stages of mites, but inactive on eggs. Thus, multiple sprayings are recommend for maximum effectiveness. In our experience, Avid prevents infestations when used regularly, and can eradicate all generations of mites when used
three times, three days apart."
Yeah, I'll have to remember that next time I spray my cacti with Avid.
Also from The Flytrap Store, a good argument in favor of rotating between Avid and TetraSan:
"[TetraSan] is active on eggs, larvae, and nymphal stages of mites, but has minimal activity on adults. However, adult female mites that are treated will not produce viable eggs.
"TetraSan has both contact and translaminar activity, providing up to 28 days of control from a single application. The mode of action of TetraSan is as a chitin synthesis inhibitor. Chitin is the essential component of a mite's exoskeleton. TetraSan causes chitin to become brittle and thin and, as a result, mites die when attempting to molt from one life stage to the next."
I should probably update my "Mealies and flat mites and scale" presentation with the above information.