Green soap – a biological product for protecting plants from pests

Author: Elena N. https://floristics.info/ru/index.php?option=com_contact&view=contact&id=19 Category: Fungicides Published: December 10, 2011Republished: February 10, 2019Last edits: March 12, 2021

Any gardener, gardener and florist is familiar with such a product as green soap. It is safe, compatible with other drugs and effective in both pest control and the destruction of pathogens. You will learn about what this drug is and what its properties are from our article.

Purpose of green soap

Green soap, or potassium soap, or green potash soap is a means for the preventive treatment of plants against damage by pests and fungal diseases. It is used as an ingredient in self-prepared mixtures for treating plants against:

• aphids,
• scale insects,
• false scale insects,
• whiteflies,
• mealybugs,
• spider mites.

And the alkaline environment created on the surface of plants by this drug inhibits the development of fungal infections:

• powdery mildew,
• rust,
• late blight,
• cytosporosis
• and gray rot.

Efficacy of the drug

The greatest effectiveness when using green soap to protect plants is achieved in the initial stages of their damage. If pests or diseases are widespread, it is better to use it as a fixing agent after treatment with stronger insecticides.

The spectrum of action of the drug is wide. Thus, it is used in combination with fungicides (usually copper sulfate) in the fight against fungal diseases - powdery mildew, fungal spotting and others.

When there are a large number of pests and severe infestation of plants by them, there is a need to use pesticides:

• pyrethroids - Intavir, Decis, Kinmiks, Arrivo;
• organophosphates – Karbofos;
• neonicotinoids - Confidor, Aktar or others.

The addition of green soap makes the solution used more sticky, forming a stable film on the surface of the leaves, and therefore more effective.

The scope of effective use of green soap is wide. Thanks to its natural composition, it can be used not only in gardening, but as a household detergent (cleanses dirt and dust), for washing tools, in restoration work, and veterinary practice.

The drug is produced by various domestic brands, “Fasco”, “Green Belt” and others, in containers of different volumes, but has a similar composition.

Effect of green soap

Green soap has insecticidal and fungicidal properties, it also enhances the effect of pesticides and chemical fungicides. Green soap is not literally soap; it is a green or brown mixture with a soapy adhesive base. The composition of the drug includes potassium salts of fatty acids, animal fats (lamb fat and solid fats of cattle), water and natural vegetable oils - soybean or sunflower.

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After spraying a composition that contains green soap, an environment is formed on the treated surfaces that prevents the development of parasites and carriers of infections. Pests lose the opportunity to reproduce and feed on the tissues and sap of the treated plant, because not only the plant, but also their bodies are covered with a film of fats and salts after spraying. This film prevents parasites from breathing and their larvae from developing.

The main advantage of green soap is its safety for people, animals, beneficial insects and plants.

How to get rid of weevils on strawberries

To save the strawberry harvest, gardeners use various methods:

• preventive,
• mechanical,
• chemical,
• biological,
• folk remedies.

And it doesn’t matter which method you choose. It is much more important to carry out the treatment at the right time. And it is very important not to miss this time. The guideline for processing is the peduncles that appear above the base of the rosette when the buds are still collected in a group and not isolated. When the flower stalks rise and become spreading, it is too late to process.

Instructions for using green soap

Treatment of plants in open and protected ground

Natural sediment in green soap is considered normal. Before use, the container with the drug must be shaken.

Spray the plants with a 2.5-4% solution of the drug. When used together with pesticides, the soap concentration should be 0.4-1%. Treatment is carried out no more than 3 times per season and no later than 5 days before harvest. Against eggs and larvae of pests, the drug solution is sprayed in early spring, before the buds swell. You can treat the plant with green soap just before winter arrives.

Treatment of garden plants

Preparation of the emulsion: 40-50 g of green soap are dissolved in 1 liter of boiling water. After the mixture has cooled to 50 ºC, 2 liters of kerosene are poured into it with constant stirring. This sour cream-like mixture does not separate and remains suitable for treating plants for several days. To spray trees, this mixture must be diluted with warm water, increasing the volume by 2 times. If the leaves on the trees are still green, then the solution is diluted with water 12-14 times. Treatment is carried out in the evening or in cloudy weather. Spraying with a 0.4-1 percent solution of green soap is used to prevent damage to garden trees and cultivated plants by scab, rust, powdery mildew, late blight and other fungal diseases.

Fighting diseases on indoor plants

The appearance of powdery mildew, spotting and rust on indoor plants can be prevented by treating them with a solution prepared according to this recipe: in one container, 2 g of copper sulfate is dissolved in 1 liter of water, and in another container, 20 g of green soap is dissolved in the same amount of water. Then the solutions need to be mixed and immediately treated with plants.

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Folk remedies + green soap

Green soap is also added to herbal insecticidal decoctions and infusions:

• A tobacco-soap solution is used against sucking pests. 10 liters of sixty-degree water are poured into 1 kg of tobacco waste, infused for 24 hours and filtered. 2 liters of this solution are mixed with 10 liters of water, and then 20-25 g of green soap are added to the composition;
• stir 3 tablespoons of wood ash into 10 liters of warm water, leave for 24 hours, then add 40 g of green soap and use immediately;
• against spider mites, aphids and scale insects, use the following mixture: 20 g of mustard powder and 200 g of green soap are dissolved in 9 liters of water. Then, with constant stirring, pour in 2 g of copper sulfate for each liter of solution. This mixture also helps get rid of powdery mildew on currants, gooseberries and strawberries.

Grapes are the “sun”

This is what the favorite culture was called in an old children's song. Today, more and more summer residents are engaged in growing grapes. They make a lot of efforts to protect the fragile bush from attacks by annoying insects and all kinds of diseases. It turns out that green soap and grapes go wonderfully together. The use of an insecticide has a positive effect on the integrity of the vine and crop yield. Ripe berries filled with juice will definitely please gardeners if they spray the bushes in time.

It is best to do this on a warm, windless and dry day. A soap solution against pests is prepared in the usual way: 250 ml of the substance is enough for 1 bucket of water. During the season, the vine is sprayed 2 or 3 times. The procedure begins from the root part of the plant, trying to direct the stream to places where pests are concentrated. After 12 days, spraying is repeated.

Treatment of grapes against fungal diseases is carried out evenly throughout the plant.

Precautionary measures

• Use soap only for spraying plants, but do not add it to root treatment solutions.
• Do not use green soap for household purposes: do not wash your hands with it or wash things.
• When working with the drug, protect your eyes with goggles and your hands with rubber gloves.
• After finishing work, thoroughly rinse the sprayer and the container in which the solution was prepared.
• In case of contact with mucous skin or eyes, rinse the solution with plenty of water.
• To achieve the effect, strictly follow the instructions and dosage of the drug.
• Using a product for indoor plants, first cover the earthen ball with film, securing it to the trunk of the plant.

Areas of use of the product

In the garden and vegetable garden, for most plants, green soap is a protector against many pests. These include aphids, bedbugs, scale insects, cutworm caterpillars, thrips, pennies, soil flies, leaf rollers, spider mites and some other species, psyllids, false scale insects and other insects.

It should be noted that the drug is not omnipotent: it will weakly protect plants from whiteflies, some types of mites and scale insects, or will be completely powerless in the fight against them.

To enhance the effect, before using soap separately or as part of complex solutions, it is necessary to ensure the accuracy of its dilution.

Although green soap can perform the functions of a detergent, its main purpose is to care for plants:

• Berry bushes are sprayed twice a year - in the spring before flowering, and also after the end of the harvest. By the way, large stems or leaves of plants in the garden can be soaped with a liquid product, and not just sprayed;
• fruit trees - apple, plum, pear, cherry - need early spring preventive treatment, which can be repeated throughout the season;
• in garden beds - spraying of potatoes is carried out as needed. Cucumbers, tomatoes, all types of cabbage are processed as a preventive measure at the seedling stage, and garlic, strawberries and onions - during the growing season;
• the use of green soap for indoor plants and flowers is appropriate throughout the year;
• Ornamental trees and outdoor plantings require treatment for disease symptoms or pest infestations, and flower crops require treatment during budding and flowering. When spraying, it is recommended to avoid contact with ovaries and already opened flower stalks.

Reviews

Irina: I have been using green soap for several years, and I always have it in stock. I treat trees and shrubs, as well as indoor plants, with a solution of this drug before the buds swell. I don’t use chemicals because I have small children. The product is reliable, cheap, harmless and environmentally friendly.

Pyotr Nikolaevich: sprayed a solution of green soap on the cucumbers that were inhabited by aphids. I don’t use chemicals, but before that I treated the beds with garlic infusion, dusted them with wood ash, and the aphids didn’t seem to decrease in number. After spraying the leaves with green soap, the number of pests gradually decreased. After a few days the pests were gone.

Anna Semyonovna: my indoor plants suffered from mealybugs, which I brought home along with the orchid. I was in such a hurry to get her into the best place that I forgot about quarantine. As a result, the pests colonized three neighboring flowers. Treatment with Fitoverm did not give any special results, Fufanon also did not help much. I realized that I couldn’t get rid of scale insects quickly, so I began treating all the flowers with green soap every week. The scale insects have disappeared.

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Official website and manufacturer's recommendations: https://www.technoexport.ru/household/catalog/herb-protection/insect-pests/zelenoe-mylo-sprey-prosto

Advantages and disadvantages of the method

Treatment with green soap against aphids and other pests is quite effective. This method has several undeniable advantages.

Green soap is effective against a wide range of pests

Pros:

• very affordable price;
• absolute safety for humans, animals, bees;
• short waiting times;
• can be used on almost all plants.

Minuses:

• short period of protective action - it is necessary to carry out several treatments with an interval of 3-5 days;
• the composition is very easily washed off with water, so if the weather is rainy, the desired result will not be achieved.

Prevention measures

Timely and proper care of strawberry plantings is the most effective and affordable way to combat weevils. What is the care for strawberries?

1. Timely weeding, loosening of rows, mulching of plantings;
2. Do not grow strawberries next to raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries;
3. With the onset of autumn, be sure to cut off the leaves, water the bed of weeds, and irrigate the bed with any insecticide. This is how you will not give the weevil a chance to stay over the winter.

Have a good harvest!