Kaolin Slurry Experiment For Spring
 

I've read posts about using kaolin-based Surround to help keep insects away from plants. It's given me an idea for next spring. I'm right in the heart of white kaolin country. Maybe I could make a thick kaolin slurry and paint it on the main squash stems next spring and see if it confuses the SVBs. Maybe the squash borers wouldn't recognize the stems and leave them alone.

Two days ago while at the feed & seed, I was telling the young lady who always helps me about this and she said that her dad is the boss at one of the nearby mines and she could get me some of that beautiful white kaolin to play with. She called the next day and said that she had some for me. Good grief, I just needed a cup or two and got a couple pounds in a brown paper bag! It's been processed into a fine white powder so I'm ready to play with it come spring.

Thanks for the post. This is the information that is the new thing I learned today. I had never heard of Kaolin or all the uses it has. Interesting.

We spray it on our bing cherry trees and it works great! It takes a few applications with an organic spreader/sticker to get a good enough coverage to keep the birds away. It also keeps the worms out of the cherries!

[QUOTE=PaulF;760308]Thanks for the post. This is the information that is the new thing I learned today. I had never heard of Kaolin or all the uses it has. Interesting.[/QUOTE]

Oh yeah, kaolin is used in a ton of stuff, from whitening paper in the paper making process, to white wall tires, porcelain making and Kaopectate! Some of the finest porcelain grade kaolin in the world is from this area. A lot is shipped to Japan for that purpose.

The mines around here dig it, process it into a fine powder and then make a slurry which is shipped out in tank cars by rail or road.

Best of luck with your experiment.
SVB's have been awful in my garden for the last few years.
I would gladly welcome a solution that doesn't include strong pesticides.