Member discussion regarding the methods, varieties and merits of growing tomatoes.
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#1 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Illinois, zone 5a
Posts: 579
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I've read the labels on Daconil, Soap Shield copper spray, and Safer Insecticidal Soap. They make it sound like you have to go full Breaking Bad with a respirator and hazmat suit! I do have some regard for my health, and sprays can drift or get on you if you're contorting yourself to get under leaves, so I know reasonable caution is called for. I guess I'm just wondering how others with more experience interpret reasonable caution. So, what do you wear when you spray products like the ones I mentioned?
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#2 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: ohio
Posts: 4,350
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At the very least we wear a respirator and long sleeves and pants, with socks and boots. We should wear gloves but we always forget to get them out. Shame on us. But at the very least cover your skin and wear a respirator mask, not a dust mask.
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carolyn k |
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#3 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: CT
Posts: 290
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Perhaps some will come me irresponsible, but I wear whatever I happened to be wearing that day.. Usually jeans and a t-shirt.. I just try to be mindful with not deliberately breathing anything in, or spraying it on my skin.. Although I've had a few shots of neem to the arm with no adverse effects lol .. IMO if I need protective clothing to apply a product, then perhaps it shouldn't be on or around something I'm about to consume anyways..
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#4 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Valencia, CA
Posts: 258
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Honestly, I don't wear anything for safety except glasses by default. My protocol is very simple, since I spray in the evening, and it gets all over me, I shower and scrub immediately afterwards and clothes go in the hamper. For the most part, the organic stuff is very user friendly. If there was a "danger" on the label, that would be a different story. I think the big scary label is more for a better legal position. I mean heck, neem oil is in certain lotions and creams yet the label says to scrub exposed area for 20 minutes AND call poison control...Puhleeezzzzz.
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Fun FIRST, safety second... ![]() |
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#5 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: CT
Posts: 290
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#6 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: NC - zone 8a - heat zone 7
Posts: 4,916
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Other than my normal everyday clothing (long sleeve shirt, long pants) , I just wear eye protection.
I spray when there is no winds. and I spray away from myself. Only concern is when I spray the under side of the leaves (holding the nozzle in upward position), to avoid droplets from getting into my eyes. After the job just wash up |
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#7 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Cache Valley, N/E of The Great Salt Lake
Posts: 1,244
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The only thing that I spray on my crops is irrigation water, so therefore, no protective gear for me.
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#8 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: virginia
Posts: 735
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#9 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 4,488
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I almost never spray either. I sometimes spray compost tea or Bt. Those are harmless. All last year though I never even needed BT!
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Scott AKA The Redbaron "Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted & thoughtful observation rather than protracted & thoughtless labour; & of looking at plants & animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single-product system." Bill Mollison co-founder of permaculture |
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#10 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Honey Brook, PA Zone 6b
Posts: 399
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Until this year had a spray license (let it expire).
Minimum is long sleeve and pants + rubber boots + spray gloves -- cloth gloves could make exposure much worse! If not doing weed killing but spraying plants (particularly fruit trees), respirator. Used to drive me crazy when I'd drive by someone spraying something on lawn in t-shirt or even shorts!!! If I'm just doing weed killing (spraying ground), I might go onto other things first, but otherwise and eventually the clothing goes into the washer (and gets a 2nd rinse cycle) and I get a shower. NOTE: Just because something is labeled ORGANIC, does not mean the spray is non-toxic!!! Note: I'm not spraying much these days. I had an older friend who developed very bad Parkinson's. He had never been very careful about exposure and sincerely believed his disease was caused by his spray exposure (hard/impossible to prove). It eventually became so bad that he took his own life. ![]() Quote:
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#11 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: ohio
Posts: 4,350
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Read the label and do follow the directions for amounts and personal protection recommendations, they are there to keep you safe. I grow about two acres of produce so I know I am spraying greater quantities than most of you who do spray ( we have apple trees and they require spraying in order to harvest a sale-able) and I grow to sell so I depend on having a crop but I try to keep it to a bare minimum, but there are still things that need to be sprayed on occasion or on a schedule such as the apples.
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carolyn k |
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#12 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: PNW
Posts: 486
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I've used Safer products without worrying about protection. I also used to work in an electroplating shop and had to wear a 'spacesuit' from time to time because the chemicals were so bad. I certainly don't worry about insecticidal soap.
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#13 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: NE Louisiana, Zone 8A
Posts: 1,179
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Usually shorts and sandals
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#14 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Illinois, zone 5a
Posts: 579
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Thanks for all the responses so far, guys! I knew there would be a wide variety of responses due to both personal philosophy and also because there is a wide variety of products that people use. But I do find the feedback very helpful.
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#15 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 132
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I just spray compost teas to kill insects so I don't wear protective gear. One of the main reasons I grow food is so I can get food that didn't have chemicals sprayed on it.
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