Bacillus thuringiensis

[lizaliz]

Hello Charles, It is good to be in contact with you again. An invaluable day with you several years ago set me on my way to happy veggie growing.

I would like your advice on Bacillus Thuringiensis Kurstaki. My garden is swathed in white fleece to protect the kale, cabbages and leeks but I took a risk with my Cavolo Nero and despite constant picking off of caterpillars when I am home (I have to travel frequently for my work) the poor plants – three feet tall – are a very sorry sight. I have read what I can online about Bacillus thuringiensis Kurstak but found little about where I can buy this product and whether it is really approved by organic gardeners. I have a medium size garden part of which is for flowers so the sight of so much fleece protection is something I would like to avoid if possible. Would you use BT-Kurstaki in my situation, and if so what supplier would you recomend?

With warm greeting
Liza Wedgwood

[Eileen44]

Charles, you mention in your recent August update that you were about to treat you brassicas with BT. I have searched for this product without success except at pro green where it is £45 /500g . Where do you buy yours?
BT seems to have been removed from the retail market.

[bluebell]

Hi Sadly BT has never been approved for retail sale in UK. Last time I looked it was availabel on ebay from a spanish source for about £8. Otherwise it is supposed to be for commercial growers only.

[charles]

I don’t know why Eileen, it is not available for gardeners. Too safe and effective probably! I am using old stock, not sure how long it stays effective, we shall see.

Otherwise if you know a professional, you could ask for a little of their big quantity, you need so little.

[derry@specialplants.net]

Bacillus thuringiensis available on Amazon and on ebay (cheaper).  Sometimes called Dipel or Thuricide.  

I have been using my original bottle of powder for 30 years and it is still just as effective.  I have read it does for clothes moths as well

[charles]

Thanks for this Derry, it’s great to know it lasts so long. Some of mine is five years old and still good. I have wondered how to use it against leek moth, but the caterpillars do a lot of eating where it is hard to spray.

[bluebell]

I didnt realy want to buy such a big quantity but knowing it lasts I think I will ahve to invest – not least because we still have a lot of catapillers about and if we dont get a frost soon it will start having an impact on early crops. I was silly enough to remove envirmesh about a month ago thinking that we would ahve frost soon!

[bluebell]

Having suffered from late caterpillers I thought I would invest in some Biothur – however having sourced from Spain the instructions are in Spanish – would anyone on here please be able to provide application instructions?

Thanks in advance

Jan

[charles]

My bt is in sachets of about a teaspoon, mix with half a litre until dissolved, then add water until two litres.

[charles]

My bt is in sachets of about a teaspoon, mix with half a litre until dissolved, then add water until two litres.

[Don Foley]

Hi all,
I got small sachets from a supplier here in Ireland last summer. I will look up their contact details and post them here later.
Don.

[Don Foley]

Hi All,
I got mixed up on this one. It was Pyrethrum that I got here from http://www.theorganiccentre.ie not the Bt.
I did get Bt from Spainish company ServoVendi through ebay. No problem with Customs. I questioned the Department of Agriculture on whether it was a banned substance but they couldn’t tell me one way or another! I suspect this is some obscure nonsensical EU Regulation at play here.
I will be buying further supplies this year from the same seller in Spain and would advise anyone to do likewise.

Don.

[bluebell]

Hi Dan
I checked with HMRC and apparently it should not be available to domestic users anywhere in the EU, however clearly some countries are stricter in the application than others, but his guidance was that there is no reason that is should be considered in anyway harmful unless you are a specific family of winged insect and the lack of availability was down to some obscure wording of EU legislation that was not aimed at this class of product. Ergo it was most unlikely to be stopped by customs.

[Don Foley]

Hi bluebell,
My thoughts exactly. I have kept the Emails I sent/received from the Dept. of Agriculture in the unlikely event I get a visit from Customs.
I think I might, just for the hell of it, ask the question of the EU Commission here in Dublin. I’m curious to see what twisted logic is at play here.
Don.

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