DRENCHING

By Nancy Robitaille

Drenching is necessary when you have insects in the soil. Dunking would be a better term for those few times you need to dunk just the foliage in a solution. For foliar bugs and disease, the treatments are made fairly easily. A foliar spray usually does the job. Drenching is a whole other story.

Proper drenching in cases of soil insects means spraying both under and over the foliage to chase the bug to supposed safety in the soil. (Some soil born insects can and will go up into the foliage for safety.) Once the poison is on the foliage, the bugs won’t climb back but will go anywhere where there is less poison—even on wicks.
Measuring:

Careful measuring is very important. Poisons can be dangerous. Too much and you can harm the plant; too little and you won’t kill the enemy. When gallons, (imperial gallons in Canada), liters, mm, and cm as well as portions of a teaspoon are used for measuring it becomes very confusing to calculate how much of the poison you need for the quantity of water in your watering can.

Timing of Treatments:

Most drenches call for three treatments in order that you first get the adult bugs, then the second treatment would get the hatching baby bugs. The third treatment
should get the last of the bugs. These treatments should be spaced out in 5-7 days depending when the insects hatch.

Drenching:

In order to get a thorough drenching, start with the top, spraying thoroughly, then make solutions for the soil.

Safety precautions:

There is another very important aspect of using poisons. Poisons are often camouflaged in a less a frightening term, “chemicals”— but none-the-less, they are poisons that can put you in the hospital, or possibly kill a child or an animal.

It can not be stressed enough to always wear protective clothing. This includes long sleeves, high necked garments with plastic or rubber gloves. Eye precautions are also a good thing although eye glasses can be used as well. A thorough washing of exposed area is also necessary.

Doing the tiresome job:

The easiest way I have found is to work from the tray of plants in the plant room. The first time I had soil mealy bugs I took each tray into the kitchen where the poison and water was located. Each tray was carried to the kitchen for treatment. I poured from the watering can the solution over foliage and soil and took time to clean the mess afterwards.

My second outbreak was treated much differently. I brought each prepared watering can to the plant room and used a turkey baster for most of the job. A spray bottle was clearly marked “Poison” so as not to get mixed with other bottles for fertilizer. This time I carefully sprayed the foliage, then drenched the soil with a turkey baster. Pouring the liquid over the soil from a watering can often causes messy spills and that means you have to clean up the excess so plants won’t be burned. The turkey baster will have to be filled twice at least for larger pots in order for you to make a thorough job of it. 

Before drenching plants, they should be damp, not dry nor soaking. Soaking them before would dilute the poison solution. A dry plant might allow bugs to find a safe haven with no poison. Then you have a relapse.

One should never use these poisonous chemicals without concentrating on the job at hand. Remember not to smoke or eat anything when you are working.

Keep a deep respect for those cans and bottles of poison. Remember, they are supposed to be our safeguards, not our enemies.