garden pest control – Hydroponic Economics

Natural Pest Control: AzaMax Applications

Words from the wise: Use your AzaMax applications carefully! The best way to spray your garden with this organic pest control is lightly! Azamax is Strong not harsh.

Step 1: Read over the AzaMax instructions. The bottle came with a little chart detailing the volume needed to obtain different strength solutions.

Step 2: Stay on the lower end of the chart when making your solutions. Remember – you can always spray the solution a few different times to ensure the plant is covered.

Step 3: Fill up a beaker or your spray bottle with water. You want to use something with liquid measurement so you can easily calculate how much Azamax to add. You will notice the Azamax has a self measuring compartment. Squeeze the bottle to get Azamax into the measurement area. Use enough liquid to require 2 -4 ml of Azamax so it is easy to measure.

Step 4: Mix the Azamax with the water to form your solution. Shake the bottle vigorously to completely mix the solution. This should only take about 10-15 seconds.

Step 5: As you spray your plants continue to gently shake your bottle. Continuous shaking will ensure the solution stays mixed throughout the spraying process.

Step 6: Spray the Azamax about 6- 8 inches from the plant depending on the power of your sprayer. The large hand pump sprays should use more distance to avoid plant damage.

Step 7: Spray directly on any pest sites or spider mite eggs. Spray the under sides of the leaves and the top of the soil or growth medium. Spraying the medium will kill hatching eggs nested away from light.

Use the Precipitator 360to get the undersides of the leaves easily.

It takes about 7-10 days for every insect to die off. You can spray again safely the seventh day. If you have a really bad infestation, you could try spraying every four or five days. If you do not have time for as many applications, try using a slightly stronger solution. Large quantities of any type of spray will affect the taste of your final product. Let us know how you use Azamax or any other Pest Control option in the comments below!

Get General Hydroponics AzaMax at Amazon today to protect your indoor garden investment. You can also read customer reviews here.

Does Azamax Affect Taste?

Many indoor gardeners are looking for organic pest control answers. Some growers forget about certain natural resources they should be using to help avoid pests. Natural pest guards are plants like garlic and fly eating plants. The indoor gardener faces a mini pest that is hard to detect and multiplies rapidly. The dreaded spider mite! Spider mites are indoor grower’s worst nightmare. General Hydroponics offers an OMRI listed pesticide that can kill spider mites. The solution can be used up to the day of harvest and can be sprayed on fruits and veggies.

I have played with Azamax myself to find if the residue would leave a taste on my harvest. The taste of Azamax will be left on your food depending on how you applied Azamax. If you can avoid bugs the last week of harvest you should be able to effectively rinse it out of the plant. Some growers use a final flush solution to clean their hydroponic plants. Mixing Azamax in the nutrient reservoir is effective for preventative pest control, and quick solutions. It is easy to put too much Azamax in your reservoir, but it is also easy to fix. Just add more plain water to your reservoir to help offset the percentage of Azamax.

Foliar applications are the quickest way to kill bugs using Azamax. I use 5ml Azamax per 2L of plain water for foliar applications. Using Azamax as an organic bug spray is very effective against spider mites. DO NOT WASTE YOUR SPRAYS! If you spray too much Azamax on your plants you will be left with a funky tasting food. The key is moderation and effective aiming. Mist the whole plant very lightly from a foot away to give it a spider mite shield. Directly spray the areas with the most spider mites. Spray the undersides of the leaves to kill hatching babies. Spider mites multiply very rapidly, but Azamax will slow down their reproduction. Azamax can affect the taste of your crop if you use too much. Follow the preventative pest control measures to move Azamax to your last resort.

Before harvest time spray your plants with plain water. Start spraying them 2 or 3 days before harvest to rinse off the Azamax residue. Don’t spray them under intense lighting because you will burn the leaves. Try feeding your plant only plain water right before harvest to flush the remaining Azamax. Finally dunk your crop in water as you cut it down to remove the rest of the dust, pests, and sprays.

Get General Hydroponics AzaMax at Amazon today to protect your indoor garden investment. You can also read customer reviews here.

Hydroponic Economics wants to know how your experience with Azamax has been! Kick off the conversation in the comments section below.

Review: Ortho Home Defense MAX

A lot of indoor gardeners have trouble getting rid of bugs and insects in the grow room and around the house. The aroma of fresh fruit and blooming flowers attract swarms of bugs and insects. Chemical pest control is not always the best route, but it can provide a secure block around the house. I tried spraying Home Defense Max outside around the perimeter of my house. I also sprayed the cracks in all the doorways and windows. Next, I sprayed a line on the floor around the kitchen. I used the whole bottle around my house after two separate applications about a week apart. If you plan to use Home Defense Max around your grow room or grow box, I would remove your plants from the room before spraying the areas you want to protect. Once the spray drys out and the room airs out you are safe to put your plants back in.

The bug spray is a chemical type of spray with a weird scent. It was not overwhelming though in comparison to some other sprays. I wouldn’t keep this bottle around the children, but I also wouldn’t keep salmonella carrying roaches around either. Make sure to spray with enough time that the zone will not be bothered so it can dry and air out. Despite the chemicals in Home Defense Max- the product seemed to work very well. At the time of spraying I actually wiped out a bunch of bugs just hanging out in the spots I was spraying. Those bugs could have reproduced and made many more bugs. Catch bug infestations early and you will be glad you did. Ortho’s Home Defense Max will help you with your current bug problem and prevent you from having another one.

Buy or read customer reviews of Ortho Home Defense Max here.