‘They don’t use organic fairy dust to control pests’ Here’s the list of approved natural and synthetic herbicides and pesticides

Credit: Hamish John Appleby (CC BY-ND 2.0)
Credit: Hamish John Appleby (CC BY-ND 2.0)

While much about modern farming techniques centers around the use of synthetic pesticides […] on large acreage, the question often comes up, “Does organic mean no pesticides?” The simple answer is no  […]

Just because a pesticide product is natural doesn’t mean it is less toxic than its synthetic counterpart. The dose, frequency of application, and mode of action all contribute to toxicity, and the severity is determined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

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Below are many of the substances, both synthetic and non-synthetics, used in organic farming and gardening (this list includes the rule update that was finalized in January 2019). […]

  • Copper: Copper hydroxide, copper oxide, copper oxychloride, includes products exempted from EPA tolerance […]
  • Copper sulfate: As a parasiticide, algicide, or plant disease control, application rates are limited to levels that do not increase baseline soil test values […]
[…]
  • Pheromones and pheromone traps
  • Plant-derived substances such as neem, caraway oil, seed fennel […]
  • Pyrethrins

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