How to Effectively Use Diatomaceous Earth (DE) in Your Garden: Wet & Dry Applications! 

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Some tips and opinions on using it wet like a spray for those who are interested 😊. Just a brief note I am an indoor gardener with a plant room and over a hundred plants, not an outdoor gardener, for context. I’ve used diatomaceous earth as a dry dusting power for pests in the past, including fungus gnats and had great success. Please do not overdo, all you need is an even dusting as you see this man doing here, NOT an inch thick layer on the top as I’ve seen some people do on Reddit. That will really dry out your roots and likely cause them to die off. For wet applications in a spray bottle, I think this method is best used as a *preventative* on the foliage, not as a treatment for an existing infestation in either soil or on the foliage. Spray application will apply a very, very thin, light layer that in my opinion is really not enough if you have mites, thrips or mealybugs already infesting your plants. Dry is best for that. But as a preventative in the spring, I think the wet spray application has its benefits, but do be aware you need a course spray bottle because the finer misters will clog. As a tip, try adding a few drops or a tablespoon of alcohol to your water so the diatomaceous earth spray with dry faster, as the alcohol will assist in the evaporation of water. Regardless of what application method you use, PLEASE WEAR A MASK WHEN APPLYING, an N95 is best for fine particulate matter. This stuff is like tiny shards of glass under a microscope, and if you’ve ever ran your hand over a layer of this stuff with any friction, you know how sharp it is. You don’t want this in your lungs, it can cause damage and scar tissue. No need to panic, not trying to scare anyone, just be cautious and with proper handling it’s relatively safe. Wet application is not less hazardous and is not a free pass to skip the mask, because the wet mist can easily be inhaled just the same as the dry powder.

I live in Rochester NY. We had an infestation of stink bugs inside and outside our home . They were in our closets, in our clothes. In the Christmas decorations we took out the next year. They were everywhere. We tried everything including an “Orkin man” with no success. I came across diatomaceous earth on You Tube a yr ago. I started out using a powder applicator around our windows. It worked. My husband hated the way the powder looked around the inside of the windows so he mixed some up in his sprayer, 1 cup/gallon of water. We sprayed the outside of the house, the Apple trees, the lilac bushes, the Hastas, the lilies, the raspberry bushes, the annual plants, the roses and the vegetable garden. Basically, we sprayed the entire outside of our house and yard. I can’t say enough good things about it. It works! Not only on stink bugs, but Japanese beetles, aphids, and whatever else is lurking around. And it’s not toxic to humans. And it’s cheap. I get it on Amazon. The brand I use is Harris Diatomaceous Earth Food Grade. I love it!!!

Gary, I use empty baby powder bottles, fill them up with the DE and shake away. Good thing about these bottles is you can control the amount of DE powder by adjusting the top, and you can close off the top for storage.

I use DE with water all the time, even for huge infestations. Works every. single. time! Love this stuff!

I live and worked in the Bronx in 2009. A bed bug infestation broke out at my job and staff was not informed. We were all affected, and this saved my life.

Late to the party, but applying with a turkey baster works well and a scroll through the comments didn't turn up anyone mentioning it.

I fill a baby powder container it has holes already.

I use leftover parmasean cheese containers for DE.

I just used an empty bottle of dawn dish soap. It worked great. Was super easy to put a decent size line all the way around my flowers and around the outside of my house to keep the spiders out😁 It was very easy to control and get into hard to reach areas. It also worked great as a puffer to cover the entire plant as well. All in all it worked out fantastically.

I had a couple infestations recently, one was in a bag of mulch I bought (ants) and I didn't notice it until I had already mulched the top of a couple 20 gallon containers, the other was a flying ant problem that started under my grow-station in the basement. I Used a liberal coating of DE on the mulch and the basement floor. In both cases it solved the problems. It was very interesting to watch the infestation in the basement, since it was directly under my growlight and the flying ants seemed attracted to the light. After 24 hours I would say 80% mortality rate, after 36 hours, they were eradicated.

i also discovered using DE against ants .. it is amazing and chemical free LOVE IT .. i also saw where a lady made a paste with the DE and used a sponge spplicator to put it onto the stems of her squash plants , i think i am going to be trying this also this year and i love the idea of being able to make a sprayable solution for the leaves

I take a hefty spoonful and electric blower. Hold the spoon under the intake and let it blast all over the greenhouse. Dispersed a fine coating in a large area. Simple

Just add your dry DE to an old sock, a hose or a fabric bag and shake all over, and under, the leaves and close to the stem. The DE dust may be thinner and will reach to all the plant.

I always use it dry. I try to do it before the plant flowers and never when the flowers are in bloom so as to minimize bee injury. I sprinkle a bit around the ground too for the crawlers before they get to the plant.

This is very good for earwigs. I use it all around my home and in garage around perimeters. I trust it for all my insect issues and have used it over 15 years. I highly recommend.

I did't know you could use it in water. That's a great idea! I also thought it was no good after it got wet. Good to know if it dries again it will still be effective. Thanks for the info!

I use a powder (baby powder) shaker. It works wonderful.

Excellent instruction.I have heard about using DE for years,but never was shown the best way to use it,until now .

This really worked amazingly well. I used the dry dusting. There is an absolute flea beetle massacre present now, all the stems of the plants they were eating are covered in dead flea beetles. It only took about 5-7 days to knock them out. Fantastic solution for me. Thanks!

I used to use it not only for self but plants. Unfortunately, bag found way to shed and lost. Thank you for reuniting the nontoxic pesticide.

I'm down here in south Florida battling pickle & melon worms like I'm John Rambo and just found this video a few days ago. this really works! I sprayed it on wet, and once dried it looks like a thin white-ish coating on your leaves. thank you for sharing! I wish I had found this sooner.

Have a major boxelder bug problem this stuff worked like a charm most are gone and the ones ive seen today have powder all over them so their days are numbered too

I bought one of those dustin mizers a couple years ago , junk in my opinion. I prefer a parmesan jar with larger holes does a nice job , puts the stuff out where I want it for the DE. I use for the aphids that attack my tomato plants each year. Should also help for the mites.

I had a pretty decent infestation of thrips that snuck in my indoor Cannabis beds Cover crop. I used neem and other organic inputs to no avail whatsoever.Once I added sticky traps and applied the dry powder to the soil under the plants and the top of the raised bed and It’s been 48 hours and I have only been able to find one adult thrip. It’s important to shake up the plants so that the thrips fall off into the diatomaceous earth. I had been using Grandevo aloe and Quijaja with some results but the diatomaceous earth kills the eggs and pupa that hatch and fall to the soil (Grandevo is not an Ovicide )which is a significant part of the life cycle that most gardener’s don’t know existed or fail to treat. Once I took care of the pupa in the soil there wasn’t much left 🤷‍♂️ If they return I can go to the wet spray to finish them off 😂

I didn’t have an applicator for a dry application, so I used a flour sifter. Worked perfectly.

We use food grade around our floor boards and dust the cracks of the windows and ceiling. I found a duster on Amazon. Its keeps away all bugs. No ants, no mites, no spiders, no stink bugs, no earwigs...nothing since we've put it down.

I am going to try this for flea beetles eating holes in my lettuce. Thank you so much!

This year I went to the 100% neem and seemed to work pretty well for aphids and japanese beetles. But as you commented ants tend to mine the aphids to plants and especially tomato plants. Next season I plant to start early applying DE around the base and said plants and neem as a spray. One problem with recipe for neem on my gal sprayer. 1 tbls and 1 tbls oil tends to bog down my sprayer. I have cut the oil back to about 1 tsp just enough to allow the neem to mix. Certainly watering first will allow the DE to stick to leaves and ground and be effective when the water dries.

DE is my go to garden and pet pest powder. My friend uses sevin dust, but I am 100% organic. I however didn't know I could use it in water!! This is gonna change my life, THANX!!!!

I came to this video bc I have a bunch of crickets coming into my house and a few ppl recommended this product, I wanted a visual of how to apply it properly to the outside of my house. Ty. I hope it works.

I'm going to use Diatomaceous Earth for my garden this year! I battled Squash bugs and beetles last year. Thank you!

The bag I bought came with a diffuser that you squeeze and it throws a small cloud. More efficient.

Thanks, I just got a bag of DE for the indoor garden. I will look forward to get rid of the tiny flies in a week.

Very informative video... I havent used DE in my garden yet. I plan to this season. I did just use it in my house. I purchased a bag of bird seed that had Grain Weevils in it and they got into my house. With allot of vacuuming and then putting DE along the baseboards in the infested spots. DE pretty much wiped them out thankfully. Weevils are no fun!

I have my first DE coming today. I have trouble with flea beetles and earwigs. I hope it will take care of earwigs on my potatoes?

I called the manufactuer of a pesticide DE...a scientist there said all the same. FDA requires different labeling if intended for human ingestion. We use it for intestinal cleansing...still alive here:)!

I was having an issue with cucumber beetles, but one application of dry DE pretty much took care of it.

QUESTION: to protect pollinators, when is the best time to apply DE?

I have used it in my house as we live in a “biggie” area. Works great!

The comments are great. I'd like to add that, as you did with your squash stem. you can do similar with celery. The problem I've had with celery is snails and slugs occupying the tight center where you can't reach them manually. They do some big damage, also leave nearly every stalk very unappetizing. Same goes for the earwigs that are endemic in my area.

I have slugs! I pick them off - I'm hoping I can control them with DE. Thank you so much for showing me how to apply AND the reminder regarding pollinators!

I bought this power & hand pump duster. I know this is a stupid question, but how do avoid too much power coming out. And when it does, will it hurt the plants

Mixing with water makes DE so much easier to control. No waste and easier to get on all surfaces of the plant.

Had to get a refresher course ! (Cucumber beetles much earlier this year.) -- thanks again Gary.

I put a scoop in an extra kitchen strainer and shake it. It gives a sifting action that disperses it

The eggplant you dusted was in bloom. Pollinators land on leaves of plants too. DE doesn't work for snails and slugs in case anyone is wondering. I set slugs and snails in a testing tub that had a light dusting of DE in the bottom. They stayed alive for well over a week. They finally died. Probably from starvation or thirst. DE didn't effect them at all.

I know this isn't about gardening but could you help me? I found my laundry with tons of small white worms, idk what they are. They were also damp because of a leak, it rained heavily. What do I do? Should I just spray this thing everywhere? There's some spots sprinkling it can't reach.

I just have to say, this stuff works! I've been having an ant problem. I sprinkled it in cracks around the house around the ant trail, and followed the trail outside to their hole....poured some along the trail and into the hole. It was around 5pm and when I checked on it later around 11pm, they were ALL gone. It works!

I'm excited to try this, but if it harms your beneficial bugs how do you use DE and still get pollinators?

Noticed you have blossoms on some the plants where you put the DE . So there is the dilemma , we dont want the pollinators getting the dust on them and dying.

Love to use diatomaceous! I work at a greenhouse and please I advise you where gloves😢🧤

I love this stuff. I put some on the leaves as well as on top of the soil in between watering with mosquito bits. It appears to control those pests that was making my life miserable.

I've read the saying "if you see white, it ain't right." with DE. Might want to consider a different application method than this. PS: It's not recommended to breath in. I like the water application - gonna try that. It looks like a lot less loss, more precise, and shouldn't have to worry about the inhalation dangers. Currently, I use a small pump duster applicator and try to apply a "fog" (staying up wind). It's done real well this year for most every pest I've seen in my garden thus far.

This is really great information. Thank you for providing it to everyone. Is this safe for the fruits or veggies that grown on the plant? You mention using it once a week or so. Eventually, my plants will blossom and produce veggies etc. Do I just rinse it off the veg and eat or do I do something else?

Is this safe to do when the plant already has fruit like for example my zucchini plant has a lot of babies growing and some are starting to die, can I spray the zucchini?

Just tried this - spending a fortune on neem oil but did this this time...wonder too if it keeps blackish moldish stuff away too because keeps leaves drier.

Wil DE work on Mexican bean beetles? I have a heavy infestation on my green beans.... should I use NEEM oil right away?

Ty 4 this vid bcuz I wasnt sure if having that type of coating was good or bad. & I didnt know u can do it wet. Happy gardening Gary :-)

What’s the ratio for powder and water? I have a tree and these Japanese beetles are destroying the leaves. Was thinking powder but I can’t reach high with the powder so planning on trying out the powder & water method. Do you have any tips on destroying Japanese beetles?

I discovered an aphid population explosion on my pepper plant that I brought indoors to save it from the frosts. I'll give this a try.

Thanks for the shaker idea.

Again, I had decided to give up growing squash because of squash bugs & SVB infestations every year. As a LAST RESORT I tried peppermint essential oil 1 tsp per gallon of water & spray on plants once they germinate. I have the most awesome plants this year - and NO BUGS. I am spraying every other evening but want to experiment with less frequency.

1pound or 4cups of DC to a gallons of water. Hope this helps someone for calculating measurements for liquid concentration

I know this may not be the appropriate video to ask but.....I recently started removing the sod in the spot I'm going to garden. There seems to be a large amount of white grubs in the soil. How do I get rid of them short of anything poisonous or detrimental to the soil life? I destroyed everyone I found but I am certain there are many more. And on average I am finding 2 per square foot. Do you think I'm wasting my time even planting here? On the good side, I have also found hundreds of red/earthworms, and the soil just under the grass is rich and beautiful!

Thaaannk You!!🫡 I have exhausted myself trying to find a channel that explains how to mix and apply wet Diatomaceous Earth.😮‍💨😵‍💫😱 Also,thanks for your well informed comments section.

I have a 6 foot Moringa Tree. I believe it is infested with spider mites. I tried adding about 4 tablespoons of DE to my 2 gallon garden sprayer. I did a find mist spray all around the tree on top of the leaves, underneath and at the base. We shouldn't have any rain here in South Florida for a week or so. I also did a spray on my cucumbers, squash and a few other edible plants as a precaution. My cucumber plants were devastated 2 months ago from tiny green somethings. My new cucumbers are doing better as I finally rid the original infestation. Now it is preventative. If the water mixture works, I'll be happy. Thanks for the info

Hey Gary, how's life Brother, I'm finding the grubs in my tomato gardens in huge amounts, but when I dig down 6"-12" deep. Will this be effective since they are all in the earth and not the surface. Will watering in DE handle my problem or would milly spores or nematodes be a better choice ? My Early Girl and Romas are growing very slowly, thank you!

this will work on all insects that have an exoskeleton, so if not sure just look up the insect. if it has an exoskeleton it will kill them, iuse it inside and out. I love the channel and Gary is always to the point

I use condiment bottles to "squirt" the powder around the leaves also. I just ordered the upside down sprayer though to use the liquid for the bottoms of my leaves. My eggplant leaves don't look nearly as pretty as yours....yet :P

Thank you! I will apply this to my cantaloupe vine

I love diatomaceous earth. Cheap and fast way to eliminate wasp nests, too.

How much do we use in a soil mix for plant before planting? Say in a 10inch pot?

This was two years ago hw good was the outcome.... did it prevent bugs?

Gary,, I get the aphids on my tomato plants every year. I already have the diatomaceous earth so I drilled some holes in a empty peanut container lid and it works reasonably well for distributing the powder. Yes Ive already seen evidence of their presence.

Hi, Gary... Can I use DE on all my plants.. Tomatoes, peppers, corn, beans, cantaloupe, ect as well as on the ground for ants ect?

How do you stop the soil from completely drying out from the diatomaceous earth. Should I add new soil on the top and then add it ?

I feel like, all you would really need is the sprayed application, for top and bottom. He puts way too much on top, especially once a week. But really thank you for the video, it only helped me learn.

What do you suggest for an early mealybug infestation on my tomato plants

Awesome video, thank you for this! I had no idea you could apply it wet. I'm at my wit's end with these vine weevils destroying my heuchera. Every time I try to apply the DE dry, there's always some slight breeze and I can't get it to land on my plants.

Sprinkling it dry on potted haworthias growing in greenhouse to control mealies.

At 3:18 The bee was like 🐝 - - - - “hey guys! *👋* “just here to pollinate some flowers!” then you were like 🤜🏼 💥 and the bee went 👁👄👁 Poor bee😔

So just to be 100 percent sure it is ok to get a little on your skin..bc I started using it and I wear gloves bc I’m just extra cautious

It is also a fertilizer, as the dead Diatoms are Calcium and Silica.

How do you give water to the plant from the Bottom? But the slugs eat all my seedlings how do I do? Shall I put on the earth?

Can I use the same DE in my garden that I use for my swimming pool?

I'm thinking of using it for Japanese beetles. Hope it helps.

Can you use the diatomaceous earth for hair growth for your garden

Every time it rains I have to reapply or does it last through a few rains?

Has anyone tried using a makeup powder brush for dry application? Like a large foundation or blush brush? I have a huge pest issue with my watermelon plants, aphids i think, and I want to apply carefully on the underside of leaves and not on the tops since the plants are in bloom and I want to protect any pollinators as much as possible. The wet method looks ineffective for the severity of the problem. I’ve already tried neem and other essential oils, and im losing the battle. It’s my first time doing a sizable garden and I was Soo looking forward to my watermelons!

Will this hurt the worms in my garden? Does it eventually wash down and scrape up their bodies?

I saw a video where a gardener painted the stems on squash plants with a mix of DE, water and children's glue. (probably Elmers) This supposedly kept the borers from chewing into the vine. Have you ever tried this? I was thinking of trying this using wood glue because it would be more resistant to water.

Today for the first time I😮 used diatomacous earth...😅😊 Especialy my tomatoes Because of all the insects. I hope by the time,next year my garden tomatoes will Be healthy tomatoes ...

The brand 'Garden Safe', in their Q &A, said that the product is not to be used directly on vegetable or fruit trees. They mentioned using it only as a barrier. I am so confused niw.

Thanks for video, It is my go to, use it regularly and is cheap. Grab a spoon full go under plant a propel up into center o it, a little over top. then shack plant. If not enough lands on soil I will through more under it. yes I make it snow. No gnats, flies, aphids, mites. Never on flowers not trying to kill bees. even found a stink bug who got covered on a tomato plant died a slow death. have a good grow.

will this work on white flys...I have them in my green house and need something that's safe to use near fish..I have a aquaponic system....

I have an applicator that I use to spray them on top of the leaves, but how do I get the powder on the underside of the leaf do I have to?

Hi, how many spoons can be added to the water before spraying the plants?!

I bought a pump sprayer in the bag of d e not food grade. We're supposed to have rain all weekend I guess I'll try to use it dry first

I put bagged Scott's brown mulch on the ground portion around my pool. Within several days I began to see bug infestation an exterminator called as psocids. I put DE powder on the mulch because the exterminator showed me the psocids were in the mulch by digging into it. Will this earth be a good idea and if not, what could I use. I got the bugs out of the pool several times and made sure pool is properly balanced but after hours they return. Am I on the right path to resolving this horrible problem by using DE?