Worry Free Brand

Has anybody heard of or used Worry Free Brand Dust by Garden Tech? I bought some because it says derived from chrysanthemum flowers and I'm wondering if its organic/safe.

Does the company have a website that you can check it out on?
I've never heard of it but alway interested in a new weapon in my arsonal.

Kay

The company web site http://m.worryfreebrand.com/dust has this to say about the product contents.
CAUTION:
KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN
See additional precautionary statements and directions for use on label
ACTIVE INGREDIENTS:
Pyrethrins...................................0.10%
Other Ingredients.....................99.90%
TOTAL...................................100.00%
Contains 0.001 lbs. active ingredient per lb.
I will wait for more discussion to form an opinion on this product.

pyrethrins are derived from mums.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrethrins

organic does not imply safety--marijuana is totally organic--and sometimes what makes something safe to use is not where it comes from but how it is used and how much is used. that is why radiation, which occurs naturally in the universe, can both kill and heal.

i would not hesitate to use this product but i would probably attempt other controls first, simply because i am cheap and would rather make something at home i can crow about later, or if it turns out i have to eat said crow, it will at least be composed of known ingredients.

I always worry about what's in those "other ingredients" they don't specify on the bottles. But I also currently don't have the energy to do what Rowena does, so unless I can con my guys into doing it for me I have to use store-bought.

Usually the "other ingredients" are inert fillers. If there were any other controlled or hazardous substances they would have to be listed on the label by law.

I looked up the MSDS sheet and found the following composition:

COMPONENT(s)	% BY WEIGHT
Pyrethrins	0.100 %
Amorphous Silica	10-15 %
Calcium Sulfate	50-85 %

The range of values for the "inert" ingredients is pretty common practice.

As already pointed out, pyrethrins are derived from flowers and are therefore "organic" but the term 'organic" and "safe" are not interchangeable. Some of the most dangerous substances occur naturally - botulism toxin is a classic example.

My undergrad degree is in environmental toxicology so this sort of discussion is right up my alley. keep this in mind: for every chemical in any organisms 1) There is a high dose that is acutely toxic and lethal 2) there is a lower dose that will have adverse chronic effects on the health of the organism 3) there may be a lower dose that is stimulatory or beneficial 4) there is a very low dose that will have no effect (from Pesticides and the Environment course manual, University of Guelph, 2004).

In other words "All things are poison, and nothing is without poison; only the dose permits something not to be poisonous" (Paracelus, "the father of toxicology")

IMO this product is "safe" since the only active ingredient (pyrethrins) 1) are applied in low doses 2) are rapidly degraded in the environment 3) are rapidly metabolized and excreted in the body 4) has low mammalian toxicity.

hopefully you find this post to be helpful.

Jason

Not sure but aren't pyrethrins toxic to cats?

Pyrethrins are toxic to bees so please try to aviod dusting or spraying it when bees are active.

toledobend wrote:Not sure but aren't pyrethrins toxic to cats?

See http://www.cat-world.com.au/pyrethrin-a-pyrethroid-poisoning - seems to me like the natural pyrethnis have a good safety factor with cats if used correctly, whereas the sythetic pyrethoids are much toxic to cats.

Lindacol wrote:Pyrethrins are toxic to bees so please try to aviod dusting or spraying it when bees are active.

Good point. from the MSDS:

This product is highly toxic to bees exposed to direct treatment on blooming crops or weeds. Do not apply this product or allow it to drift to blooming crops or weeds while bees are actively visiting the treatment area.

That may be reason enough to not use it, or at least use it with caution. For example, dusting the soil and low part of the plants away from the flowers might be okay, but dusting flowers to deal with cucumber beatle for example might be a mistake. We need all the bees we can get!

Interesting link

Pyrethrins are very toxic to fish and other aquatic invertebrates.

Yet another creature that we like having around.

I worry about anything labeled 'So easy to use', 'Worry free' and the like, as it usually means I should be paying more attention than usual.

Why not just grow lots of chrysanthemums .....