Plant Probiotic (EM-1) that got rid of whitefly

For those of us in the cold northern areas activating EM-1 during the winter months can be very challenging. The activation process requires that the mixture of water, molasses, and EM mother be kept warm, around 85ºF. Since we keep our house in the low 70's during the winter months, it is difficult to keep the bottle of liquid that warm. But, I found an easy way to keep the liquid warm while it is going through the activation process.

At the dollar store I found an inexpensive Styrofoam cooler which was tall enough to hold the 1 gallon bottle of liquid. I placed a thermostatically controlled aquarium heater in the bottom of the cooler, and added enough water to the cooler to completely cover the heater. I set the thermostat on the heater to 87ºF and put the lid on the cooler. The warmed water allowed the cooler to act as a incubator for the EM-1 to activate.

The process worked so well that the next day I had to vent off a significant amount of pressure from the bottle of EM-1, and for several days afterward. On the sixth day the pH registered at 3.8, showing that the activation was nearly complete. Keeping the bottle of EM in the "incubator" greatly improved the process of activating it.

This is the method I saw for germinating seeds.  Aquarium heater, cooler, water...  trays of seed blocks held above the water bath.  Moved to a shelf with lights once germinated.

What aquarium heater did you buy/find, please?  I saw many reviews with quality problems.

Soose wrote:What aquarium heater did you buy/find, please?  I saw many reviews with quality problems.

The one that I have is a little bit of an overkill for what I am currently using it for, I bought a higher-power one to heat the 25-gallon tank that I make compost tea in.  But, they have the same style in lower power for smaller tanks.  Mine is an earlier version of this one:
https://www.amazon.com/HITOP-Adjustable-Aquarium-Submersible-Thermostat/dp/B07MFX85R6?th=1

OhioGardener wrote:

Soose wrote:What aquarium heater did you buy/find, please?  I saw many reviews with quality problems.

 Mine is an earlier version of this one:
https://www.amazon.com/HITOP-Adjustable-Aquarium-Submersible-Thermostat/dp/B07MFX85R6?th=1

Will 25 watts be enough? Ty! ( Will assume it is unless I hear differently.)

Soose wrote:

OhioGardener wrote:

Soose wrote:What aquarium heater did you buy/find, please?  I saw many reviews with quality problems.

 Mine is an earlier version of this one:
https://www.amazon.com/HITOP-Adjustable-Aquarium-Submersible-Thermostat/dp/B07MFX85R6?th=1

Will 25 watts be enough? Ty! ( Will assume it is unless I hear differently.)

Yes, it will be large enough to warm a gallon or two of water used in the bottom of a tray as you suggested.

dstack wrote:There are many uses for this organic plant probiotic, and here I share some of my favorite things Effective Microbes has done for us, including deodorizing the trashcans. But my favorite thing it did was get rid of whitefly!

I recently saw an interesting document on this subject which was done in 2013, titled "Effective microorganisms and their influence on vegetable production – a review".  In this document it states that one of the reasons EM works to prevent/eliminate white flies is because of the odor of the probiotic on the leaves:

"EM can also be used as a bio-control
agent to suppress and control insect pests through the
introduction of beneficial microorganisms into the
planting environment. The odours emitted by EM may
repel harmful insects and/or serve as a prophylactic
spray. EM in FPE or EM-5 have been used as insect
repellents, and are not toxic to ladybirds, spiders,
dragonflies, or frogs (Ncube, 2008). EM attracts fruit
flies and affects mostly the females which later become
sterile (Ncube, 2008). Pests and pathogens are
suppressed or controlled through natural processes by
increasing the competitive and antagonistic activities of
the microorganisms present in EM inoculants (Ncube,
2008)."  (Effective microorganisms and their influence on vegetable production)

This gives a new insight to reasons for the effectiveness of the EM products in pest control.

What is EM?  Where is it purchased?  How is it used?

OhioGardener wrote:

dstack wrote:There are many uses for this organic plant probiotic, and here I share some of my favorite things Effective Microbes has done for us, including deodorizing the trashcans. But my favorite thing it did was get rid of whitefly!

I recently saw an interesting document on this subject which was done in 2013, titled "Effective microorganisms and their influence on vegetable production – a review".  In this document it states that one of the reasons EM works to prevent/eliminate white flies is because of the odor of the probiotic on the leaves:

"EM can also be used as a bio-control
agent to suppress and control insect pests through the
introduction of beneficial microorganisms into the
planting environment. The odours emitted by EM may
repel harmful insects and/or serve as a prophylactic
spray. EM in FPE or EM-5 have been used as insect
repellents, and are not toxic to ladybirds, spiders,
dragonflies, or frogs (Ncube, 2008). EM attracts fruit
flies and affects mostly the females which later become
sterile (Ncube, 2008). Pests and pathogens are
suppressed or controlled through natural processes by
increasing the competitive and antagonistic activities of
the microorganisms present in EM inoculants (Ncube,
2008)."  (Effective microorganisms and their influence on vegetable production)

This gives a new insight to reasons for the effectiveness of the EM products in pest control.

Do you recommend a particular brand of EM please? I understand that some brands have more than just the basic essential microbes in them.

I can't speak for any other brands. I know TeraGanix is the main distributor. Their history and connections go back to Dr. Higa, who discovered EM. Full disclosure, I have become a brand ambassador for TeraGanix, and I've turned down a larger company who requested a partnership. It's important to me that I only represent products that align with the mission, vision and content of Stack's Urban Harvest (on YouTube).

www.StacksUrbanHarvest.com

anajinn wrote:Do you recommend a particular brand of EM please? I understand that some brands have more than just the basic essential microbes in them.

I don't recommend any particular company, but in addition to TeraGanix, another reliable vendor is SCD Probiotics.  Links to both companies below.

https://www.teraganix.com/

https://www.scdprobiotics.com/

I have a (first ever) whitefly issue on the south side of my house, all containers.  One tomato, the rest (7) peppers.  Also, I have an issue out there with thistles which seem to be involved somehow.  

I’m going to try Dr. Bronner peppermint soap insecticidal spray first tonight.  If that doesn’t do it, I will order one or the other of the EM products.  

Thanks for this thread.  BUMP!

Wonder if the invasion of the Minute Pirate Bug that we are having will keep the white flies away from us? The White Fly is supposed to be a target pest of the Pirate Bug.  Hmmmmm.........

I checked the Natures Good Guys site to see what they recommend for white flies, and noticed that in addition to the beneficials, they recommend Neem Oil.

https://www.naturesgoodguys.com/collections/whitefly-control

I have need oil!  Let’s see how this goes….dang it!