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Home gardener chemical use



>In a reply to Patricia Dines, and to the group, you wrote that
>you work exclusively with home gardeners, who use more
>chemicals per capita than the agricultural community, and that
>you can not imagine any criteria that make the use of chemical
>pest solutions acceptable in home gardens.

I doubt your conclusion that home gardeners use more chemicals
per capita, it is not logical.

In spite of planned strategy and excellent cultural practice,
there are some crops in some areas that need chemical controls.
In the Northeast, it would be almost impossible to grow apples
that could be used without some control of the plum curculio,
not the extent that must be used by orchardists, but to obtain
an acceptable crop (one that would not be saleable on the
market).

Is your conclusion based on some concern that 'home gardeners'
are not smart enough to use chemicals, that they lack the
equipment to apply them (If there is a need for specialized
application, the products are not available to the general
public) or that they lack the concern for the environment. Do
you really recommend that no 'home gardener' ever grow a plant
that requires any chemical intervention????

Ed Mashburn                         Phone (717) 473-9910
The International Ribes Assoc.      Email ribes60@aol.com
707 Front Street                    ribes60@mail.prolog.ptd.net
Northumberland, PA 17857