NEWBIE Bringing sheep home. Lots of questions!

[rosiefarmgirl]

Hi all
I'm completely new to all this so even the basics confuse me!

I worked out ACV was apple cider vinegar but can't decode DE...any clues??!!

Also, I'm in Australia and can't find Garlic Barrier here so I'm wondering if there's a recipe to make a home made version as I love the idea of not using chemicals if we don't need to.

Thanks!

 

[woodsie]

DE is diatomaceous earth. I believe it is made of a volcanic rock and super sharp to bugs, both internal and external pests. Usually it is easy to find at farms stores.

 

[bubba1358]

DE is diatomaceous earth. I believe it is made of a volcanic rock and super sharp to bugs, both internal and external pests. Usually it is easy to find at farms stores.

It's technically ground up shells of diatoms, which are extremely small water-based organisms. When they die, their shells sink, creating a "beach" surface on the sea floor. In certain places, the landscape has changed and the water drained, leaving huge deposits. DE is these shells, ground up into a fine powder. It is 90% air (full of holes), and acts as a potent desiccant, absorbing liquids. The extremely sharp edges pierce insect exoskeletons and larvae (including intestinal worms), causing death in a matter of hours or a few days. The negative effect on large mammal digestive tracts is minimal, if it exists at all. But reports of increased nutrient absorption and generally improved overall health whilst on DE abound.

I use it all the time - mixed in with minerals, on the door jam to keep out crawling bugs, on top of hay i store in my shed, once in my whole house to rid myself of fleas (it worked!), on maggots that had infested a mushroom outside the back door, etc. Today, in fact, I dusted about a cup onto a hornets nest that was on a ladder I needed to use. I got the hornets and the nest. The DE stuck to them, and the hornets scattered. They flew in all kinds of directions, eventually spiraling to the ground within about 5 minutes. They all abandoned the nest, and I was able to safely get the ladder and finish my chores.