In article
,
wrote:

On Mar 10, 5:47 pm, Billy wrote:
In article
,



wrote:
I understand that Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) breaks down naturally,
but I'd like to know how. I'm going to be applying Bt powder, and the
instructions say to do it roughly weekly, and especially after it
rains.

Now, does this mean that Bt powder loses potency when wet, or just
that it gets washed off the plant? Hard to imagine the former since
you can keep a spray bottle of the stuff dissolved in water. I know
that sunlight breaks it down, but does that mean that if cultivated
into the soil it stays there for longer, such that it kills grubs that
are just hatching there? I've also read that dry spores have a shelf
life of several years (implying that wet spores do not).

Yes, I know you want it on the plant, so I know that you want to
reapply if it gets washed off. But what if it just drizzles?

First off, it isn't a chemical. It's an organism, a very tiny
organism.


First off, I never said it was a chemical. That actually doesn't have
anything to do with my questions.

Perhaps I should have phrased it differently. What makes the stuff
die? Something must make it die, or else it would be hanging around
buried in the soil forever.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacillus_thuringiensis

And the answer to my question doesn't appear to be there, nor in the
half-dozen other websites I looked at.

First off, living things die, diminish, bring down the final curtain, or
join the choir invisible, they don't break down.

Bacillus thuringiensis disappears from plant surfaces rather quickly
however they are moderately persistent (whatever that means) in soil
(their natural habitat). They are fried by ultraviolet light.
http://cecalaveras.ucdavis.edu/bt.htm
--

Billy
There are no lobbyists for cover crops and crop rotation. Why?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7843430.stm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KVTf...ef=patrick.net