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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] Antitranspirants

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  • From: "Stephen Sadler" <Docshiva@Docshiva.org>
  • To: "'North American Fruit Explorers'" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Antitranspirants
  • Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2007 00:05:04 -0700

No Wilt contains two "natural polymers". One is a polyterpene. Polyterpenes
occur in nature. The latex many plants produce contain polyterpenes. Such
latex would act as an antitranspirant. The other is a polyethylene. Like
the polyterpenes, polyethylenes are numerous. I don't know which ones they
use. We think of them as solid packaging materials, or plastics - but they
needn't be solid. Those plastics are polyethylene resins. They're probably
using something a little less played with. I imagine if you separated out
that component you'd find a white, waxy (really rather wax-like) substance.


Safer is allowed to sell the product as an antitranspirant for plants
not-to-be-eaten. It's not registered for food plants. It's not gonna kill
you if you eat something sprayed with it, but it's not organic (well, it's
organic [carbon-containing] chemicals, but not natural-foods-farming
organic). I expect that it sloughs off plants and photodegrades.

I'm not super convinced that it does any good. It tries to stop plants from
exhaling, and losing water. If you stopped a person from exhaling in order
to slow or prevent dehydration, it would have that effect, but would also
have other undesirable effects. If it worked well enough to really stop
moisture loss, it would interfere with the plant's natural processes and it
would die. The reason it doesn't kill plants would be that it doesn't work
all that well.

I like it for Christmas wreaths and even trees, because I think those plants
are unlikely to survive anyway, and it can keep them a little greener
without interfering with natural processes. Some people think it lessens
transplant shock, maybe it does.

It would no nothing for drought.

~ Stephen

-----Original Message-----
From: nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Donna &/or Kieran
Sent: Friday, June 15, 2007 9:30 PM
To: North American Fruit Explorers
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Antitranspirants

I came across a bottle of Safer's "No Wilt" and had decided to spray some on

the garden in hopes of saving it in the worsening drought. The bottle
didn't say anything about using it on veggies, but on the other hand it
didn't say not to, and it didn't give any warnings about not eating things
that had been sprayed with it. I called the company and asked if it would
slow down the veggies too much. I said I'd spray it on roses and trees just

to keep them alive, but that I wanted the veggies to grow. The woman I got
hold of said she'd have to call me back. I waited around and decided to go
ahead and start spraying Surround on things. Some 5 hours later when I was
at work, the co employee called back and said the "No Wilt" product was not
intended for food crops and not to use it on them. I am kicking myself for
not asking what's in it. It's apparently hell to remove from surfaces or
from the sprayer. I'm not sure I want to use a lot of water and detergent
to get the sprayer clean as recommended after using it, we don't have very
much water.
Does anyone know anything about this product or others like it? Will it

put my trees on hold for the summer? What is in the stuff anyway? Is it
bad for the ground under the trees and roses? Thanks. Donna






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