Question
I'm wondering if the product I have is safe for carnivorous plants.  It's call Organocide (insects & fungus).  It contants Sesame Oil, Edible Fish Oil and Lecithin.  Sounds safe for me, but what about my plants?

Answer
Hi Janis,

I can't give any recommendations regarding this particular product since we haven't tested it.  Before we give out any recommendations, we always test it out on our plants.  So far, of the natural insecticides out there, we found Neem oil and Orange Guard?safe to use on the most sensitive carnivorous plants (sundews and flytraps).  That's always our barometer.  If sundews and flytraps tolerate a product, all other carnivorous plants will do so as well.

The concern with Organocide I have is the amount of oil that they use.  You see, oils will coat the roots and leaves, which will hinder gas and nutrient exchange.  We use a product containing Neem oil, but the amount of oil used is very, very small.  Even after using it, I always water my plants very heavily a couple of days later to rinse off any residual oils, especially in the soil.

Since sesame and fish oils are not particularly toxic, my guess is that the way they work is by smothering the insects and fungus.  So if they smother insects and fungus, they will likely smother your plants, including non-carnivorous plants.  Lecithin is used as an emulsifier to allow the oils to mix with water.

So I'd use this product with caution.  Before I can give give a definite yes or no, I'll need to try it out on my plants first, but my hunch is that it will do a bit of harm in the long run.

Good growing!
Jacob Farin