fungus gnats, Murphy's Oil, coco peat

arnold trachtenberg arnold@nj.rr.com
Mon, 30 Jan 2006 04:09:15 PST
Linda:

I'm glad the Murphy's soap worked for you.  I guess I  (we) should 
always follow the caveat and test a substance on a small part of a plant 
before we use it.

The Murphy's soap is a simple carbon chain with some oh group attached 
here and there.  It works by dissolving the cuticle ( skin) of the beast 
and they desiccate and die.  There are some potassium ions in the soap 
which may be responsible for the damage.

I guess one of the chemist like Jim S. can comment more lucidly on the 
effect of a soap substance on living tissue.

It also has a scent of citronella which may be a good way to chase 
mosquitos.

Arnold


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