Using Baby Powder on your garden plants ?

[Smokymist]

I didn't, but today, we bought some broccoli and cauliflower and a big 6 lb head of cabbage from an older local couple who sells on Marketplace. The plants were gorgeous....She told me her secret, she doesn't use chemicals but sprinkles baby powder on everything.
So immediately I'm looking differently at my bounty....is it ok to eat ? I mean I have never heard of that ? Obviously wash it really well.

 

[GoodFriendMike]

Baby powder like many things are not made the same as in the old days. Would I rinse and eat. Yeah. But I would not give it to a child.

 

[superdave336]

There are actually two types of baby powder. Talc and cornstarch. I wouldn’t eat either in quantity but washing the produce good and then eat it I think you’ll be fine.

 

[BucksCountyFigs]

I suspect that she is using the baby powder that is made of cornstarch. Because cornstarch is essentially the same thing that is in the weed preventer called Preen, which once it becomes wet, it gels, and creates a barrier.

Most people use it as a barrier to weeds, but it is not a strong barrier, so if you step on it or an animal steps on it, the barrier breaks and weeds can come through.

So the same thing would apply if she’s using it for her broccoli and cauliflower (which heads are convoluted and have an enormous amount of surface area for insects and insect to hide in), in that insect would not be strong enough to break that barrier, but an animal with teeth would

 

[Smokymist]

I suspect that she is using the baby powder that is made of cornstarch. Because cornstarch is essentially the same thing that is in the weed preventer called Preen, which once it becomes wet, it gels, and creates a barrier.

Most people use it as a barrier to weeds, but it is not a strong barrier, so if you step on it or an animal steps on it, the barrier breaks and weeds can come through.

So the same thing would apply if she’s using it for her broccoli and cauliflower (which heads are convoluted and have an enormous amount of surface area for insects and insect to hide in), in that insect would not be strong enough to break that barrier, but an animal with teeth would

Well, she told me she bought it at the dollar tree. I'm not sure if you have a dollar tree in your area, but it is the cheapest place to buy things, and there aren't good options to anything.

 

[snarfing]

i dont think they still sell baby powder with talc after the johnson and johnson lawsuit

 

[ktrain]

I've never heard of that either.
We would have to reapply every other day here with the rain. lol

 

[RosyPosy]

Apparently it’s not unheard of to use baby powder in the garden. I did a quick search on it and a ton of sites had articles about it. It’s similar to DE in its pest prevention, supposedly rabbits don’t like it, and the talc has calcium in it which benefits plants.

I doubt if there is any residue on what you purchased, and it’s safer than most poisons on the market and we buy produce with that stuff all the time. Most likely she sprinkled it on the soil around the plants.