Why is GreenCure® better?

We believe GreenCure® is a better fungicide for many reasons and we are confident that you’ll agree: It’s better for the environment, it’s better for you and it works!

• GreenCure® is the Smart Choice: GreenCure® is highly effective against Powdery Mildew and other fungal diseases of plants. It is university tested and proven in agricultural environments.
• GreenCure® is the Environmental Choice: GreenCure® is more friendly to the environment and you! The EPA recognizes the benefits of the active ingredients in GreenCure®. The EPA notes, “Potassium bicarbonate and sodium bicarbonate are naturally occurring compounds that are not expected to have adverse effects on humans or the environment when used as fungicides. Use of these two compounds in pesticide products may provide an alternative to more toxic fungicides currently on the market.”
• GreenCure® is Easy to Use. Mix with water and spray it on your plants. The power of GreenCure® immediately defeats mildew and it’s preventive nature lasts up to 2 weeks.
• GreenCure® is Economical. The 8-ounce container makes up to 16 gallons of formula.

GreenCure® is the Right Choice.

GreenCure® is the Smart Choice. The GreenCure® formula has undergone extensive independent testing at leading universities including Cornell University, Ohio State University, Miami University, Purdue University, Long Island Horticultural Research Station, University of Florida and Michigan State University.

The GreenCure® formula has been successfully used in commercial and agricultural markets under the brand name Milstop. Milstop is OMRI listed. In these markets it has been welcomed as a safer alternative to more toxic fungicides.

This has made it a perfect choice for use in greenhouses, on tomatoes, lettuce, pumpkins, squash, herbs and tobacco. It has been used in orchards on apples, pears, and other fruits and in large agricultural growing operations for both vegetables and ornamental plants including Poinsettia, Roses, Geraniums and many others.

For Organic Production: The GreenCure® formula meets the requirements of the USDA's National Organic Program (NOP) for use in organic production. This makes GreenCure® ideal for use in organic farm and garden applications.

Fungicides that are listed as "For Organic Production", such as GreenCure®, can be used in gardens or farms that are selling 100% Organic produce. For home organic gardeners, you can have peace of mind knowing that by using GreenCure® your fruits and vegetables live up to your organic standards.

GreenCure® is as effective or better than other fungicides. You don’t give up effectiveness by going less toxic. GreenCure® has undergone independent, head-to-head testing against other fungicides. The results…it has proven to be equally as effective or better than other fungicides. The following compilation graph represents the results of comparative testing.

On plants tested in environmental conditions that promoted mildew growth, GreenCure® achieves nearly 100% protection against powdery mildew. While some of the other fungicides achieve similar results, they don’t have the benefits of GreenCure® such as being able to harvest vegetables one hour after spraying or of being able to spray indoor plants!

I’ve heard of mixing up homemade formulas with baking soda, oil and soap. Are they just as effective?

No they are not. Stories about the efficacy of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) in controlling garden fungi have circulated for many years. The use of bicarbonates is a welcomed alternative to other fungicides because, both sodium bicarbonate and potassium bicarbonate are recognized as safe food additives and do not have adverse environmental impacts. It's no wonder that baking soda-based formulas have been so eagerly passed along among ornamental and organic gardeners. Unfortunately, many of these so-called formulas have very limited benefit and some of these recipes can even result in foliar damage. For example, baking soda and water by itself if mixed too strong, can burn the leaves. Furthermore, this type of mixture has limited benefit because it does not spread evenly across the surface of the leaf and easily washes away. Without complete coverage, mildew is not killed off and spores will continue to thrive.

The leaf on the right was sprayed with a homemade formula which beads up and does not provide complete coverage. The leaf on the left was sprayed with GreenCure® and spreads evenly across the surface.

Dr. Ken Horst

In 1985 renowned plant pathologist, Dr. Ken Horst of Cornell University and President of H & I Agritech, Inc., began research into the usefulness of bicarbonates. The research was intended to quantify the effiency of bicarbonates, identify their mode of action and determine the most effective use of these compounds. Several years of research resulted in some significant and surprising discoveries. "The research demonstrated the ability of bicarbonates to effectively inhibit and kill mold spores and determined that potassium bicarbonate was 25 to 35 percent more effective than sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)," says Horst. The research further indicated that a spreader-sticker mechanism was required in order to control and maintain the effectiveness of the bicarbonates. "Without a spreader-sticker," adds Horst, "You don't get complete coverage of the leaf which is necessary to prevent or cure fungal diseases." This knowledge has led some gardeners to experiment with mixtures of homemade fungicides. The use of oils or soaps to spread and stick the bicarbonate can lead to an unwanted build-up of chemicals, alter soil pH levels and increase the potential of phytotoxicity or burning of the leaves.

During the years of research many spreader-sticker systems were tested, including the use of horticultural oil as an additive. This resulted in better control of the solution and proved more effective than water and bicarbonates alone, unfortunately the test results also showed that horticultural oil as an additive had many negative characteristics.

Negative characteristics of horticultural oil as an additive to bicarbonates included:

• Repeated use for several weeks causes phytotoxicity or burning of the leaves.
• It results in an oily residue building up on the leaves, fruits and vegetables.
• There is an occasional visible crinkling of the leaves.
• The oil separates rapidly from the water making application difficult.
• The use of oil may not be ideal from an environmental standpoint; it could increase
  the hydrocarbon loading of the air and in ground water.

For these reasons and others, horticultural oil was rejected as a spreader-sticker. In order to find a safer, more efficient additive, more than 350 spreader-sticker systems were evaluated. Several spreader-sticker additives were discovered which increased the effectiveness and reliability of bicarbonates for use on ornamentals, vegetables and fruits. Additional research was done on a wide variety of plants and quantitative results were determined for a broad spectrum of fungal diseases. Ultimately, a combination of spreader-sticker additives in very specific quantities was found to be significantly more effective than all other alternatives. The additives which were chosen are both effective and safe and are reliable ingredients used in personal care products. The formulation in GreenCure® uses precise amounts of these additives and of course since GreenCure® contains only the raw ingredients, the formula does not include all the additional unwanted chemicals that would be present in household products.

Many of the formulas that are repeated on websites, in articles and various publications call for the use of dishwashing soap or other detergents. Adding in soaps that are comprised of a laundry list of chemical ingredients may not be wise. Most soaps now have anti-bacterial chemicals such as Triclosan that could kill necessary bacteria in the soil and may be detrimental to nutrient absorption. Accumulation of these chemicals in or on treated vegetables may not be beneficial. While some homemade concoctions might be somewhat useful, is it worth the risk?

"It's really amazing how widespread and how often repeated the myth has become." says Horst, referring to homemade fungicides. "Considering the amount of research that went into finding the most benign and effective solution to control plant mildew, there really is no reason for gardeners to create homemade solutions that may not be effective and may produce unfavorable results."

It’s better for the environment, it’s better for you and it works!

© Copyright 2010, GreenCure Solutions