How to protect your garden using pesticides

Follow these steps to protect your garden using pesticides

Spray at the right time

Spray before 10am or after 3pm on a calm, dry day, as rain can rinse off solutions, wind can result in poor coverage or overspraying, and UV rays break down certain pesticides.

Keep yourself safe

Avoid direct contact with pesticides by wearing protective clothing.
Always mix and spray in well-ventilated areas.
Refrain from eating, drinking and smoking while dealing with protection products.
Wash your hands after handling or spraying with pesticides.

Poisoning and first aid treatment

Treat all products as potentially dangerous and take note of the following:

If your eyes become contaminated, wash with clean running water.
If a product is accidentally swallowed, go directly to a hospital casualty unit, taking the packaging with you.
In case of emergency, contact your nearest poison information centre. Provide them with details of the product and the active ingredient, details of which are in the product pamphlet.

Safe storage and disposal

Store products in a well-ventilated storage place, away from food, and out of reach of children, uninformed persons and animals.
Store protection products in original containers with the pamphlets enclosed. Never re-use the containers for any other purpose.
Never store pesticides in old bottles or food containers where they could be mistaken for human or animal food or drink.
Store away from freezing temperatures or extreme heat.
When mixing sprays, clean up spillages as soon as possible, to prevent possible contamination. Avoid inhalation.
Spray any excess mixture out onto plants and never pour it down the drain.
Clean spraying equipment directly after use.

Safe handling of pesticides

It’s imperative to store pesticides properly as many pesticide accidents involve nonusers of the materials, i.e. children and pets. Handling and applying pesticides requires knowledge, care, and good judgement. All pesticide labels provide information for safe handling, so read the label before mixing, applying, storing or disposing of the container. Anyone
possessing, handling or applying a pesticide is responsible and can be held liable for any damage, loss or unintended consequences that the pesticide may cause. Bear in mind that the information on the label represents the research, development and registration procedures (which can be costly) that the product must undergo before reaching the market.

Read the labels

Each Efekto protection product contains a pamphlet listing the exact dosage required to control the pest, disease or weed in question. Only apply protection products in accordance with the supplied instructions. The dosage for each application has been thoroughly and scientifically determined, and exceeding the recommended dosage rate can result in pest resistance and damage the environment. As certain insects and fungi may not be controlled with one single application, a repeat programme may be required.