Lightweight Garden Dust Applicator, Made in USA

I should have bought this years ago. Yes I have to readjust how I am holding it after a while as it can be fatiguing holding and cranking but compared to the little hand pump models this thing spreads DE finely and easily, over the tops and under the bottoms of the leaves. I have a larger garden than many and raise enough cabbage and other brassicas for the year for us, and flea beetles are the bane of my existence. This thing has simplified and sped up my ability to dust the plants and I no longer mind doing this chore. Use a lot less DE than sprinkling by hand which I would end up reverting to out of frustration with the little hand pump models (which are great for other applications such as chicken dusting). I have only had it for a month or so and I can’t comment on how long it will last but it seems reasonably constructed and if I am careful with it think it will last for a few years anyway.

The media could not be loaded. Use it to spread diatomaceous earth in my wife's plants. Works extremely well and you can see the dust coming up through the entire plant from underneath the leaves. Size is fine, and I am sure I could use it to help get a fire going too. Way to early to comment strength or long term build quality. I am not terribly impressed for the thumbscrew that holds the deflector in the tube. But at least at the initial use, it does work. I will like make a more positive connection. Still worth the cost.

Food grade diatomaceous earth is a natural safe way to kill pests. Look it up on the internet. Good on fleas, roaches, bed bugs, et al. The powder is from diatoms that have died and their tiny skeletons are ground up. The powder when left around will manage to get under the shells of pests and somewhat how a grain of sand irritates an oyster, the diatom powder irritates the pest and the shell is shed prematurely. Good for garden pests and others. I used this duster to spread the powder around the base of my house where the bricks go into the dirt and up under the siding a bit. I am bug paranoid so I want to minimize the bugs crawling into the sides of the house. I also spread it in the mulch and dirt in areas where it either won't show or where I am going to fill in some more mulch. I do this to minimize my dogs exposure to fleas and other pests.You can also put it in some sort of sturdy cups under your bed legs. Bugs trying to get onto your bed by climbing up the legs will have to walk through the powder and cause their own demise.The nice this is, if you use food grade, you don't have to worry about your pets touching it or eating it. You could actually mix it with water and drink it. MAKE SURE IT IS GUARANTEED FOODGRADE. This duster helps you to cover a wide area without using excessive amounts of powder. Once it is on the ground, it can go into the dirt but it does not go away. You can use the duster to put it on your plants but you need to reapply after rain washes it off.I only gave the duster 4 stars because it is fairly cheaply made. The white extension tube is wobbly. I think if you are careless with it, it could be easily broken. Amazon had the best price for this although I think it was still on the expensive side for what it is. It's the only tool I found that you can spread the powder around lightly so it is the best tool for the job.

As per the title: Put a metal ball in the hopper with the DE.The movement of the interior mechanism inside will cause the ball to move around in unexpected ways and this chaotic movement is exactly what will knock other DE loose inside the hopper. Metal is fairly important as the weight will contribute more mass to the movement. Plastic may also work but... metal(not lead), and not glass because that would be too fragile.The caveat is of course that the ball would do best while in contact with the interior mechanism and this may not always be the case, still if it's below waist height it works the bulk of the time.No more knocking the sides to get more DE to go through, no modification or specialty DE, no bull to get the DE out of the hopper while turning.Actual review: This has *solved* my whitefly issue. Whiteflies are an absolute nightmare in my area but an application of DE makes the next time through an absolute treat, I love that stuff! As for usage I have not personally had the "blowback" problem others have had, but then again my plants are below the height I hold this item and so my application method may not cause it yet.