JADAM Wetting Agent (JWA) is a liquid potassium soap. JWA is defined as a surfactant/emulsifier and is widely use as a method of controling pests. JWA is a natural and biodegradable soft soap consisting of potassium salts of fatty acids resulting from the saponification of coconut oil (any vegetable oil) with Potassium Hydroxide (KOH).
Soft soaps have been used for hundreds years as they are simple to make, environmentally safe, detrimental to pests and easily broken down by microbes and therefore turned into nutrients for plants.
JWA works by direct contact with the pests where the fatty acids penetrate their bodies and disrupt the cell membrane causing dehydration and death. JWA can control issues such as aphids, mealybugs, mites, leafhoppers, scale insects, caterpillars, thrips, whitefly, powdery mildew and more.
Avoid spraying during a sunny day as it can cause burns. Do not use on sweet peas, nasturtiums, delicate ferns and use with care on seedlings, transplants and flowers.
Test on a small patch if concerned about plant sensitivity.
No expiry date.
Materials Needed
- Coconut Oil (or any vegetable oil) – 5.625 liters
- Potassium
hydroxide (KOH) - 1 kg
- Filtered or Distilled water – 0.781 liter; 6.250 liter water; 18.750 liter water
- Heat
resistant plastic container with air tight lid (that can hold 40 liters of water)
- Blender or Drill & Paint mixer
- Scale and container for measurement
Procedure
This is a recipe for 31.406 liter JWA (1.0 kg of KOH, 0.781 liter Initial water, 5.625 liter Coconut oil, 25 liter added total water (Can be scaled up or down):
- Using 1 kg of KOH, add the 0.781 liter of water and mix them in the heat resistant container, close the lid and swirl the container around until the KOH is fully dissolved. Be careful as this reaction releases a fair amount of heat.
- Measure out exactly 5.625 liters of coconut oil and add it to the container with the KOH and water.
- With
the drill and paint mixer, or blender, mix the solution until it
reaches the consistency of a thin mayonnaise.
- Close
the lid and let the container sit for 3 days, it should harden and
feel like butter if not, repeat step 3.
- Add 6.250 liter of water and blend it slowly with your mixing tool making sure there are no clumps left stuck at the bottom or on the sides.
- Add the remaining 18.750 liters of water and stir manually with a stick, close the lid and let it dissolve completely for 24 hours.
- Store the solution in an airtight container. It has no expiry date.
Dilution Ratio
(0.005
to 0.030 : 1) 5 to 30 ml of JWA to 1 liter of Water
Common Measurements
Other common quantity measurements are calculated below:
| Estimated Quantity (in liters) | 100.5 | 10.05 |
| KOH (in kg) | 3.2 | 0.32 |
| Coconut Oil (in liters) | 18 | 1.8 |
| 1st Water Mix (in liters) | 2.5 | 0.25 |
| 2nd Water Mix, after 3 days (in liters) | 20 | 2 |
| 3rd Water Mix, after slow mixing to dissolve soap lumps (in liters) | 60 | 6 |
Organic Standards Compliance
Is the use of KOH in making JWA allowed under organic standards?
Since JWA is a liquid potassium soap, it is allowed under Philippine organic standards. It complies with the Philippine National Standards on Organic Agriculture that listed Potassium Soap among the list of permitted crop protectants. (Annex A: List of Permitted Crop Protectants, Growth Regulators, and Seed Treatments for the Production of Organic Food, Philippine National Standard (PNS), PNS/BAFS 07:2016, p. 29).
It also complies with USDA National Organic Program (NOP) as determined by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) [https://www.omri.org], a competent authority in USDA NOP, which made the clarification in a letter sent to JADAM headquarters [https://en.jadam.kr).
Estimated Cost
The estimated cost per liter of JWA at current prices (4 April 2022) is PhP44.00/liter (Forty Four Philippine Pesos per Liter). This is a higher estimate of cost where water is costed based on Distilled Water (Wilkins) is used (around P14/liter) in the preparation for JWA.
1 comment:
Thanks, Clem
I appreciate your efforts!!
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