The label is the law. Read your product's label before you mix or apply; the rates here come from the labels listed under Sources.
- Active ingredient
- Kaolin (CAS 1332-58-7)
- Chemical class
- Mineral clay (aluminum silicate) that works as a physical particle film, not as a nerve or growth poison.[1]
- Mode of action
- Mineral particle film: forms a dry white film on plants; not assigned an IRAC group[1]
- Signal word
- Surround WP Agricultural Crop Protectant: Caution[1]
Suppression, not control
The label says many listed pests are suppressed, meaning full control often isn't achieved and other methods are needed. For codling moth and plum curculio, the film has to keep fruit completely covered during egg laying.[1]
Where it is used
Coverage is everything: thorough, uniform and consistent coverage is needed throughout the infestation or stress period, and treated plants should look hazy white once dry.[1]
Reapply when foliage loses its white look or a dark cloth rubbed on a leaf picks up no residue, and after heavy rain once leaves are dry. New growth also needs recoating.[1]
It can go on up to the day of harvest. To avoid white residue on smooth fruit such as apples, stop when fruit is about a quarter of its final size.[1]
Don't spray where a white film can't be washed off, such as porous wood, masonry or asphalt. The cooler leaf surface can delay pome and stone fruit maturity by 3 to 7 days.[1]
Products and registrations
| Product | Registrant | EPA Reg. No. | Active % | Formulation | Signal word |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surround WP Agricultural Crop Protectant[1] | Tessenderlo Kerley, Inc. | 61842-18 | 95.0% | wettable powder | Caution |
Label rates
| Product | Use | Pests | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surround WP Agricultural Crop Protectant | Fruit trees, grapes, vegetables, nurseries and greenhouses | Suppression of codling moth, plum curculio, Japanese beetle, leafhoppers, pear psylla and others; sunburn and heat stress | 0.25–0.5 lb product per gallon of water[1] That's 1.5 to 3 cups per gallon (25 to 50 lb per 100 gallons), the label's best concentration; specific crops allow up to 100 lb per 100 gallons. One-half pound is about 3 cups. |
How to apply it, step by step
1. Protective gear
- The residential sublabel lists no specific gear: it causes moderate eye irritation, so keep the powder out of your eyes and off your clothing, and wash with soap and water after handling.[1]
2. Before you spray
- It sprays on as a white mineral film that protects garden plants and fruit trees from many insects, mites and diseases and from sunburn and heat stress; many pests are only suppressed, so other methods may be needed too.[1]
- Don't spray where a white film can't be washed off or isn't wanted: porous wood, masonry, asphalt and other valuables.[1]
- On fruit you won't wash, apply early in the season only (on apples, stop when the fruit is about a quarter of its final size). Apples, pears and stone fruit may ripen 3 to 7 days late.[1]
3. Mixing
- Use ¼ to ½ lb (about 1½ to 3 cups) per gallon of water. Stir the powder slowly into a quarter to half of the water, shake the closed sprayer for 30 seconds, add any other product, add the rest of the water and shake 30 seconds more.[1]
- For a sprayer that is hard to shake, premix in a 5-gallon bucket. Don't mix it with diatomaceous earth or other white mineral products.[1]
4. Applying
- Spray to near-drip, coating every part of the plant you want protected, both sides of the leaves; two or more applications build complete coverage.[1]
- Shake the sprayer occasionally while spraying, and reapply every 7 to 14 days (every 14 to 21 days later in the season as new growth slows).[1]
5. After you spray
- Treated plants turn a hazy white once dry.[1]
- Spray the tank empty and flush the lines and nozzles; use leftover mix within two weeks.[1]
First aid
- In the eyes, hold them open and rinse slowly and gently for 15 to 20 minutes, removing contact lenses after the first 5 minutes, and call a poison control center or doctor; the label lists ProPharma Group, 1-866-374-1975, 24 hours a day.[1]
Storage, spills and disposal
- Store the bag upright in a dry, sheltered place away from food and feed; the product is slippery when wet.[1]
- Put an empty bag in the trash or recycling; for a partly full one, call your local solid waste agency or 1-800-CLEANUP, and never pour it down a drain.[1]
From the safety data sheet
- The product is a white powder of 95 percent kaolin clay, and the SDS lists no health, physical or environmental hazard classifications.[2]
- If it gets in the eyes, hold the eye open and rinse slowly and gently with water for 15 to 20 minutes, removing contact lenses after the first 5 minutes.[2]
- When mixing, wear a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, eye protection and a dust or mist filtering respirator, and use exhaust ventilation if you handle it indoors.[2]
- Contain spills and keep the powder out of drains, sewers, ditches and waterways; spilled product is slippery when wet.[2]
- Store the container upright in a dry, sheltered place away from food and feed.[2]
Safety and environmental hazards
People
Signal word CAUTION: causes moderate eye irritation. Handlers wear a dust/mist-filtering respirator, and the label suggests dust masks and goggles for harvesters shaking treated plants.[1]
Pets
The label's hazard statement for people and domestic animals is moderate eye irritation; avoid contact with eyes.[1]
Bees and pollinators
The label carries no bee toxicity warning; the film is a physical barrier, not a nerve poison.[1]
Fish and water
The environmental statement is to avoid contaminating water when disposing of equipment washwater or rinsate.[1]
Common questions
- Is kaolin clay organic?
- Surround WP is labeled for organic production and carries the OMRI listing on its label.[1]
- How much Surround do I mix per gallon?
- ¼ to ½ pound, about 1.5 to 3 cups, per gallon of water.[1]
- Will it wash off my fruit?
- It can leave white residue at harvest; for fresh-market fruit that won't be washed, the label says to apply early in the season only.[1]
Sources
- U.S. EPA Pesticide Product Label System, “Surround WP Agricultural Crop Protectant label, EPA Reg. No. 61842-18 (EPA-stamped, Dec. 23, 2019).” www3.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/ppls/061842-00018-20191223.pdf (accessed 2026-10-06)
- Tessenderlo Kerley, Inc., “Surround WP Agricultural Crop Protectant Safety Data Sheet (Tessenderlo Kerley, version 2.1, effective March 1, 2024; EPA Reg. No. 61842-18, the label on this page; copy hosted by Farmers Business Network).” www.fbn.com/api/store/market/documents/sds/surround-wp-crop-protectant.pdf (accessed 2026-10-17)