Post by Granny Smith on Feb 18, 2012 20:10:05 GMT -5
10 Homemade Pesticides for Your Yard and Garden
There are many great reasons to choose to make your own pesticides for your yard and garden versus buying pre-packaged chemicals. In general strong chemical applications are really best left to lawn care specialists that can be sure to get the proper chemicals applied in the right proportions to take care of the problem without creating another. There are several homemade pesticides that are really safe for the environment and they can be equally as effective at fending off pests. You may want to try these homemade recipes first before giving a lawn care service a call:
Mild soap and water. One of the safest and most effective homemade pesticides is some dishwashing soap mixed in with water. In general, it just takes a few drops of soap into a spray bottle followed by water. You don’t need to use an excessive amount of soap to get the trick done (one tablespoon will do the trick). Basically, this mostly irritates the pests and gets them to leave on their own.
Spearmint hot pepper horseradish spray. This one packs a little bit of a punch. With this recipe you mix ¼ cup of hot red peppers, ½ gallons of water, ¼ cup of fresh spearmint leaves, ¼ cup of horseradish (both the root and leaves), and ¼ cup green onion tops. You basically soak all the veggies in water for several hours (overnight) and then drain and save the water adding 1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap.
Salt and water. If you are facing a problem like cabbage worms and spider mites then you might want to consider raising the sodium levels enough to irritate them. You mix 2 tablespoons of salt in 1 gallon of water and then spray that mixture onto your plants/garden.
Oil and soap spray. You can also mix in one cup of vegetable oil (sunflower oil, corn, soybean, or even peanut oil will work) with one tablespoon of mild liquid dish soap and two cups of water.
Ammonia spray. This one is not my first choice as the smell is really strong and the ammonia can have negative effects as well (especially if you use too much). You mix this in a 1:7 ratio with water and apply the solution to the infected area. This should get rid of most insects (reapply as needed).
Citrus spray. You soak 1 cup of lemon or orange peels, ¼ cup of spearmint leaves (or sage), and ¼ cup of lavender leaves overnight in a gallon of water. Drain this mixture and saving the water along with 1 tablespoon if liquid dishwashing soap and then apply that solution to your plants.
Wormwood tea. If you have a problem with moths, slugs, snails, or even moles and gophers you might want to mix up some wormwood tea. This involves about ½ pound of Artemesia leaves (A. Absinthium is common wormwood) along with 6 pints of water. You coarsely chop the leaves and bring them to a boil in 2 pints of water. Then you simmer that solution for 30 minutes pouring the result into a spray bottle along with a quart of fresh water.
Sugar and boric acid. If you find yourself struggling with an army of ants (or in an all-out battle) you may want to mix one part confectioner’s sugar to one part boric acid powder and sprinkle that around the perimeter of ant mounds or anywhere you see a lot of ant activity.
Garlic spray. You can soak 1-15 diced garlic cloves in 2 cups of mineral oil for 24 hours and then strain that solution adding the liquid to a spray bottle. Then apply that to your plants.
Onion, peppers, and garlic. If you really want something that packs a nice punch then you can grind 3 large onions, 3 hot peppers, and 1 bunch of garlic and place them into a gallon of water. Let that mixture sit overnight and then strain the spices and top off your gallon with fresh water.
All of these solutions should be applied thoroughly to the surface of the plants or grass including any underside to make sure that you don’t leave the pests a safe haven to hide and/or feast on while the effects of the natural pesticide wear off and/or get washed away by rain and/or your sprinkler system. If you try a few of these solutions and just don’t seem to get anywhere then you should contact your lawn care professional. They can use several different chemicals and will also have a good supply of organic solutions to use. If you want them to use only organic pesticides you should let them know that in advance.
www.lawncareservice.net/blog/2010/10-homemade-pesticides-for-your-yard-and-garden/
There are many great reasons to choose to make your own pesticides for your yard and garden versus buying pre-packaged chemicals. In general strong chemical applications are really best left to lawn care specialists that can be sure to get the proper chemicals applied in the right proportions to take care of the problem without creating another. There are several homemade pesticides that are really safe for the environment and they can be equally as effective at fending off pests. You may want to try these homemade recipes first before giving a lawn care service a call:
Mild soap and water. One of the safest and most effective homemade pesticides is some dishwashing soap mixed in with water. In general, it just takes a few drops of soap into a spray bottle followed by water. You don’t need to use an excessive amount of soap to get the trick done (one tablespoon will do the trick). Basically, this mostly irritates the pests and gets them to leave on their own.
Spearmint hot pepper horseradish spray. This one packs a little bit of a punch. With this recipe you mix ¼ cup of hot red peppers, ½ gallons of water, ¼ cup of fresh spearmint leaves, ¼ cup of horseradish (both the root and leaves), and ¼ cup green onion tops. You basically soak all the veggies in water for several hours (overnight) and then drain and save the water adding 1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap.
Salt and water. If you are facing a problem like cabbage worms and spider mites then you might want to consider raising the sodium levels enough to irritate them. You mix 2 tablespoons of salt in 1 gallon of water and then spray that mixture onto your plants/garden.
Oil and soap spray. You can also mix in one cup of vegetable oil (sunflower oil, corn, soybean, or even peanut oil will work) with one tablespoon of mild liquid dish soap and two cups of water.
Ammonia spray. This one is not my first choice as the smell is really strong and the ammonia can have negative effects as well (especially if you use too much). You mix this in a 1:7 ratio with water and apply the solution to the infected area. This should get rid of most insects (reapply as needed).
Citrus spray. You soak 1 cup of lemon or orange peels, ¼ cup of spearmint leaves (or sage), and ¼ cup of lavender leaves overnight in a gallon of water. Drain this mixture and saving the water along with 1 tablespoon if liquid dishwashing soap and then apply that solution to your plants.
Wormwood tea. If you have a problem with moths, slugs, snails, or even moles and gophers you might want to mix up some wormwood tea. This involves about ½ pound of Artemesia leaves (A. Absinthium is common wormwood) along with 6 pints of water. You coarsely chop the leaves and bring them to a boil in 2 pints of water. Then you simmer that solution for 30 minutes pouring the result into a spray bottle along with a quart of fresh water.
Sugar and boric acid. If you find yourself struggling with an army of ants (or in an all-out battle) you may want to mix one part confectioner’s sugar to one part boric acid powder and sprinkle that around the perimeter of ant mounds or anywhere you see a lot of ant activity.
Garlic spray. You can soak 1-15 diced garlic cloves in 2 cups of mineral oil for 24 hours and then strain that solution adding the liquid to a spray bottle. Then apply that to your plants.
Onion, peppers, and garlic. If you really want something that packs a nice punch then you can grind 3 large onions, 3 hot peppers, and 1 bunch of garlic and place them into a gallon of water. Let that mixture sit overnight and then strain the spices and top off your gallon with fresh water.
All of these solutions should be applied thoroughly to the surface of the plants or grass including any underside to make sure that you don’t leave the pests a safe haven to hide and/or feast on while the effects of the natural pesticide wear off and/or get washed away by rain and/or your sprinkler system. If you try a few of these solutions and just don’t seem to get anywhere then you should contact your lawn care professional. They can use several different chemicals and will also have a good supply of organic solutions to use. If you want them to use only organic pesticides you should let them know that in advance.
www.lawncareservice.net/blog/2010/10-homemade-pesticides-for-your-yard-and-garden/
