Now I know I go on about #biodiversity quite a lot and how important it is to have pollinators and of course the Garden Barber favourite, hedges. (did I mention Steven has even written a book called 14 hedges? It's actually a novel not a gardening manual - the talking newspaper charity refused to read it because it had too much swearing in!- more on that another time)
However if, like me you are trying, or maybe, not like me you are succeeding, to grow a few #edibles in your garden its a bit more important to prevent "others" from getting the goodies before you do.
I've put together a few recipes for #homemade #organic #pesticides to try out and your crops that are safe to make at home.
These are both safe for you and don't contain any of those nasty chemicals that can find their way into nearby water sources and soil. Also good if you have pets who like to lick and nibble unfamiliar smelling things!
If you need another reason to try then these will also save you money as all the ingredients are widely available and low cost. What are we waiting for? lets dive in. . . .
Alcohol Spray
120 ml of rubbing alcohol / Surgical Spirit / Ethanol
60ml water
2 to 3 tablespoons washing powder
Stir the ingredients until the powder has dissolved and use immediately. This works really well for houseplants, especially against White-Fly or Mealybugs as they are sometimes called. It can also be used to treat palms for scale.
Garlic or Onion Spray
1 bulb of Garlic, diced
1ltr Water
1 Tbsp Cayenne Pepper
1 small onion, diced (optional)
Simmer all the ingredients for about 1 hour. You can store this one for up to a week in the fridge. Spray onto indoor or outdoor plants or even pour around your garden. This is a good all rounder and is well known to be effective for Aphids, Ants, Beetles, Borers, Caterpillers, Armyworms, Slugs, Termites and Whiteflies.
Neem Oil
1 tbsp of Neem Oil
2 to 3 tsp mild liquid soap (bubble bath or fairy)
2 litres warm water
Put everything into a spray bottle and mix well, then spray. Neem oil is effective as a repellent for over 200 kinds of chewing and sucking insects including #Mites, #Aphids #Mealybugs/ #whitefly and scale. It can also be used to treat some fungus like Black Spot, Root rot and Sooty Mold.
Although all studies have found neem oil to be safe and non-toxic it should not be used in large quantities as it can affect small beehives.
Salt
2 tbsp Crystal Salt
2 litres warm water
Just mix and spray. This mixture is particularly useful if you have spider mites, cabbage worms and slugs.