Homemade Pesticide Recipes
The Basics
It is best to use any type of spray in the early morning or the cool of evening. Do not spray when temps are above° F! Your plants may "burn" or have a reaction to what you are using in excessive heat. This is known as "phytotoxicity"
Always perform a test on a small portion of the plant material first. Wait 24 hours to observe any negative reaction. Proceed if there is no damage.
More is not better. If you are not getting good results don't increase the strength of these remedies without testing first.
Target just the area you need to treat. Be careful... try not to harm the good guys! You don't want to run off your allies.
When working with sprays or dusts always protect your exposed skin and face. Some of these ingredients can be very irritating to your skin, eyes and mucous membranes, especially any hot pepper sprays.
When working with oil sprays, follow this equation to prevent phytotoxicity: Take the current outdoor Fahrenheit temperature then add to this the percentage of humidity, if the total is more than 140 don't spray. Example: Temperature of 80° plus humidity of 67 percent equals 147, don't spray. You also do not want to spray when temps are above 80°F.
Alcohol Spray:
This spray really is great for houseplants. This especially works on mealy bugs.
1/2 cup of alcohol
2-3 tablespoons of dry laundry soap
1 quart of warm water
Mix all ingredients and spray immediately. This solution must be made fresh for each use
Ammonia Spray:
Mix one-part household ammonia with seven parts water.
Basic Sprays:
Basic Pepper Spray - Blend 1/2 cup of hot peppers with 2 cups of water. Strain and spray.
Basic Soap Spray – Mix 1 to 2 tablespoons liquid soap with 1 gallon of water and spray.
Bug Juice:
½ cup of specific species
Mash ½ cup of *bugs then add two cups of water and strain. Mix 1/4 cup of this "bug juice" with 2 cups of water and a few drops of soap and spray.
*Beware
o NOT use flies, ticks, fleas, or mosquitoes in this solution! These insects carry many communicable human diseases!
Garlic Spray:
This spray is effective against aphids, cabbage loopers, grasshoppers, June bugs, leafhoppers, mites, squash bugs, slugs and whiteflies. Never use
3 oz. minced garlic
1 oz. mineral oil
1 tsp. fish emulsion
16 oz. water
1 Tbsp. castile soap
Combine garlic and oil. Let soak for 24 hours; strain. Next, mix fish emulsion with water and castile soap. Slowly combine the garlic mixture with the fish emulsion mixture. Keep in a sealed glass container. This mixture will keep for several months. To use, mix 2 Tbsp. garlic oil mixture to 1 pint water and spray.
Horseradish Repellant:
This spray is effective on aphids, blister beetles, caterpillars, Colorado beetles, whiteflies and soft-bodied insects.
3 quarts boiling water
2 cups cayenne peppers
1 inch piece horseradish root, chopped
2 cups packed scented geranium leaves, any type, optional
Combine ingredients and let set for 1 hour, cool, strain, and spray.
Note: this can be made without the scented geranium leaves if you don't have them to spare.
Lime Spray:
This spray is effective on cucumber beetles, mites and general purpose.
1 ounce of hydrated lime
32 ounces of water
1 teaspoon of castile soap
Mix hydrated lime with water. Add soap to act as a sticking agent and insecticide. This creates an effective spray agains many insects, especially spidermites. Use up to twice a week.
Note:Lime can cause serious harm to plants if you use too much, so always spray a test plant first and watch it for a few days, to check for any adverse effects on plants.
Oil Spray:
This spray works well on Aphids, mealy bugs, mites, scales, and thrips.
1 Tbsp. liquid dish soap
1 cup vegetable oil (peanut, canola, safflower, corn, soybean, or sunflower)
Mix oil and soap. To use mixture, add 1-2 tsp. of the oil and soap mixture to one cup water, and apply to plants.
Orange Peel Spray:
This spray works well on soft bodied pests such as aphids, fungus gnats, mealy bugs and as an ant repellant.
2 cups boiling water
Peelings of on orange
A few drops castile soap
Pour boiling water over orange peels. Allow to set for 24 hours. Strain into a glass jar. Add soap and spray.
Peppermint Soap Spray:
Gnats sometimes swarm on plants, usually indoor varieties. Try this natural solution, but if the problem persists change the soil in the container.
To 1 quart of boiling water add:
½ Tablespoon of Dr. Bronner's Peppermint soap
Now fill a spray bottle with the mixture. While the mixture is still hot, spray it on the plant, soil and gnats!
Red Hot Pepper Spray:
This spray works well on many different types of pests.
2 handfuls fresh red cayenne peppers
1/2 gallon water
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Dash of liquid soap
Combine ingredients, and let soak for 2 days. Apply to plants.
Pepper-Garlic Spray:
This will repel many insects including whiteflies, apids, spidermites and caterpillars.
1 teaspoon of hot pepper or tobasco sauce
4 cloves of garlic
Quart of water
Combine one teaspoon of hot pepper or tobasco sauce, 4 cloves of garlic and a quart of water. *Blend well in a blender and strain, with cheesecloth or nylon mesh before placing in your sprayer.
Salt Spray:
This solution is used for cabbageworms and spider mites.
2 tablespoons of salt
1 gallon of water
Mix and spray.
Soap Spray:
This solution is used for aphids, mealy bugs, mites, scales, and thrips.
3 Tbsp. liquid soap
1 gallon water
Mix ingredients and spray on plants weekly.
Note: Buy a liquid soap and not a detergent. Health food stores have liquid soaps, such as Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile Soaps.
Spearmint-Hot Pepper-Horseradish Spray:
This works on many different kinds of bugs- too many to list!
1/2 cup of red peppers (hot)
water (read below)
1/2 cup of fresh spearmint
1/2 cup horseradish (root and leaves)
2 tablespoons of liquid detergent
1/2 cup green onion tops
Mix all of the spearmint leaves, horseradish, onion tops and peppers together with enough water to cover everything. Strain the solution. After mixing all of these, add a half-gallon of water and add the detergent also. To use this solution, mix 1/2 gallon of this solution with 1/2 gallon of water. You can use this to spray almost any plant safely. Store this mixture for a few days in a cool environment.
Tobacco or Nicotine Spray:
This mixture is great for combating many different types of bugs; especially caterpillars, aphids, and many types of worms.
1 cup of tobacco
1 gallon of water
3 tablespoons of liquid dish soap
Mix tobacco and water in container. Allow mixture to set for approximately 24 hours, then check the color. It should be the color of weak tea. If it is too light, allow to sit longer, if it is too dark, dilute with more water. Add the liquid soap to the mixture, and spray on plants.
Warning
on't use this solution on peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, or any other member of the solanaceous family. Tobacco chemicals can kill these types of plants!
