Organic Gardening- Recipes for Sprays
Use of organic sprays are more friendly to the environment. They are comprised
of common organic materials, soaps and occasionally other environmentally
friendly materials. They are often home brewed recipes that you can make
and save money along the way. Or, if you are not inclined to make up a batch
of your own, they are readily available at most garden supply stores.
If you have a "recipe" for home made insecticides or fungicides, please email
us so we can share it with others and do our part for the environment!
Insecticide Garlic Spray:
Ingredients:
| 1 |
Garlic Bulb |
| 2 Cups |
Water |
| 1 Gallon |
Water |
Instructions:
-
Take an entire garlic bulb and two cups of water and blend in blender.
-
Mix at high speed for 1-2 minutes.
-
Pour into a container and set aside for up to one day.
-
Strain liquid through a cheese cloth.
-
Mix liquid with one gallon of water.
-
Apply liberally on top and bottom of leaves.
Insecticide Soap Spray:
Ingredients: Liquid Dish Detergent
Instructions:
-
Put one tablespoon of dish detergent per gallon into a sprayer.
-
Apply liberally on top and bottom of leaves.
-
Re-apply after rain or one to two weeks.
Hot Pepper Spray: This can be used to repel, deer, rabbits and other
pests from your flowers and some vegetables. Note, use caution with vegetables
as a peppery taste may remain on the fruit.
Ingredients:
| 6 |
Hot Peppers, the hotter the better |
| 2 Cups |
Water |
| 1 quart |
Water |
Instructions:
-
Put hot peppers and two cups of water into a blender.
-
Mix at high speed for 1-2 minutes.
-
Pour into a container and set aside for up to one day.
-
Strain liquid through a cheese cloth.
-
Add liquid into a one quart container. Fill container to top with water.
-
Apply liberally to plants. Re-apply every week to two weeks or after a rain.
Fungicide/ Powdery Mildew Spray:
Ingredients:
1Gallon |
Water |
| 3 Tablespoons |
Baking Soda |
| 1 Tablespoon |
Bleach |
| 1 Teaspoon |
Dishwashing Liquid |
Instructions:
-
Snip and remove leaves that are worst affected.
-
Mix ingredients with water.
-
Spray remaining leaves top and undersides.
-
Apply a heavier dose on leaves that have signs of infection and only lightly
on unaffected leaves as bleach can actually harm and discolor the leaves.
Extremely important: Do not use too much bleach! Use no more than
1 part bleach to 10 parts water. We hesitate to recommend using bleach as
it can harm your plants if too much is applied. Use it at your own risk and
try to avoid spraying it on healthy leaves.
Got Milk!?
Some scientists believe milk has germicidal properties, and is effective
against Powdery Mildew? Hard to believe? Here are a couple of articles in
support of it with research to back it up:
Milk on Powdery Mildew Home and Garden Television
Pioneer
Thinking- Got Mildew? Get Milk?
Others:
Marigolds and Nasturtiums are commonly grown as companion plants as they
keep pests away. Try putting some of the leaves and stems in your blender.
Let it soak for a day, drain, add water to dilute and apply liberally.
If you are in to experimenting, look up other companion plants and give them
a try. You just might invent a new recipe to share with us!
More Information:
Buy Organic repellents and fertilizers
Organic flower, vegetable and Herbs It all begins with
quality seed.
Pesticide Fact Sheets. Some
great publications
The Envirocycle Compost/ Compost Tea maker is perfect for organic-minded
home gardeners, who want to make compost and collect compost tea.
Buy Composter/Compost Tea Maker now
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