Home Made bug spray

Hi All,

Not really wanting to spray my veg and plants with chemicals so i wondered if anyone could offer any advice on sprays or soloutions i can make up at home, Ideally would like to use everyday items

As an example I seem to remember my grandfather using soapy water in a spray bottle although i don't know what pest that was used to control or if it actaully was a diy bug/pest control.

Any ideas most welcome.

 

I was watching an old Geoff Hamilton Gardener's World the other weekend, and he was saying soapy water was good for getting rid of aphids and earwigs, among other things (sadly I suspect that means it gets rid of ladybirds too).

I use a tabasco spray to keep squirrels away (for some reason they LOVE eating tree ferns). I haven't ever seen any evidence of bugs on my plants, but it's possible that my plants don't look like food to them, rather than a pleasant side-effect of the squirrel spray!

 

I seem to remember that the best soap to use is genuine solid soap soaked in water, not washing up liquid. When it starts to dry it goes sticky and the aphids stick to it and die. Never heard of it for earwigs, I would have thought that they are big enough to break free. As are ladybirds.

 

All,
I have quite a few squirrels in my garden, Not had many issues with them (YET), May i ask how you make the tabasco spray?

Also on the soap spray, Do you mean a normal bar of soap, I take it un-scented or would it not make any diffrence?

Thank you.

 

The tabasco spray is 1/8 of a small bottle of Tabasco Sauce, into an old household cleaner spray bottle (thoroughly washed out of course!), topped up with water. Then a little squirt of washing up liquid because Tabasco is an oily substance and washing up liquid helps it dissolve in water. I give it a bit of a shake before use.

I've labelled it "Squirrel Spray" and drawn the symbol for "irritant" on the side (you can take the girl out of chemistry...). I spray everything in the garden, but especially the crown of my tree fern, as Bubba The Fat Squirrel likes nothing better than munching on a juicy young frond. Make sure you stand upwind, as it's not a pleasant experience to get it in your mouth and nose...

Bubba hasn't had a go at the young fronds since I started using it, but in early April I was almost in tears as I was down to two fronds and he kept eating the others! Now I've got a dozen.

 

Juliasaurus, Thanks for the info on your tbasco spray, I will give it a try should i get any trouble from the squirrels. Im glad your tree fern has recovered from Bubba's munching .

 

VP I think the sort of solid soap doesn't matter. It's simply that liquid soap doesn't go sticky enough.

 

You're very welcome - I'll be interested to see if you have success (but hope you don't need to use it).

 

Thank you all for your help and advice. I too hope that i have little use for these sprays.

 

Evening Veggie Patch.

I use soap spray ... a squirt of washing up liquid (I like Balsamic because it's nice to your hands as I don't believe in dishwashers) in a spray bottle just then filled with water.

Not only is this excellent for aphids on roses and other suseptical plants but is the most effect cure for ants ... one spray kills them dead so totally safe to use on kitchen counters.

 

If you know anyone who smokes. Keep the butts in a container of water (outside). Leave to marinate for a month. Strain the ends out and use the liquid remaining in a spray bottle. Kills all bugs, no problem. Oh, apart from "scale" insects. I think you need a Systemic for them.

 

NO!NO!NO!NO!NO. Nicotine is lethal to all living things. It will kill every insect friendly, unfriendly and indifferent including bees ladybirds ,lacewings and hoverflies.
In strong enough solution even spilling it on YOUR skin would kill you.
Horticultural soft soap us better than anything if you must spray.

 

I agree Pal. Nicotine can even kill plants. Tomatoes are particularly vulnerable.

 

The trade name for horticultural soft soap is Savona, quite easily available ( i think hydra sell it ) but my chemical suplier certainly does.

I use liquid derris for aphids and im fairly sure it suposed to be organic.

One of the best organic fungicides is sulphur, I use 2 tsp of flowers of sulphur in 5 litres of water for spraying roses against blackspot.

The trouble with using ordinary washing up liquid is contains a lot of other products like perfumes and surfacents and these arent too good for plants.

 

I seem to remember hearing that the old gardeners years ago used to boil up the cigarette buts to get the nicoteen out of them, and then dilute and spray the plants with it.

Bit like the one about boiling up rhubarb leaves and using that as a spray.

Surely none of these can be any worse than modern chemicals, and they are ORGANIC after all.