Make your own Herbal Insecticide Sprays

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Make your own Herbal Insecticide Sprays

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Here are a few recipes for reasonably effective herbal sprays to help

control garden pests. To get the spray to stick to the plants use a wetting

agent or a spreader sticker.

 

Wetting Agent

Pure soap used one teaspoon per quart of spray to make an effective wetting

agent as a base for the sprays.

 

Spreader Sticker

Coconut oil added at one tablespoon per quart will help your spray stick to

the plants.

 

Here is a General fungicide you can use for:

 

mildew

blackspot

damping off

rust.

 

Mix equal portions of:

Chamomile flowers

Chive leaves

Elderberry leaves

Horseradish leaves

Casuarina leaves (see note)

 

Cover with water and bring to a boil for a few minutes.

Let cool, strain and use spray as required.

Refrigerate excess.

 

Casurina

Any of the chiefly Australian trees that make up the genus Casuarina

(family Casuarinaceae), which have whorls of scalelike leaves and jointed

stems resembling horsetails. Several species, especially C. equisetifolia,

are valued for their hard, dense, yellowish- to reddish-brown wood, which

is strong and reputed to be resistant to termite attack. Beefwood and

ironwood are common names that reflect the wood's color and hardness.

 

 

Ant repellents.

 

1.Paint Pennyroyal oil on ant tracks and nests.

 

2. Make your own Pennyroyal oil.

 

Gather ½ cup of Pennyroyal leaves and mix with 1 cup of Safflower oil in a

blender.

Blend well, bottle and cap.

Leave for a day in a warm spot (not in the sun).

Paint ant trails and nest areas.

 

 

Elderberry pesticide and fungicide.

 

Apply for:

aphids

caterpillars

thrips

blackspot

 

Pick about a pound (500g) of Elderberry leaves

add to 4 quarts of water and

Simmer elder leaves for 30 minutes.

Maintain water level as water is lost from steaming

allow to cool

strain and apply spray as needed.

Store excess in refrigerator.

 

 

Coriander (Cilantro) mite spray.

 

Workes for:

spider mites

aphids

 

Use equal portions of Coriander (whole plant) and water.

Boil the mixture for 10 minutes.

Allow to cool and then strain and use spray as required.

Spray directly on infested plants.

Refridgerate excess.

 

 

Chilli (hot peppers) and wormwood repellant

 

Spray this on and around plants to repel a wide variety of critters,

including:

o'possums

rabbits

snails

slugs

deer

dogs

 

This spray also will kill:

aphids

bean fly

white fly

 

Blend with 1 cup of water

1 cup of Chillies (use hottest peppers you can get)

1 cup of Wormwood leaves

After blending, Add 5 cups of water and bring to boil for a few minutes (no

more than 5).

Allow to cool for about an hour.

Carefully Strain and spray as required.

CAUTION!!!

Do not allow to come in contact with eyes or skin!

Store excess in refrigerator and reblend when needed.

 

 

Here is an effective insecticide.

 

Gather

2 parts Feverfew flowers

1 part Pyrethrum flowers

Chop all the flowers thoroughly.

Just cover with kerosene or mineral oil.

 

Allow to soak overnight in a dark place.

Carefully strain the liquid.

Dilute one part liquid in six parts water, then add two drops sesame oil to

each dilution and spray as required.

Store excess fire-proof dark area.

 

Wood Ashes for insect control

 

Ashes are great for insect control. While not quite an insecticide,

sprinkling wood ashes around your garden plants will assist in controlling

cutworms, slugs, borers of all kinds, various beetles such as bean beatles.

The formula for this is:

 

 

1/2 cup lime

1/2 cup wood ashes (sifted fine first is best)

1 gallon of water.

Mix well and strain well.

Strain very well if you are using a sprayer.

Apply with a sprayer or splash on with cheesecloth.

To use the cheesecloth splash, get a wad of cheesecloth (or other rag), dip

it in the water/ash/lime mix. Then, while squeezing the cheesecloth, throw

the fluid at the plants, being sure to get the undersides of the leaves

also. Wear rubber gloves for this because the lime can cause your hands to

burn or irritate the skin.

To control spider mites and aphids, use dry wood ashes in the same way as

the cheesecloth splash, dusting the plants with the DRY wood ash. This

works best if the plants are already wet so the dry dust gets coated well

(either while wet from dew in the morning or after you have wet them

yourself but dew is best as it covers very completely).

 

To control maggots in root crops such as beets, carrots, onions, parsnips,

etc., sprinkle wood ashes along side the plants several times during the

growing season.