Home » Misc » Homemade bug spray plants

Homemade bug spray plants


6 bug sprays for plants |

(Image credit: Getty Images)

While insects are a valuable part of our gardens' ecosystems, sometimes they end up tucking into our vegetable harvests or eating their way through our flower buds before they bloom. 

These moments can have us reaching for the insecticides. However, filled with toxic chemicals, commercial insecticides often stand at odds with the sustainable garden ideas that we want our plots to embody.

This is where homemade insect sprays and deterrents come into their own. Created from items you would find in your store cupboard, they are quick and effective ways to ward bugs off your prized plants. 

‘Homemade garlic, nettle, soap, tomato and basil sprays are effective against aphids, mites and thrips. The aim is not to kill off all the insects in your garden, but rather aim for a healthy ecosystem,’ says garden expert Leigh Clapp.

Bug sprays – 6 homemade recipes for plants

Homemade bug sprays should only be used as a short term solution – at the same time as treating pests, think of adding other plants to your garden that will encourage insects and animals that prey on the problem bug.  

‘Disaster-proof your garden through plant diversity. The wider the range of plants, the less they are plagued by pests, so that if a disease or pest occurs only a limited number of susceptible plants will be affected,’ continues Leigh. 

For example, if you want to get rid of slugs, can you attract more birds? If you need to get rid of aphids, could you plant angelica, fennel and dill nearby to attract ladybirds? There are lots of different companion planting ideas that will help you to reduce pests in your plot. By creating a balanced garden, you will find that you have less and less need for bug sprays. 

Before using any of these bug sprays on your plants, always do a patch-test. Spray a small amount onto a few leaves of the plant and wait 24 hours to see if there is any damage. Avoid using any foliar sprays during the heat of the day as the exposure to the sun can cause leaf burn. 

1. Insecticidal soap

(Image credit: Getty Images)

A popular bug spray for treating a wide range of pests, homemade insecticidal soap, consists of soap, oil and water. Homemade insecticidal soap is often the first port of call for many gardeners as the ingredients are all store cupboard essentials. 

To create insecticidal soap combine one cup of vegetable oil with one tablespoon of dishwashing soap or pure Castile liquid soap. For this method, as well as any others that call for dishwashing soap, avoid those that contain a degreaser or bleach as these can cause more harm than good. Use this oil and soap mixture as a concentrate and dilute one teaspoon with two cups of warm water into a spray bottle. Once mixed with water, the solution’s efficacy will only last for a day. 

Insecticidal soap is one of the best ways of getting rid of aphids, as well as lacebugs, leafhoppers, mealybugs and thrips.

2. Neem oil bug spray

(Image credit: Getty Images)

An organic insecticide, neem oil has seen a rise in popularity as a method to treat everything from insects through to fungi. 

‘Neem oil has been used in India for thousands of years and is a trusted method to keep on top of pests, without any of the nasties,’ explains John Maree, co-owner of OxyPlants . ‘A spray of Neem oil on the tops and undersides of your plant’s leaves will help remove several pests, including mites, whitefly, aphids, thrip, and mealybugs, at every stage in their life cycle. Using neem oil also helps to get rid of powdery mildew, too.’

To use neem oil as a homemade bug spray mix one to two tablespoons of pure, cold-pressed neem oil with a gallon of water. You can also add one to two teaspoons of dish soap to the mix to help the neem oil adhere to the plants. 

Alternatively, you can use neem oil as a root soak to treat root rot. Mix one gallon of water with two tablespoons of neem oil and one teaspoons of pure Castile liquid soap (to help the neem oil adhere). Apply a small amount as a test and wait 24 hours. If all is well, then apply two or three cups to the soil around the plant, then continue the treatment as a replacement to the watering cycle. 

A benefit of using neem oil over other pesticides is that it doesn't harm birds, pets or beneficial insects. This is because neem oil gets absorbed into the plant’s tissue rather than just sitting on the surface and so only affects any insects that ingest the plant. 

3. Vinegar spray

(Image credit: Getty Images)

It seems that there is no end to the abilities of vinegar, especially when you take into account the numerous ways of cleaning with vinegar, but did you know that it can also be used as a bug spray?

One of the easiest homemade bug sprays, simply mix one cup of white vinegar with three cups of water. You can also add half a teaspoon of dishwashing soap to help the solution adhere. Shake thoroughly and apply to the affected areas.

The acetic acid in the vinegar will treat a wide range of garden pests but it requires contact. If you have whitefly eggs be sure to spray under the leaves. Furthermore, white vinegar has a strong odor which has been reported to repel ants and other scent driven pests.

'If you are wanting to treat houseplants with a vinegar spray, try adding a few drops of essential oil or some slices of lemon peel or rosemary sprigs to help temper the vinegar smell,' advises Period Living editor Melanie Griffiths.

4. Garlic spray

(Image credit: Future)

You may have heard that onions and garlic make good companion plants as the scent of their foliage helps to repel aphids, slugs and carrot fly. This spray takes it to the next level. 

‘Puree two garlic bulbs with one tablespoon of vegetable oil, let it sit overnight, strain, add one teaspoon of mild liquid soap and four cups of water to fill the spray container,’ recommends Leigh Clapp. 

Store this mixture in the fridge until needed. In the evening, spray both sides of the leaves with the spray and then reapply every few days when your plants are suffering with infestation. Alternatively, use every one to two weeks as a deterrent. 

If you want to be even more sustainable, why not learn how to grow garlic so that you can have an endless supply of garlic spray – plus extra cloves that you can add to your favorite meals?

5. Tomato leaf spray

(Image credit: merlinpf / Getty Images)

If you’ve ever tried growing tomatoes, you will be familiar with the characteristic scent of their leaves, but did you know that these leaves contain a compound called alkaloid which can be used to create a spray that is toxic to aphids and mites? To make a tomato leaf spray, mix equal quantities of chopped up tomato leaf with water and leave to steep overnight. Let this steep overnight, before straining into a spray bottle and applying to the plant’s leaves.

This is a great way to recycle tomato leaves once you've pruned them – you can learn how to prune tomato plants for a maximum yield.

6. Cinnamon spray

(Image credit: Getty Images)

If you’ve ever grown plants in pots, you’ll be familiar with the problem of stray mushrooms. However, this can be easily resolve with a simple cinnamon spray. Mix two teaspoons cinnamon powder into four cups of warm water. Allow this to steep overnight and then strain through a coffee filter and then pour into a spray bottle. Mist the potting soil and plants. 

Cinnamon spray is also reported to be an effective treatment to get rid of ants. If you have an ant problem in your pots or want to keep ants away from dining or patio areas, try applying cinnamon oil or powdered cinnamon to create an effective barrier.

What is a natural bug killer for plants?

Vinegar is a really effective natural bug killer for plants. Dilute it 1:1 with water in a spray bottle and spray it over and under the leaves of affected plants. You can also use it around the house to deter bugs inside; the vinegary smell will quickly dissipate.

You can also use a hydrogen peroxide and water solution, which is great when trying to get rid of bugs from houseplant soil. 

Which homemade bug spray is best for repelling mosquitoes?

The best homemade bug sprays for repelling mosquitoes are those with a strong smell that mosquitoes hate. Other than citronella, which you are probably already familiar with as a mosquito repellent, they include the following essential oils: 

Having graduated with a first class degree in English Literature four years ago, Holly started her career as a features writer and sub-editor at Period Living magazine, Homes & Gardens' sister title. Working on Period Living brought with it insight into the complexities of owning and caring for period homes, from interior decorating through to choosing the right windows and the challenges of extending. This has led to a passion for traditional interiors, particularly the country-look. Writing for the Homes & Gardens website as a content editor, alongside regular features for Period Living and Country Homes & Interiors magazines, has enabled her to broaden her writing to incorporate her interests in gardening, wildlife and nature. 

Natural Insecticides: All About DIY Bug Sprays for Plants

In an episode of the TV show Silicon Valley, Gilfoyle, an overwhelmed software coder, rushes to debug some mission-critical software against a looming deadline. Running out of time, Gilfoyle hits upon a brilliant solution — write an artificial intelligence (AI) script to find and remove the bugs as efficiently as possible.

It works, and the script gets rid of all the software bugs in mere seconds. There’s just one “minor” issue — in its quest for efficiency, it deletes the bugs by deleting all the software. No more code, so no more bugs.

Oops.

Gardeners also struggle against bugs. If you try to grow your own food, you’ll find plenty of competition for those yummy calories among the denizens of the insect kingdom. You’ll also find plenty of weapons to help you prevail — the home and garden pesticides market generates almost $8 billion in sales worldwide. Unfortunately, many of the products that make up that market cause almost as much collateral damage as Gilfoyle’s bug-destroying AI. In addition to harming the environment and compromising human health, some of them actually exacerbate insect problems in the long run by destroying your garden’s natural defenses against insect predation.

Are there ways to protect your hard-earned crops without hurting your garden, your health, and the balance of nature? In this article, we’ll look at a natural insect repellent for plants and nontoxic formulas you can create from things you may already have, like vinegar, soap, and garlic. These natural insecticides can help you reap a harvest that supports not only your health but the well-being of the entire ecosystem as well.

The Challenge of Gardening: Hungry Pests

iStock.com/ADragan

Gardening is one of the most popular hobbies out there. It gained new adherents during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic as people sought a way to reduce their dependence on the industrial food supply chain, and its appeal as a pastime and supplemental income source (especially if you count healthy calories as a source of income) appears to be lasting.

It’s no wonder. Gardening provides many benefits, in addition to the obvious one of fresh, delicious, healthy food at your fingertips. It’s good for your mood, your microbiome, your stress levels, and your cardiovascular system. It puts you in touch with nature and the unique qualities of your bioregion and microclimate (what you could call “terroir,” as long as you say it with a very heavy French accent).

There is one significant downside to growing food in a home garden, however — you have to deal with pests (well, you do if you hope to reap what you sow).

And while lots of critters — from deer who will happily jump an eight-foot fence to nibble at your sweet potato greens to neighboring cats who view your raised herb bed as the ultimate litter box — can be considered pests, the most difficult to deal with are typically the tiny critters. Specifically, I’m talking about insects.

Insects, as everyone knows who’s read their Wikipedia entry, are “pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta.” In other words, boneless six-legged critters with outer shells.

There are a lot of insects out there. While all the humans on the planet weigh, collectively, about 287 million metric tons, it turns out that spiders eat two to three times that amount of insects every single year. So putting all of us on one side of a balance scale and all the insects on the other would be about as lopsided as a grasshopper doing the same thing with you.

And many insects eat plants. In fact, many of their favorite plants are our favorite plants as well. So when you grow crops outdoors, you’re essentially ceding the home-field advantage to the myriad species of insects that have unfettered access to all the yummies you’ve planted.

To regain the upper hand and protect their crops, many home gardeners apply insecticides and other pesticides to their garden beds to control those pests. But many of the most popular formulas, including the pyrethroid insecticides (such as the ominously named Anvil, Scourge, and Fumakilla), may harm the environment and compromise your health.

Fortunately, you don’t have to choose between toxic compounds and a garden destroyed by pests. You can deploy some highly effective and very safe homemade insecticides in your vegetable garden.

iStock.com/baranozdemir

Before we get into the specific formulas, we need to get clear on the difference between pesticides and insecticides. “Pesticide” is a broad term that includes insecticides as well as herbicides and fungicides. They are formulated to deter pests of all sorts, including insects and other bugs, weeds and other plants, fungus and mold, and even larger animals that like to snack on plants.

Insecticides, by contrast, are meant to deter or eliminate just insects, those small invertebrates with six legs that may or may not have wings. In other words, all insecticides are pesticides, but not all pesticides are insecticides.

Why are Insecticides Used?

iStock.com/alicjane

The simplest answer is to remove insects from a plant. It might just be a few bugs, or it could be a large-scale infestation. If the little critters were just using your plants as a walkway, it wouldn’t be an issue. But insects often have mischief on their minds (at least from the gardener’s perspective).

Insects may eat entire leaves, or chew holes in them, which can keep the plant from photosynthesizing. They may suck the nutrients from the plant, keeping it from bearing fruit. They might eat the edible parts of the plant, such as the tomato and cucumber fruit, or broccoli florets. And they might act so destructively that they kill the entire plant.

The best way to get insects off your plants is not to let them get on your plants in the first place. As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Ideally, gardeners use insecticides not as their entire insect-fighting strategy, but as part of a systematic approach, such as that prescribed by integrated pest management (IPM).

IPM attempts to keep insect damage to a minimum while at the same time minimizing the hazards to people, property, and the environment. Rather than just pouring poison on the offending pest population, an IPM-minded gardener might recruit beneficial insects and other organisms to help keep the pest species in check. For example, ladybug larvae love to feast on plant-destroying aphids, and praying mantids will happily gobble up moths and beetles.

Other IPM techniques mimic the ways nature keeps pest populations from exploding — rotating crops between different areas of the garden, selecting pest-resistant plant varieties, interspersing onions, garlic, or other plants that tend to deter insects, and planting pest-resistant rootstock.

Ultimately, pest infestations in your garden are a lot like infections in your body — they take hold when the native immune system is compromised. And if the best way to keep your body infection-free is to live a healthy lifestyle — including fresh air, sunlight, healthy food, clean water, and emotional support — the best way to keep insects from eating all your crops is to create a healthy environment for those crops.

This includes nurturing healthy soil, allowing sufficient space between the plants, removing large weeds so your plants can “breathe,” and harvesting fully so you don’t leave rotting leaves or fruits that can attract pests.

Even with all those strategies in place, you may still face unacceptable levels of insect damage. In those cases, a homemade natural insecticide can be a useful tool in your toolbox.

Why Choose a Natural Insecticide?

iStock.com/Worledit

Conventional agriculture around the world relies heavily on synthetic insecticides. And through years of observation and research, we’ve developed a clear understanding of the negative long-term effects of many of these compounds on people, animals, and the environment.

Synthetic insecticides can contribute to water and air pollution. And these chemicals may remain on edible portions of plants when harvested and consumed, despite your best efforts to wash them off.

Spraying insecticides puts farmers and farmworkers at risk, as they can cause harm via skin or eye contact, or when inhaled. And there’s plenty of evidence that these chemicals can waft into nearby homes, where their concentrations and harms can be amplified.

Broad-spectrum insecticides don’t just target the pests you’re trying to get rid of. They can also harm beneficial insects such as pollinators (bees and butterflies), without whose help you may not have anything to harvest at all.

And just as broad-spectrum antibiotics kill your gut bacteria indiscriminately and wipe out as many beneficial as harmful microbes, chemical insecticides can kill beneficial critters in your garden and decimate its natural defenses. This perpetuates a vicious cycle in which you must continue to apply more and more insecticides because the garden ecosystem has lost its ability to defend itself.

In contrast to commercial insect-killers, the best natural insecticides use safe, generally nontoxic ingredients that will not harm humans or most other animals (we’ve got some cautions for you below). Neither do they hurt creatures that prey on the insects, or the soil or water in the garden. This is why they are allowed in organic farming and gardening.

So let’s look at some different bug sprays and insecticides you can DIY. You’ll not only save time and money, but you’ll also protect your health and the environment (and your garden!).

DIY Bug Spray Safety

Before we begin, a few cautionary notes. While homemade insecticides are typically far safer than industrial ones, you still want to treat them with respect and follow sound safety protocols. Label them, so you don’t confuse them with other household liquids. (“Is that cayenne pepper spray or contact lens solution? Oh, well, only one way to find out.”)

And keep your natural insecticides away from children, as they can irritate skin and mucous membranes.

Some of the sprays can be harmful to companion animals. Dogs and cats are susceptible to allium toxicosis (what veterinarians call “garlic poisoning”) and can experience digestive upset if they consume chili peppers.

Tomato leaves are toxic to dogs, cats, and horses, and can lead to drowsiness, stomach pain, and breathing difficulties.

iStock.com/Jasmina007

Insecticidal Soap Spray

It couldn’t be easier to make this insecticide, which works on small, soft-bodied insects like mites, aphids, thrips, mealybugs, whiteflies, and immature leafhoppers. (Immature ones don’t have wings, and also probably shout, “Hey, Mom, look how high I can jump!” a lot.)

This insecticidal soap recipe works by dissolving their exoskeletons, which dehydrates and desiccates them.

Also known as horticultural soap, this homemade aphid spray is non-toxic to animals and birds and doesn’t harm beneficial insects. While you can buy it commercially, it’s cheaper and just as effective to make your own.

The formula for a DIY spray for plants couldn’t be simpler:

Make sure the dish soap doesn’t have petroleum-based ingredients, added fragrances, or essential oils. ECOS and Dr. Bronner’s are well-known brands that offer unscented varieties.

To use the DIY soap spray, cover any infested plants evenly, from top to bottom. Make sure the insects get good and wet.

Cayenne Pepper Spray

Nothing says you mean business like hosing down some garden pests with hot pepper spray. It repels insects like aphids, beetles, leafhoppers, and spittlebugs (which live up to their disgusting name with the revolting habit of leaving frothy mounds of spittle on the plants they’ve been enjoying — as you can tell, I’m not a fan). Of course, hot pepper also repels most mammals, including deer, squirrels, and domestic pets.

It’s the capsaicin in the peppers that does the trick; a natural irritant, it produces a burning sensation upon contact that acts as an effective deterrent to munching, nibbling, and, yes, producing gobs of spittle.

To make the spray, mix two tablespoons of powdered cayenne pepper into a gallon of water. Add a couple of drops of unscented soap to help the liquid stick to leaves, stems, and fruits. Whisk it thoroughly, let it sit overnight to grow ornery, and then use a funnel to get it into your spray bottle.

Alternatively, you can also use commercially manufactured hot sauce that contains capsaicin. The higher the Scoville number, the more firepower the sauce contains. Fun fact — cayenne peppers clock in at about 50,000 Scovilles, while the Carolina Reaper, according to the Guinness World Records the hottest chili pepper in the world, rings the bell at 2,200,000 Scovilles. Just thinking about this pepper can make your eyes water.

Be very careful when you handle this stuff. Keep it away from your eyes, and wash your hands thoroughly after touching cayenne or other whole, liquified, or powdered hot peppers. Do not rub your eye or scratch your nose unless you want to start an impromptu therapy session that involves lots of crying and a bunch of primal screams thrown in for good measure. And, not to be too graphic about it, making this spray is not something I recommend doing in the nude.

If you grow your own cayenne peppers, you can make a fresh cayenne spray by blending (keep that lid on good and tight!) a half cup of fresh peppers in two cups of water, then adding a couple of drops of soap. Unless you have a really good blender, however, you may find it difficult to use this mixture in a spray bottle without the bottle nozzle clogging.

You can also benefit from the deterrent effects of hot peppers by interplanting them directly in your garden beds, in between crops that might otherwise get bothered by those aphids, beetles, and spittlebugs.

Garlic Spray

Shocking, I know — not every creature loves the smell and taste of garlic! Rather than try to educate the palates of mealworms, aphids, mites, caterpillars, armyworms, cutworms, beetles, slugs, mosquitoes, and flies, you can take advantage of that fact by making your own garlic spray.

It turns out that the same compounds in garlic — sulfur and allicin — which are so beneficial to human health, offend the noses of flying and crawling insects. The Very Hungry Caterpillars and other critters that are far cuter in children’s books than in your cabbage patch will seek other plants to eat and on which to lay their eggs.

Make garlic spray by adding crushed or finely chopped garlic cloves to a bowl, covering them with boiling water, and letting the mixture sit until the water cools. Then strain the mixture and pour it into a spray bottle.

You can adjust the strength of the spray. A weak preventive mix can include six cloves of garlic for every gallon of water. To treat an infestation, make a concentrated spray consisting of two full heads of garlic pureed into half a cup of water.

Garlic spray doesn’t work against burrowing pests like voles and moles, but you can plant garlic bulbs around a plant to deter those kinds of pests. Garlic spray can also deter pollinators, so be judicious when and where you apply it. Otherwise, you may end up with a garden full of squash, cucumber, melon, and okra plants that don’t bear fruit.

Vinegar Bug Spray

Slugs, moths, aphids, and ants are among the garden pests who don’t like vinegar at all. A vinegar spray will deter these and other insects, but make sure to dilute your solution to reduce acidity. Because vinegar is a strong acid, it can kill plants if you don’t cut it sufficiently with water.

Start with food-grade vinegar, which itself is typically around 5% acetic acid. While any vinegar will work, white and apple cider vinegars are the cheapest, so no need to use up that $100 bottle of 20-year-old aged Italian balsamic to get the slugs off your tomatoes.

Mix two-thirds of a cup of vinegar in four cups of water, along with a few drops of liquid soap to help the mixture adhere to the plants and to deter more types of insects. Once it’s in the spray bottle, test the mixture on a leaf or small area of a plant and leave it there for at least a few hours to make sure it isn’t harming the plant before spraying on the rest of your plants.

Tomato Leaf Spray

Those sweet and innocent-looking tomato plants in your garden actually pack an insecticidal punch of their own, which they store in their leaves. As members of the nightshade family, which sounds pretty scary if you ask me (but really it isn’t — here’s our article on edible nightshade plants), tomato leaves contain alkaloids like solanine, tomatine, and even nicotine. These substances are toxic to spider mites, aphids, and other soft-bodied insects.

Make tomato leaf spray by chopping about two cups of leaves and soaking them overnight in about two cups of water. Strain the liquid through cheesecloth or a fine strainer and pour into a spray bottle, adding another cup of water to the mixture before using.

Last Word: Before You Spray Organic Pesticides, Test

If you garden, then pest control comes with the territory, especially in a vegetable garden where you want to reap the benefits of your hard work. While insects are part of the experience (and from an ecological perspective, an incredibly important part of the web of life), there are ways to share your garden that still give you lots of healthy and delicious produce.

The best way to keep insects from eating all your hard-earned vegetable crops is to nurture healthy soil, remove dead leaves and fruits, and utilize other pest-preventive practices. But even with all that, you still may need some extra help at times. While conventional pesticides, including synthetic insecticides, can harm humans, animals, and the environment, you can make natural insecticides using things you may already have at home.

Before applying any kind of insecticide in your garden, make sure to test a small area first, and use protective measures (such as wearing gloves and long sleeves) before applying. Keep children and pets away from plants while you’re spraying, as well as from the insecticides themselves. And depending on what you’ve used, and how much you like the taste of garlic, cayenne, and vinegar, you may want to wash any treated plants before eating them.

Tell us in the comments:

Feature Image: iStock. com/ElenaTaurus

how not to miss the first cultivation of the garden — Technoexport news

Spring! At this time, all living things awaken, regardless of human preferences. And if summer residents are happy with the blooming of greenery and the chirping of birds, then the appearance of awakened garden pests is definitely not. Unfortunately, rarely anyone can be calm for their fruit trees and shrubs. As a rule, without timely protection, a good harvest cannot be obtained.


In spring, it is necessary to protect the garden from pests

We decided to make a short list of 10 pests that wake up on the first warm days and cause the most noticeable damage already at the beginning of the season. Consider their effect on the most common crops in our dachas and talk about ways to protect plants.

Apple tree

The maximum damage to the apple crop is caused even in early spring by a formidable enemy - the apple flower beetle (apple flower beetle weevil). This insect hibernates in the upper layer of soil, under fallen leaves, in cracks in the bark. As soon as the snow melts and the temperature begins to rise, the bugs come to life and climb the tree. Their important distinguishing feature is the massive defeat of the buds of a flowering tree. nine0003


Apple flower beetle wakes up in the garden one of the first

Females lay one egg in each retractable bud, and the hatched larvae will try to destroy all its contents. As a result, the flowers dry up without opening, and the young beetles that appear continue their dirty work - they prick the fruit that has begun with their proboscis and gnaw the soft leaves.

In the spring, adhesive trapping belts work well in protection, which it is advisable to burn after the apple trees have faded. A recent publication on our site on how to make and properly install a hunting belt was actively discussed by readers. Take a look, you may find useful not only the information contained in the article, but also the valuable experience of gardeners, which they shared in the comments. nine0003

Pear

Pear lovers should keep in mind that they have a serious competitor. The apple beetle no less willingly climbs these fruit trees. Another flower beetle, the pear, also has a similar behavior. Therefore, all the troubles described above apply to pears too.


The object of destruction of apple and pear flower beetles is buds

But the pear leaf gall midge is considered the most harmful insect for this fruit tree. This is the personal enemy of the pear, as it feeds only on its young leaves. After wintering in the ground, insects that look like a mosquito fly out at the end of April. The female lays her eggs between the hairs of a young leaf that has not yet blossomed, and the soon hatched larvae begin to suck the juice out of it. Reddish ridges (seals) appear along the edge of the affected leaf - galls. nine0005


Pear gall midge feeds only on young pear leaves

Diseased leaves become brittle, dry out and curl up, where the pupae develop. These nests are clearly visible in autumn, so one of the ways to deal with them is to collect them at the end of the season by hand.

Cherry, cherry, plum

Cherry weevil (elephant, cherry pipeworm) is enemy number one for cherries, sweet cherries and other stone fruits in the garden. This is a small shiny bug up to 10 mm long, greenish-bronze in color. It has a characteristic proboscis that distinguishes all weevils. nine0003


Cherry weevil

It hibernates in the upper layers of the soil, and during flowering it climbs trees and feeds on buds, flowers and ovaries. The females lay their eggs in the fruits when they begin to color.

A little later, about 10 days after flowering, another dangerous pest is activated - the cherry fly. Its larvae (white worms) eat away the pulp of the fruit, which makes them uneven, lethargic, dull in color. Of course, such cherries and cherries are not suitable for food. nine0003


Cherry fly larvae eat the fruit pulp

Raspberries, strawberries

The first spring raspberry pest is the raspberry bud moth. Winters in cocoons under exfoliated bark, among fallen leaves and other plant debris. In early spring, the caterpillars climb the stems and begin to gnaw out the buds, then they are taken for the shoots. Butterflies appear during the flowering of the shrub and begin to spoil the flowers, laying eggs in them.


Raspberry bud moth's first target is buds and young shoots

The common enemy of raspberries and strawberries is the raspberry-strawberry weevil. As the name implies, it destroys both cultures, and first it spoils the buds of strawberries, since they are put forward earlier, and then it passes to unblown raspberry flowers. If you know about the large distribution of such an insect in your area, then you should try to plant these berry crops away from each other. nine0003


Raspberry-strawberry weevil

The whitefly can be found already in early spring, when the first work begins on the strawberry patch. Although this insect is rather small (a kind of aphid), it can be seen by shaking the bush. Tiny white butterflies stick to the underside of the leaf and lay their eggs. The hatched larvae suck the juice from the leaf plates, which can seriously depress the plant.

Currant

The most pernicious enemy of currants is a kidney mite. He spends his whole life on a bush, hibernates in the kidneys, where the females lay their eggs, and becomes more active with an increase in temperature. Affected kidneys are swollen, as a large number of larvae grow and strengthen in each. A diseased bud does not develop or does it wrong - the appearance of ugly shoots and flower brushes, from which in the end nothing good comes of it. nine0003

The most popular means of struggle is early spring (before the awakening of the kidneys) dousing the bushes with very hot water. As a result, the larvae are simply welded. To learn how to properly carry out the procedure, watch our video.

Separately, it is worth mentioning aphids, which are ready to feed on young leaves and shoots of almost all fruit and ornamental plants. Moreover, its harmfulness is such that in “hungry” times it begins to survive even at the expense of plants famous for their insecticidal properties. What is the spectacle of onion and garlic covered with these small parasites! The fight against this pest should begin in early spring. nine0003


Cherry leaf covered with aphids

Control methods

Of course, not all are listed above, but only the main and earliest waking up garden pests. Unfortunately, during the warm season, their varieties appear much more. The task of the gardener is not to let himself be defeated.

Mechanical

Late autumn work is of great importance in reducing the number of pests. Removing carrion and fallen leaves, other plant debris, digging near the trunk circles of fruit trees, we deprive these insects of wintering places. nine0003


By removing carrion and fallen leaves, we deprive pests of wintering places

In the spring, it is useful to shake off all types of weevils from the branches early in the morning, when the temperature is still low (up to +10 ° C), and the parasites are cold. The device of trapping belts will not allow crawling pests to climb a tree, and then descend from it to pupate in the ground. These simple devices will also serve as a barrier for ants, bringing aphids to the ends of branches of apple trees, cherries and plums. It is useful to remember that the natural enemies of aphids are ladybugs, so attracting them to the garden is very useful. nine0003

Chemical

If the concentration of pests, according to the experience of past years, is quite high, or, according to indirect signs, you assume that there will be more of them in the coming season, then spraying with chemical agents is necessary. They need to start even before the full bloom of buds on trees and shrubs - along a green cone. This may be the so-called second spring treatment of the garden, the first is usually done with fungicides "on the bare tree" from diseases.

nine0005 Early spring treatment of the garden from pests

The almost universal drug "Spark Double Effect" (manufacturer "Green Belt") has proven itself well. It contains two active ingredients (cypermethrin and permethrin) and copes with more than 60 types of pests. In addition, the composition contains potassium top dressing, which contributes to the restoration of the tree, if the pests have already managed to cause damage to it.


"Spark Double Effect" copes with more than 60 types of pests

The convenience of its use also lies in the fact that there is no need to prepare solutions of different concentrations for different plants. One tablet of the drug is dissolved in 10 liters of water and the entire garden is sprayed with the resulting product. This is especially true for early spring, when any plants can be fearlessly processed, since there is still a lot of time before the formation of fruits.

Folk remedies

Of course, gardeners have gained quite a lot of experience in dealing with harmful insects using herbal infusions and other environmentally friendly products. Infusions of onion and garlic, tansy, dandelion, wormwood, citrus peels have a good insecticidal effect. nine0003

If you add special green soap or grated ordinary household soap to these solutions, then the effectiveness of the effect increases, since the resulting product adheres well to leaves and branches. And such spraying on the aphid colony leads to the fact that the resulting thin film stops the access of air and the pests die.


Green soap is a good remedy for aphids and other pests

Raspberry-strawberry weevil can be dealt with with tansy infusion: 1 kg of freshly harvested plants (or 350 g of dried ones) is poured into 5 liters of water, insisted for a day. Then the infusion must be boiled, strained and topped up with settled water up to 10 liters. It is better to spray raspberries in the evenings during the formation of buds. Such an infusion will also help in the fight against other types of weevils, raspberry beetle, codling moth, aphids, and various leafworms. nine0003

Tansy infusion has a good insecticidal effect

A decoction of onion peel also works well against aphids, and you can prepare the so-called "ambulance". To do this, pour 200 g of onion peel into 10 liters of almost hot water, leave for 12-14 hours, filter and spray the affected plants without diluting the solution.

Another way to control pests is to plant plants that will repel them. Place calendula (marigold), tansy, wormwood and nasturtium near fruit trees and berry bushes. Perhaps these plants will not rid you of pests completely, but they will definitely help reduce their numbers. nine0003

Site 7dach.ru

9 best folk remedies for treating cabbage from pests © Geostart

Juicy cabbage heads attract insect pests. They are very voracious and are able to significantly reduce the future harvest in a short time. To prevent this from happening, upon detection of the first uninvited guests, measures must be taken. Let's figure out who can harm cabbage and how to treat it from pests - folk remedies.

Everything about the cultivation of cabbage plantings

Dangerous insect pests
9 effective folk methods
- Celery decoction
- Tobacco tincture
- Dandelion preparation
- Ammonia solution
- Leaf and garlic tincture
- Pepper tincture from onion peel
Features of using home-made solutions

The most dangerous pests

There are a lot of insects who want to eat cabbage leaves and make their home in them. We have compiled a selection of the most dangerous enemies of cabbage beds so that the gardener knows exactly who to fight. nine0003

How to save cabbage from pests: an overview of products

Insecticides are the most effective in the fight against insect pests. But they are also the most dangerous, because they have a negative effect on plants and soil. Foods processed with chemicals can only be eaten after a certain period of time. Therefore, gardeners try not to use chemistry. Processing cabbage from pests can be done using safe folk methods. When used correctly, they are just as effective. We offer a selection of proven tools. nine0003

1. Celery decoction

Especially effective against cabbage fly. For cooking, take 4 kg of celery stalks, cut them into small pieces. Put the raw materials in a large saucepan and pour 10 liters of water. Heat the broth, bring to a boil and reduce heat. Boil for 30 minutes, then let the mixture brew for two to three hours. The cooled broth is filtered. The product is concentrated, so it is diluted. For every two liters of liquid, add 10 liters of clean water and a tablespoon of soap. Instead of soap, you can use 100 ml of low-fat milk. The resulting liquid is abundantly sprayed with heads of cabbage. nine0003

2. Tobacco infusion

Helps well against aphids and fleas on cruciferous plants. The main active ingredient is tobacco. Any of its varieties are taken as raw materials: tobacco leaves, packaged shag or filling cigarettes. To prepare the infusion, you need 200 g of dry tobacco. It is poured with ten liters of hot water and stirred. This must be done carefully, since the dry mixture does not dissolve well. The container with the infusion is wrapped and allowed to stand for 10-12 hours, or more. The finished mixture is filtered, add one tbsp. a spoonful of soap, mix again. The resulting infusion is processed planting. nine0003

3. Dandelion remedy

Good for flea. For its preparation, take a pound of raw materials from dandelion. It can be rhizomes, leaves and stems. They need to be crushed: chopped with a knife, passed through a meat grinder or processed with a blender. The result is a soft slurry. It is poured with 10 liters of hot water, mixed well and filtered. A tablespoon of any soap powder or liquid soap is added to the resulting liquid. So the solution will stick to the leaves better. Plants are sprayed liberally with the mixture. nine0003

4. Ammonia solution

One of the universal options for protecting cabbage from pests. "Works" against most harmful insects. Its unpleasant odor repels all types of caterpillars, cabbage, aphids, etc. To prepare a working solution, 10 ml of ammonia is dissolved in a bucket of water. They use it in different ways. If you add a little soap, they are used to spray heads of cabbage. The solution without additives is poured into the wells during planting. This helps protect the plants from attack by insect pests. At the bottom of the hole pour no more than half a liter of funds. nine0003

5. Tincture of tomato leaves and garlic

When treating cabbage from pests, folk remedies often use garlic. It has an unpleasant odor and is considered a natural antibiotic, which is very disliked by insects. It is used as an independent drug or in combination with other cultures, which gives an even greater effect. To prepare the infusion, take tomato stepchildren or leaves and garlic cloves. They are crushed with a knife or passed through a meat grinder. You should get a glass of vegetable raw materials of both types. It is diluted in a bucket of warm water, mixed well and left to infuse for a day. After that, the mixture is filtered and a little soap is added for better adhesion. The liquid is plentifully sprayed on the affected forks. nine0003

6. Pepper tincture

Effectively repels slugs. It is prepared from hot hot peppers. It will take 100 g of vegetable raw materials. It is carefully crushed in any way, before grinding it is not cleaned. The resulting slurry is poured with a liter of water, left to infuse for two days. Ready infusion must be filtered. It turns out a concentrated liquid, which is diluted before use. A glass of concentrate is dissolved in ten liters of water, a little liquid soap is added, and stirred. The liquid is abundantly sprayed on the affected heads. Slugs immediately leave their chosen places. nine0003

7. Ash powder

Ash contains many useful substances, so this powder not only protects against pests, but also feeds the cabbage. To get powder, take ash powder from burnt wood. The other cannot be used. It is screened to remove large unburned particles. Sifted ash is mixed with slaked lime in equal proportions. Instead of lime, you can take tobacco chips. The leaves are plentifully powdered with the finished powder on both sides, sprinkled under the plant. This helps to get rid of cabbage flies and fleas. nine0003

8. Acetic solution

In the top of the best remedies than spraying cabbage against pests, vinegar solution is one of the first places. It is an effective but unsafe drug. To make it, you need apple cider vinegar. Acetic essence in undiluted form is forbidden to take. If there is no apple cider vinegar, you can take a table 9% solution. For a ten-liter bucket of water, take a 250-ml glass of vinegar. First, one bush is sprayed with the prepared solution. Leave it like this for five to six hours. If after this time the plant feels good, you can process the remaining plantings. nine0003

9. Infusion of onion peel

A versatile option than watering cabbage from pests, as it fights against most of them. In addition, onion husks contain microelements useful for cabbage heads, so this treatment also becomes top dressing. The classic infusion is prepared like this. To measure the right amount, the husk is placed in a three-liter jar, stuffed tightly. Then it is transferred to a large container and poured with two liters of boiling water. Stir, wrap, leave for three to six days. The finished infusion is filtered, diluted in a bucket of clean water, a little soap is added, preferably tar. Used for spraying cabbage forks. "Express infusion" helps against aphids. They start preparing it early in the morning. 200 g of husks are poured with a bucket of boiling water, wrapped and left for 10-12 hours. In the evening, filter and process the beds. nine0003

Features of using homemade preparations

To get the maximum effect, you need to know not only about folk remedies, how to spray cabbage from pests, but also how to do it correctly. There are a few simple rules to follow when processing.