Organic Pest Control Recipes
Adapted for the US From
Garlic
Garlic spray may be useful for the control of aphids and caterpillars in the garden.
Garlic spray recipe
Soak 1 bulb of finely chopped garlic in liquid paraffin for 3 days. Dissolve 2 cups of soap flakes in 1 L (a little over a quart) of water and add to the garlic mixture. Stand the mixture for a further 2 days and then strain the mixture through pantihose. Dilute 1/2 a cup of the garlic concentrate with 4 L (a little over 4 quarts) of water before application.
Rhubarb leaves
Rhubard spray can be used as a general insecticide in the garden.
Rhubarb spray recipe
Boil 1 kg (about 2.25 lbs) of rhubarb leaves in 3 L of water (a little over 3 quarts) for 30 minutes and then strain. Add 15 g (a little over 0.5 oz) of pure soap flakes* to the rhubarb concentrate. Once cooled dilute as required 1 part rhubarb concentrate with 1 part water.
Chilli
Chilli spray may be useful for the control of chewing insects and aphids when sprayed directly onto the insect. It may also be used as a feeding deterrent for insects and possums.
Chilli spray recipe
Blend 40 fresh chilli peppers in 1 L (a little over a quart) of water. Add 5 g (a little less than one fifth of an ounce) of pure soap flakes* to the blended chilli mixture. Apply as required undiluted.
Molasses
Molasses spray can be used as a feeding deterrent for chewing insects such as caterpillars and grasshoppers.
Molasses spray recipe
Mix 1 tbsp of molasses and 5 g (a little less than one fifth of an ounce) of pure soap flakes* in 1 L (a little over a quart) of water. Apply undiluted as required.
Molasses applied to soil infested with nematodes may reduce root galling and nematode reproduction.
Molasses soil treatment
Apply 38 ml (about 1.25 oz) of molasses per litre (a little over a quart) of water per square metre (a little over a square yard) of soil per week.
Milk
Spraying equal parts full cream milk and water every 2 days may help control the fungal disease powdery mildew. Powdery mildew can be a problem in pea, tomato, capsicum and cucurbit crops.
Vinegar
Vinegar spray may be useful in controlling caterpillars and sap-sucking insects such as stink bugs, aphids, and mealybugs.
Vinegar spray recipe
Mix 1 part vinegar with 3 parts water and add 5 g (a little less than one fifth of an ounce) of pure soap flakes*.
*You may substitute plain Ivory bar soap that is grated for the pure soap flakes.
Weeds can spoil the look of a flowerbed, rob valuable nutrients from the soil
and can be a general nuisance. If you don't keep up with them, they can be
even more troublesome to get rid of. While they can be difficult to get under
control, don't lose hope, it just takes a little persistence and know how.
Here are some organic methods for controlling weeds:
Use of a stirrup hoe:
The best method I have found for controlling weeds works best in a vegetable
garden planted in rows and on young weed seedlings. You use a stirrup hoe to
cultivate the ground at least once a week. This hoe is like a regular hoe, but
instead of the flat surface, there is a round or squared off metal hoop at the
end. The side closest to you has a sharp edge, which cuts the weeds roots as
you are hoeing through the soil. It doesn't take much time to go out and work
your hoe down each row and by doing this, no weeds can grow because seedlings
are uprooted or cut off before they have a chance. You will have to weed by
hand up close and in between garden plants because the stirrup hoe can uproot or
damage them if worked too close.
Use of a pitchfork:
By using a pitchfork in a new and/or large bed with little or no existing
plants, you will be able to get most of the roots of long rooted weeds. It also
enables you to cover a large area faster. To use a pitchfork for weed control,
push it under a group of weeds and lift them. Shake the soil off the weeds and
dispose of them in the compost pile.
Vinegar or boiling water:
If you spot a weed growing in the sidewalk cracks of your sidewalk or in your
driveway, try pouring boiling water or vinegar over them. Don't do this in
your flowerbeds because it could also kill neighboring plants.
Mulch:
Use lots of mulch. As long as mulch is applied thick enough to keep sunlight
from reaching the soil, it will keep new weeds from sprouting. You can use
grass clippings, shredded and chipped branches, beauty bark, hay, leaves or
compost.
Hand picking:
Take a walk through the yard equipped with a bucket and gloves as often as
possible and hand pick weeds. Try to pick them before they flower to prevent
them from going to seed and seeding themselves all over the yard. Also, be sure
to get all the roots; if you don't, the weed will more than likely be back in a
couple of weeks.
I hope this guide can help you in controlling your weeds. The key to getting
and staying weed free is persistence. You have to stay on top of it by
checking your gardens regularly and maintaining what needs to be done.
