The GREEN Page

ORGANIC SPRAYS MADE WITH STORE CUPBOARD INGREDIENTS

FOR PEST CONTROL IN THE GARDEN

Reminder: Spray on a still day with no wind. Spray on test patch of target crop and wait 24 hours before checking the plant for damage. Always wear safety gear like gloves and eye protection. Place mixture in a spray bottle, not a food container, seal and label the container. Store responsibly out of the reach of children and pets.

Use gloves to prepare recipes and wash hands afterwards. If preparing a recipe with chillies or garlic, please avoid touching your face or eyes. 

   RECIPE 1

2 cups of vegetable oil

½ cup of dishwashing detergent

Shake together in a jar, where the mixture turns a milky colour. Add 2 tablespoons of this concentrate to a litre of water and its ready to spray. This controls most insect pests: aphids, scale, white fly, leaf miner, mealy bug, and mites.

RECIPE 2

    Coffee: kills slugs and snails

Add to 10 parts water, one part espresso coffee (not instant) spray over the surface of leaves and soil where snails and slugs might crawl. Reapply after heavy rain.

    RECIPE 3 

Chop four large onions, two cloves of garlic and four hot chillies. Mix them together and cover with warm, soapy water and leave it to stand overnight. Strain off that liquid and add it to five litres of water to create an all-round insecticide.

 RECIPE 4

 Soap spray

Add 2 tablespoons of soap flakes to one litre of water and stir thoroughly until completely dissolved. There is no need to dilute this further, just spray it on as is. Controls aphids and caterpillars.