Homemade Organic Pesticides. Budget Friendly and Easy-to-do Recipes for Healthy Vegetables
Before using chemicals, gardeners experienced with different plants, in infusions, decoctions or tinctures, and gained knowledge of their effects on crops. With some ecological soape addes, these natural mixtures will stick to the leaves and stems and be more effective. Here are some homemade organic pesticides you can try on your crops.
Organic pesticides should be your first option on small vegetable and flower gardens or small orchards. They can successfully be used for larger areas too, but you will need to prepare larger quantities.
Homemade organic pesticides. Rules
- First apply mixtures that repel, strengthen or protect and only afterwards those that kill.
- Best water for your mixtures is rain water or non-heavy water.
- Spraying should not be made on sunny weather, as it can cause leaf burns. Early mornings or nighttime are the best times.
- If it rains within 6 hours after applying the pesticides, repeat the procedure.
- Apply at first pest notice.
- Different organic mixtures should not be used to fight different pest at the same time.
- Bear in mind that itțs not only pests you attack, but you may also repel insects that are useful to plant growth. That’s why it’s preferable to avoid using pesticides where pest can be removed manually.
Homemade organic pesticides. Nettle extract
It’s a pesticide, antifungal and fertilizer all in one. Pick up two pounds of stems of nettles, especially old ones, but avoid the ones that grow along the roads, as they are lead-filled gas discharges. Chop them and place them into a bowl with 2.5 gallons of water. Cover the bowl and let it covered for a few days, stirring the mixture daily. When it starts to smell bad, it’s ready. Strain and mix 2 pints of extract with 2.5 gallons of water. Use this mixture in your garden. It’s effective up to 2-3 weeks.
Homemade organic pesticides. Common marigold tea
It’s used in fighting the asparagus beetle, the tomato worm and leaf-eating insects. Preparation: use 1 cup marigold leaves and flowers, crush them and mix them with 1 pint of water. Let it sit for 24 hours, then strain and add 3 pints of water and ¼ teaspoon ecological soap. Then use the solution for spraying.
Homemade organic pesticides. Elderberry leaves tea
With a wide range of action, it fights aphids, carrot midges, cucumber beetles, fruit pest and fungi. Preparation: boil approximately 9 oz elderberry leaves in approximately 1 pint of water for 30 minutes. Strain and let it cool down. Aside, dissolve 1 spoon ecological soap in 1 pint of warm water. Add the water and soap mixture to the tea, let it cool down and use it for spraying.
Homemade organic pesticides. Garlic tea
It fights mites and fungi in strawberries, cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers. Use it undiluted and it’s recommended to perform 3 sprayings on leaves and soil in May. Preparation: chop approximately 5 oz garlic, then mix it with 1.3 gallons water. Let it sit for 30 minutes, then strain and let cool down again. Before spraying, add some soap or milk and stir until homogeneous. Use the mixture every 14 days until all fungi are eliminated.
Homemade organic pesticides. Horseradish tea
It fights aphids, white midges, caterpillars, potato beetle and fungi related diseases. Preparation: boil 6 pints of water, then remove from stove and add a quarter chopped horseradish root. Let it cool down for 30 minutes, strain and use for spraying. Apply undiluted directly on the seeds before sowing and in a 3% concentration on adult plants.
Homemade organic pesticides. Diluted milk or whey
It fights fungi in tomatoes, marrows, cucumbers etc. A three time spraying weekly is sufficient to keep control of the disease. Make a mixture of equal parts milk and water and spray. In case of blight symptoms spray with pasteurized milk.
Homemade organic pesticides. Onion tunic infusion
Preparation: pour 2 pints of warm water into a glass or enamel container, add 1 oz onion leaves, cover the jar and let the mixture rest down over the day, then strain. Onion leaves can be used twice or three times for infusions, then you can bury them in the garden among the crops.
Precautionary, once a month it’s ideal to spray your plants and soil with this remedy. Plants will freshen up and will be satiated due to the nurturing qualities of the infusion. Apply it as a disinfectant also 2-3 times every 6 days. Also, use this infusion to clean off the leaves and fight mites, paying a particular attention to the inferior leaves. Second day, wash well the plants with clean water.
Find HERE some expense free fertilizers from stuff around your home.
Credits: tomatina.ro, agrointel.ro, sfatnaturist.ro
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