Ready-made pesticides are super-convenient, but you can never be sure how they have been made and from what ingredients. The biggest problem here is chemicals. Although chemicals are very effective at killing pests, they are also highly damaging to your crops and plants.
This is why more and more people prefer to use their own homemade gardening sprays for pest management. By taking the spray-making under your control, you can make sure that your solutions are 100% organic and safe for your plants.
Besides, you might be saving a lot of money in the long run!
Well, if you are looking to make your own homemade organic gardening sprays but don’t know how, then let us introduce you to 7 effective recipes that will most likely bring great results. All these are very easy to make since their ingredients are present in many households!
7 Effective Homemade Organic Gardening Sprays
1. Soap spray
A soap spray is pretty effective against mites, thrips, aphids, and other insects. This spray works by dissolving the shell of the insects, thus impairing and eventually killing them.
You need:
- 1 gallon of water.
- 1 tablespoon of biodegradable dishwashing soap.
How to make:
- Prepare a gallon of water.
- Add a tablespoon of dishwashing soap into the water and mix.
- Load the solution into your garden sprayer and blast the affected plants with it.
2. Garlic oil spray
If your plants are suffering from aphids, beetles, and whiteflies, then the garlic oil spray might be the right solution. This spray is irritating and even deadly for the listed insects. Even when it doesn’t kill insects, it can be effective at keeping them away from sprayed areas.
With that said, don’t apply this spray on a sunny day – the spray can burn foliage. Instead, use this spray in the evenings or early mornings.
You need:
- 3-4 cloves of garlic.
- 2 teaspoons of mineral oil.
- 1 pint of water.
- 1 teaspoon of biodegradable dishwashing soap.
How to make:
- Mince the garlic cloves.
- Place the minced garlic into mineral oil. Let the mixture sit overnight.
- Strain the garlic out of the oil.
- Add one pint of water and a teaspoon of dish soap to the oil.
- Before use, dilute two tablespoons of the mixture in one pint of water. When not using the mixture, you may put it away for storage.
3. Hot pepper spray
The hot pepper spray can do wonders for those who want to get rid of mites. As you could’ve guessed, the key feature of this spray is the “heat” of the used pepper. It’s very irritating for mites, and the hotter the peppers, the better.
You need:
- 2 tablespoons of hot pepper sauce (the hotter, the better).
- A few drops of biodegradable dishwashing soap.
- 1 quart of water.
How to make:
- Mix everything together.
- Let the mixture sit overnight.
- Carefully strain the mixture.
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4. Oil spray
The oil spray is yet another effective solution against troublesome insects like mites, thrips, and aphids. This spray works by coating the bodies of insects in oil, preventing them from breathing.
You need:
- 1 cup of vegetable oil.
- 1 tablespoon of biodegradable dishwashing soap.
- 1 quart of water.
How to make:
- Mix the cup of vegetable oil with the tablespoon of soap.
- Cover the container with the mixture and shake well.
- Before use, add 2 teaspoons of the mixture to a quart of water and apply to the affected plants.
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5. Tomato leaf spray
The alkaloids contained in tomato leaves are fatal for many insects. Moreover, the leaves of other plants from the nightshade family (eggplants, bell peppers, chili peppers, and many others) will generally help you get rid of the insects tormenting your plants.
You need:
- 2 cups of fresh tomato leaves. You may take leaves from the bottom part of the tomato plant.
- 1 quart of water.
How to make:
- Chop the tomato leaves.
- Add the leaves into a quart of water.
- Let the mixture sit overnight.
- Strain the leaf material out of the mixture.
- Spray the mixture on the plants.
6. Baby shampoo spray
Baby shampoos contain little to no amounts of chemicals, so you could make a baby shampoo spray to get rid of insects as well. Among the insects that this spray can be effective against are whiteflies, scale, thrips, spider mites, and aphids.
Don’t use this spray in the sun. Afternoon or early morning sprayings would be optimal.
You need:
- 2 tablespoons of baby shampoo.
- 1 gallon of water.
How to make:
- Mix 2 tablespoons of baby shampoo with the gallon of water.
- Apply the solution to the affected plant areas.
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7. Neem oil spray
Neem oil is a powerful hormone disruptor for insects. The great thing about neem oil is that it can affect insects no matter at what stage of growth they are at. What this implies is that neem oil spray can help you get rid of larvae and even eggs.
You need:
- 2 teaspoons of neem oil.
- 1 teaspoon of mild liquid soap.
- 1 quart of water.
How to make:
- Add 2 teaspoons of neem oil and 1 teaspoon of liquid soap into 1 quart of water.
- Cover the container and shake thoroughly.
- Apply the solution to the affected areas.
Test And Adjust
Although these gardening sprays seem to be pretty effective against insects, you should view the listed formulas only as a point of reference. For your specific case, the base recipes may not quite work.
After every spraying session, monitor your plants. If the solution has worked, then there probably isn’t much to change in it. Otherwise, you may try to make the solution stronger.
Try to experiment with the amount of solution applied as well. We recommend that you start with a small amount of the solution. If it doesn’t work, then you may try to blast more of the stuff from your backpack sprayer onto the plants.