Growing your own flower and vegetable garden has become more popular over the years for good reasons too. Having your own home garden is an excellent way to learn about nature, how to grow your own food, and your surroundings.
Natural Bug Sprays For Plants
And we all know how beneficial it can be to grow your own food. By having your own garden, you know how your food was grown, and let’s not forget the added benefits of getting fresh air and vitamin D from the sun.
But no matter how hard we try, every garden does attract insect pests that can cause harm to your thriving plants. You may want to use chemical pesticides to fight off your insect infestation.
But before you run out to the store, know that most chemical pesticides have harmful effects on beneficial insects, your fresh veggies, and herbs, and ultimately those who consume them.
Your second choice might be to use organic pesticides, you may already know if you’re an organic gardener, but most natural pesticides are overpriced and don’t work half the time.
They may even harm the pollinators from your garden, such as honey bees. That’s why the go-to choice for many gardeners is to use a homemade natural insecticide.
The good news is to save you time and money; we have gathered the top homemade sprays and what garden pests they will repel.
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You can find DIY spray recipes anywhere, but not all sprays work on all pests – wouldn’t that be nice?! lol So, we’re going to go through some recipes you can make with ingredients you likely have at home and tell you what spray works for what pest.
Then at least you’ll know what to use when you encounter certain bugs. Also, keep in mind the pests are different for each season so you may want to bookmark this information, better yet – we’ve made a printable chart to make it even easier for you!
Click the here to download or print —> DIY Garden Bug Sprays
Insecticidal Soap
Insecticidal soap is one of the most popular DIY bug sprays. This is because many people already have all the ingredients they need in their homes. The other reason why this spray is so popular is that it’s so effective and works against many pests.
It’s effective for controlling these common pests:
- Japanese beetles
- Cabbage moths
- Squash bugs
- Ants
- Aphids
- Earwigs
- Whiteflies
- Lace bugs
- Leaf hoppers
- Thrips
- Mealybugs
Recipe:
1 cup of vegetable oil or mineral oil
1 tbsp castile soap
2 cups of water warm
Always test any solution, homemade or store purchased, before using it full on your plants. You don’t want to have an adverse affect and/or hurt the plant.
Combine all ingredients together and transfer into a spray bottle. Then spray the soapy water on infested garden plants once a week until the pests are gone.
Garlic Spray
Garlic spray is another common natural pest repellent for indoor and outdoor use. It’s famous for its strong scent but not just in cooking. Its aroma is known to fight off many unwanted pests and wildlife that may destroy your flowering garden. We don’t want that do we?
It’s effective for controlling these common pests:
- Spider mites
- Stink bugs
- Aphids
- Whiteflies
- Slugs/snails
- Armyworms
- Grubs
- Caterpillars
- Carrot flies
Recipe:
In a food processer, puree two garlic cloves in 1 cup water
Add 1 tbsp vegetable oil, 3 cups water and let sit overnight
Strain, then add 1 tsp dish soap
Always test any solution, homemade or store purchased before using it full on your plants. You don’t want to have an adverse affect and/or hurt the plant.
Once you combine all the ingredients, spray the organic bug spray plants once a week until you don’t see any more of these bad bugs. Don’t forget to spray the undersides of the leaves.
Tomato Leaf Spray
Do you have a tomato plant? Then this spray is for you. Tomatoes are known to repel certain insects, making them perfect for turning into a spray. If you don’t have a tomato plant, ask a fellow gardener if you can have some of their leaves, I bet they won’t mind.
It’s effective for controlling these common pests:
- Aphids
- Mites
Recipe:
Mix equal parts chopped up tomato leaves and water
Let sit overnight
Strain, then transfer to a spray bottle
Always test any solution, homemade or store purchased before using it full on your plants. You don’t want to have an adverse affect and/or hurt the plant.
Spray on known affected plants once a week until you notice no more signs of these pesky insects.
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Neem Oil Spray
We all know the life-saving ingredient neem oil. Not only does it works wonders to help fight many unwanted pests in your lovely garden it’s also cost-effective. This is why so many people use neem oil in their gardens, and now you’re about to learn how to use it yourself.
It’s effective for controlling these common pests:
- Tomato hornworms
- Ants
- Aphids
- Whiteflies
- Mites
- Lace bugs
- Mealybugs
- Carrot flies
- Boxelder Bugs
- Caterpillars
Recipe:
Mix together 2 tbsp neem oil
1 tsp mild soap
1 gallon of water
Always test any solution, homemade or store purchased before using it full on your plants. You don’t want to have an adverse affect and/or hurt the plant.
Spray the infested plant for natural pest control once a week. Once you don’t see any more signs of your pest(s), you can stop regularly spraying.
Epsom Salts Spray
Never again have slugs, and other insects wreak havoc on your garden and ruin all your hard work with the help of Epsom salts. I know what you’re thinking, and no, they’re not just for relaxing baths. They also do wonders in the garden; the best part is you only need one thing to make this spray.
It’s effective for controlling these common pests:
- Potato Beetles
- Slugs/snails
Recipe:
Mix 1 cup of Epsom salts with 5 gallons of hot water
Let cool, then transfer to a spray bottle
Always test any solution, homemade or store purchased before using it full on your plants. You don’t want to have an adverse affect and/or hurt the plant.
Spray on plants you have spotted these pests on weekly until there are no more signs of problems.
Do you know other easy Homemade bug spray recipes and what bugs they work on? Leave them in the comments below.
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