Natural Pest Control Recipes

Pepper Tea

Take one teaspoon of hot pepper or tobasco sauce, 4 cloves of garlic and 1 litre of water. Mix these together in a blender and strain the resulting mix through a fine mesh, such as a cheese cloth and then simply pour into your sprayer. This will then help to repel pests such as aphids, whiteflies, caterpillars and spidermites.

Elder Leaf Pesticide

Bring half a litre of water to boil and add 225 grams of Elder leaves. Simmer this mix for 30 minutes. Take another half a litre of warm water and mix with 1 table spoon of castile (vegetable oil based) soap. Mix the soap water with the elder water and strain through a fine mesh or cloth. Pour into a sprayer and apply to plants. Effective against Aphids, carrot fly, peach tree borers, cucumber beetles and midges. Elder leaves also have fungicidal properties and may be useful against mildew and blackspot diseases.

Note Elder leaf is poisonous. Store carefully and make sure it is well labelled.

Marigold Spray(use pot marigold: Calendula officinalis)

Mash up 250 grams of marigold leaves and flowers and mix with half a litre of water. Leave this to soak for 24 hours and then strain through a fine mesh or cloth. Add another 1.5 litres of water and then fill your sprayer. Repels asparagus beetles, tomato hornworms, leaf cutting and chewing insects.

Orange Peel Spray

Pour half a litre of boiling water over the peelings of 1 orange and then leave to stand for 24 hours. Add a few drops of castile (vegetable oil based) soap and then strain the mix through a fine mesh or cloth and add to a sprayer. Controls soft bodied pests such as aphids, fungus gnats, mealy bugs and can be used as an ant repellant.

Vinegar Fungicide

Mix 3 tablespoons of natural apple cider vinegar in one gallon of water. Spray during the cool part of the day for black spot on roses and other fungal diseases. Adding molasses at 1 tablespoon per gallon will again help.

As with commercial products, make sure you store these solutions out of reach of children and pets. Although they are made from natural products, some of the ingredients can be poisonous, such as Elder leaf, or cause irritation. Try not to make up more of a solution than you will use in a few days.

Do some research on any home made recipe before using, and try on a small area first before applying to your entire garden, especially on edible crops.

Companion planting is an old gardening method that deters pests from entering your garden and eating your plants, rather than relying on chemicals to kill them. Prevention is better than cure.

There are a number of plants that can be used in either your ornamental garden, or fruit and vegetable plot. Listed below are just a few.

Garlic - will help to deter aphids and is often used in rose beds.

Chives - will help ward off aphids from tomatoes due to the onion smell.

Asparagus - prevents microscopic nematodes from attacking the roots of tomatoes.

Dill - Attracts aphid eating beneficial insects likes hoverflies and predatory wasps.

Oregano - will help keep Cabbage Butterflies away from Brassicas.

Rosemary - Deters bean beetle, cabbage moth, carrot fly and many other insect pests.

Wormwood (Artemisia) - acts as a general insecticide and also helps deter rodents, slugs and snails.

There are many more plants that can be used, Do a search on companion planting in your favourite search engine. Also ask at your local garden which plants work well together in your location.

Refelective Tape For Birds

Holographic bird repeller keeps birds away naturally. The highly reflective film flutters, flashes and crackles with the smallest breeze to keep birds away. Simply cut film to desired length, apply strip hanger and hang it up in the problem area. Great for repelling birds from orchards, crops, gardens, boats, docks, barns and homes.

Purchase Reflective Tape Here - UK Store

Bio Greenhouse Fly Catcher

Aureolin yellow insect attractant strips, as greenhouse pests find this colour irresistible. · Long-lasting strong adhesive on the panel, which the flying insects find inescapable. · Controls whitefly, greenfly, blackfly, thrips, midges and other flying insects. · Pesticide free. · Simply hang in the greenhouse for effective control. · Ideally used from April to September. · Contains seven double sided traps with twist ties. · Suitable to use in greenhouses and conservatories.

Purchase Bio Greenhouse Fly Catcher Hee - UK Store

Organic Plant Insect Killer

Designed to repel and kill a variety of insects on fruit, vegetables and flowers, this natural organic spray has been previously available only to commercial organic growers. The powerful formula uses active plant extracts - which means that insects are less likely to develop resistance to it, even when used continuously on the same crop.

Purchase Organic Plant Insect Killer Here - UK Store