Garden pests!!

**Mom23boys** · 05-01-2005, 12:48 PM

I need help!

What do you do to keep bugs from eating your plants? I have noticed that I have bugs munching away on mine. Soon the grasshoppers will appear and start eating on them too, but they haven't appeared yet. I just have other little bugs eating away.

Help??

**QuilterMom** · 05-01-2005, 01:56 PM

Are you doing organic gardening?

Something was having a field day with my tomatoes and I sprayed them with a couple of tablespoons of Dr. Bronner's castile liquid soap mixed with 32 oz. of water.

**forestdale** · 05-01-2005, 03:33 PM

Michelle, Kim's right about the soap spray. It's a commonly used and effective organic spray for bugs. Soap interfers with the cell structure of bugs and even if you think it's too simple to work, it does. You can also add garlic or chili to the mix.

Please don't use commercial bug spray. Even though most of them claim they're safe, they aren't. They are poisonous to the bugs, the bees, your surrounding environment and you.

Here are the recipes for organic bug spray:

Note: Buy liquid soap, NOT detergent - detergent is not effective. Dr. Bronner’s liquid pure castile soap is excellent.

BASIC SOAP SPRAY
1 to 2 tablespoons liquid soap
1 quart/litre water

Combine the soap and water in a bucket, mix, then transfer to a spray bottle as needed.

GARLIC SPRAY
2 heads garlic, chopped - the head is the full garlic, not just one clove
Enough boiling water to cover

Put chopped up garlic in a jar and cover with boiling water. Put lid on and let it sit overnight, then strain and add the garlic water to the soap spray.

If you have any garlic solution left, freeze it until you need it again.

CHILI SPRAY - for leafeaters (grasshoppers, caterpillars etc)
Chop up twenty of the hottest chilies you can get hold of
Soak them in a quart/litre of water for 7 days.
Add one cup of the chili water to a gallon of water. Freeze leftovers.
Add four teaspoons of Dr. Bronner’s liquid castile soap
Mix in a spray bottle and apply to your plants and any bugs you find.

This spray causes severe burning to insects and animals so make sure you keep the kids and animals inside while you're spraying. I always wear gloves when I'm preparing this spray.

**Mom23boys** · 05-01-2005, 06:41 PM

Thank you both for the recipes. I am going to try to find the Dr. Bronner’s liquid castile soap.

**QuilterMom** · 05-01-2005, 07:48 PM

Try a health food store in your area (like Wild Oats or Whole Foods Market). If all else fails, there's a website - http://www.drbronner.com/main.html

**jlxian** · 05-02-2005, 11:12 AM

Great! I need to try these as something is munching on my hollyhock plants.

Rhonda, if you can't find the castile soap, could you use something like baby shampoo?

**forestdale** · 05-02-2005, 03:34 PM

Jean, shampoos - even baby shampoos - often contain petro-chemicals. A definate no-no for us organic gardeners.

If you can't get hold of castille soap, buy a bar of pure laundry soap from your supermarket. Grate it up and add it to a quart of water in a saucepan. Stir it while heating it up and when the soap has melted into the water, turn off the heat and cool the solution. You can use this, watered down again - 2 tablespoons to one quart/litre of water for your bug spray.

**Mom23boys** · 05-02-2005, 09:49 PM

Thank you for the link Kim and the other suggestion Rhonda.

**jlxian** · 05-03-2005, 09:03 AM

Originally posted by forestdale
Jean, shampoos - even baby shampoos - often contain petro-chemicals. A definate no-no for us organic gardeners.

If you can't get hold of castille soap, buy a bar of pure laundry soap from your supermarket. Grate it up and add it to a quart of water in a saucepan. Stir it while heating it up and when the soap has melted into the water, turn off the heat and cool the solution. You can use this, watered down again - 2 tablespoons to one quart/litre of water for your bug spray.

Thanks Rhonda! I wondered about a bar of Ivory Soap (don't know if that is solely a USA product or not) -- I'll see what I can find and be sure to use something all natural!

**QuilterMom** · 05-03-2005, 09:56 AM

I know I have seen at Publix grocery store a bar castile soap, but I can't think of the name of it now! It is mixed in with all the other bar soaps on the beauty/personal care aisle. I bet other grocers have it as well.

Maybe this is it (although I don't remember the packaging looking like this) - http://www.publix.com/wellness/green...21&childId=329