This is a more potent version of the standard insecticidal soap spray.
One of the most effective fungicides and insecticides you can use in your garden is a simple soap spray.
Homemade Insecticide – Garlic Soap Spray Recipe
- Simply mix one part homemade soft soap or bought liquid soap with 100 parts water.
- Steep a few crushed garlic cloves in the mixture overnight,, then filter.
- Add to a cheap plastic plant spray bottle.
This has all the benefits of the ordinary soap spray insecticide but the added whiff of garlic too. We use this weekly in the orchard to deter aphids and keep away bugs which enjoy eating the new buds of our young trees.
The garlic smell is pretty strong and lingers well. The antibacterial nature of the garlic, when mixed with the soap, is a bonus for preventing disease or fungal attack.
Another variation is to steep chillis, chilli powder or chilli sauce in the soft soap/water mixture. This deters bigger things like crickets and caterpillars from eating the plant due to the heat. Beware though, too much chilli heat could actually scorch leaves so this is one to use sparingly.
We find the chilli mixture will even deter mammals – dogs and rabbits in our experience. So we figure it could help if you have a deer problem. Though the volume of spray to use could be rather large.
Check out the links for Homemade Oil Fruit Tree Spray and Nicotine Insecticide Soap recipes.
Or, for the lazybones; click to view the organic pesticide range at Amazon.
They also do a range of neem oil insecticides which can be very effective.
Will these pesticides bother the bees collecting pollen???
No – the bees will be fine – just don’t spray on open flowers. We do spray on blossom before it opens to prevent some of the residant nasties consuming them. But, once the flowers are open don’t spray, so the bees can do their pollinating for you!
And about the soft soap used… would a liquid hand soap work?
Hi Bob, Yep a liquid hand soap would be fine – but you could do cheaper and make your own!
My mother-in-law gave me a recipe for rabbit repellent a few years ago. It’s simply a mixture of egg, garlic, tabasco sauce and liquid dishwashing soap. (I think the soap helps it cling better) It seems to work fine although I had to give my neighbor the recipe as the bunnies apparently moved next door. Oops!