How to make Horticultural Oil

Horticultural oil is a non-toxic mixture used to smother insects. Oils mixed with other house hold items can produce effective fungicides and insect repellents. These recipes are based on vegetable oils rather than commercial petroleum based oils.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• vegetable oil
• water
• dishwashing liquid
• garlic
• baking soda

1. In order for the horticultural oil spray to be effective the insect you're spraying for has got to be present on the plant you're spraying. The oil smothers the insects; when you spray you are clogging all pores on the insect, effectively suffocating it.

2. When using these oils do a test spray on one of the leaves to see if there is any burning of the plant after a few days.

3. Any of the sap sucking insects like scale, aphids, spider mites and others that fall into this category are disposed of readily with horticultural oil.

4. Generic Oil spray
   
   1 cup vegetable oil
   1 tablespoon dishwashing liquid
   Mix 1 tablespoon with 2 cups of water. Fill a spray bottle and shake well.

5. Pest and Foliar disease oil spray
   
   1 tablespoon baking soda
   2 tablespoons ultra fine canola oil
   1 gallon of water
   Combine all ingredients and shake well. Use on plants to combat fungal diseases.

6. Garlic Oil spray
   
   3 ounces mined garlic
   2 teaspoons canola oil
   Soak mixture for 24 hours mix with 1 ounce of dishwashing liquid and 1 pint of water. This mixture will repel insects as well as kill them; I'm sure this horticultural oil will also repel unwanted neighbors.

[Flybyknight]

on 4/24/2009 Great article! I gotta try some of these pest sprays. This is going on my favs. 5* RRCd

[FrazzledNanny]

on 4/9/2009 Thanks for the directions on making Horticulture oil. 5*

[starlet67]

on 4/5/2009 I had heard of using dishwashing liquid for plants!5*

[scarletdreamer]

on 3/14/2009 What a great way to keep little pests out of your garden!