How to Make Soap-Based Organic Pesticide

Soap-based insecticide will keep your plants green and healthy.

Soap-based pesticide has long been used to safely remove insect pests from the garden, without the dangers of toxic sprays. Make a soap-based pesticide that is effective against aphids, mealybugs and spider mites--three of the most common plant pests. As an extra benefit, most beneficial insects, such as lady bugs, green lacewings and bees, are not affected by soap sprays.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Vegetable oil
• Liquid soap
• Spray bottle
• Water

1. Mix together 1 cup vegetable oil with 1 tbsp. liquid soap.

2. Fill a spray bottle with 2 1/2 tsp. of this mixture per 1 cup of water.

3. Spray insect-infested plants, being certain to coat the underside of leaves where pests often hide.

4. Repeat spray every few days until insect pests are gone.

Tips & Warnings

• Use liquid soap, not liquid detergent, to make your pesticide. Detergents can be harmful to plants. You can find gentle, natural liquid soaps at health food stores.

References

• Pays To Live Green: Make Your Own Homemade Pesticides and Repellants
• University of Rhode Island Landscape Horticulture Program: Least Toxic Pesticides
• Care 2; Homemade Insecticidal Soap Spray; Annie B. Bond; 1999