Homemade Natural Bug Spray for Vegetable Plants

Homemade bug sprays are not harmful to vegetable plants.

Vegetable plants grown outdoors are constantly exposed to insects. Pests, such as stink bugs, aphids and leafhoppers, suck juices from plant tissues until plants become wilted, stunted and deformed. Some pests transmit diseases and inject toxic materials into vegetable plants. Controlling harmful pests is essential to the growth, health and production of vegetable plants. Homemade bug sprays containing natural ingredients are safer for plants and the environment than commercial pest-control sprays. However, as with chemical pest-control products, homemade bug sprays kill both harmful and beneficial insects.

Things You'll Need

• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 small chopped onion
• 1 chopped jalapeno pepper
• Blender
• Bowl
• 3 qts. warm water
• Cheesecloth
• Plastic jug, 1-gallon
• Filter
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. natural liquid dish soap
• Spray bottle

Instructions

1. Puree 4 garlic cloves, 1 small chopped onion and 1 chopped jalapeno pepper in a blender. Operate the blender according to the manufacturer's directions.

2. Fill a bowl with 1 qt. of warm water. Pour the pureed vegetables into the warm water. Allow the pureed vegetables to soak in the warm water for two hours.

3. Strain the mixture through cheesecloth into a 1-gallon plastic jug. Use a filter to prevent spilling the mixture.

4. Add 2 qts. of warm water, 1 tbsp. of vegetable oil, 2 tbsp. of baking soda and 1 tsp. of natural liquid dish soap to the jug. Shake the jug to thoroughly mix the ingredients.

5. Pour the solution into a spray bottle. Spray the solution onto the vegetable plants.

Tips & Warnings

• Spray lemon, lime or boiled sweet potato juice on the vegetable plants to repel bugs.

• Do not apply the solution when bees are pollinating the vegetable plants; the solution kills bees, which can disable plant fertilization and reproduction.

References

• Health Status: Natural Insect Repellents
• Gardening Know How: Natural Home Pesticides---Organic Garden Pest Control
• The Gardener's Rake: Organic Pest Control---Homemade Pest Spray
• University of Maine Cooperative Extension: Sucking Insects That Affect Vegetable Plants