How to Plant Herbs as Insect Repellents
In general, the quickest way to keep insects away from your home or garden is to spray chemicals that can potentially harm plants, animals and people. Mother nature, however, has created her own bug repellent. If you know where to look, you can keep away pesky bugs by cultivating the right types of herbs. Everything from garlic to horseradish can repel insects. To keep away two of the most common and annoying garden pests--mosquitoes and flies--use catnip and basil. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Mosquito Repellent (Catnip)
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Till the soil in an area of your garden that receives sun for at least eight hours per day. Break up all weed roots as you till to a depth of at least 8 inches. Mix in equal parts compost for the soil you use to plant to improve drainage in your area.
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Plant seeds for Nepeta cataria, or catnip. Bury each seed ½ inch to 1 inch below the soil surface, spaced at least 8 inches apart. Cover the soil with a 2-inch layer of compost to feed the new seeds.
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3
Water the catnip seeds well to settle the soil. The soil should be completely moist, but not soaked. In the future, only water when the top 1½ to 2 inches of soil are dry; if you live in a heavy rain area, you may never need to water the catnip yourself.
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4
Add a 2 to 3 inch layer of compost every three to four months to your catnip plot. With regular compost applications, do not apply any fertilizer to the catnip as this will overfeed the plants and can cause burning or stunted growth.
Fly Repellent (Basil)
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5
Till the soil to a depth of 10 inches in an area of your garden that receives six to eight hours of sunlight per day. Mix in equal parts compost to soil in the area to improve drainage. Soak the soil the day before you intend to plant basil to prepare it for the new seeds.
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Sow basil seeds to a depth of ¼ inch deep, spaced at least 8 inches apart. Water the soil lightly to help it settle around the seeds. The soil should be moist but not soaked.
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Spread a 1 to 2 inch layer of organic mulch over the basil plot to prevent weeds and help the soil retain moisture.
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Water the basil whenever the top 1 to 1½ inch of soil dries out. Water at the base of the plant so that the water seeps into the soil and does not sit on the leaves
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Feed the basil with a 2 to 3 inch layer of compost every three to four months. Otherwise, do not use any fertilizer.
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Tips & Warnings
Different herbs repel different insects, including those that feed on healthy plants or vegetables. If you know what type of insect you are dealing with, use herbs that will repel that specific bug.
Plant basil and catnip in the spring after the last frost of the season. Place the herbs in strategic areas of you garden where you know you have insect troubles.
For basil grown just as insect repellent or herbal use, remove any flowers that pop up. The flowers do not offer anything to the plant's herbal abilities, and will draw energy from the leaves and stems.
References
- Photo Credit Martin Poole/Digital Vision/Getty Images
