Home Remedies for Pest Control for a Vegetable Garden
Creating a home garden takes time and patience, and the last thing you want is pests eating the goodies you've grown. Expensive herbicides are not always necessary; home remedies are available to treat your garden and get rid of these vegetable-eating pests. These remedies are affordable and not as hard on the environment as most commercial chemical pesticides. Does this Spark an idea?
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Garlic Oil Spray
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Soak 10 to 15 cloves of minced garlic in 2 tbsp. of mineral oil for at least 24 hours. Strain the garlic, and add the mineral-oil mixture to 600 ml of water in a spray bottle. Add 1 tsp. of dishwashing liquid to the spray bottle, shake well and spray your vegetable plants. Do this daily until the pests are gone. This remedy will eliminate spider mites, whiteflies and aphids.
Tobacco
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Let one to two dried tobacco leaves soak in 1 liter of water overnight. Strain the water and add 2 tbsp. of dried soap mixture (or liquid soap). Put the mixture in a spray bottle and shake well. Spray the solution directly on aphids and red ants to get rid of them. Use the solution on hard-bodied insects, such as spiders, by adding 20 to 30 pieces of hot pepper (powdered).
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Milk
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To inhibit mildew, add milk and water to a spray bottle. Use about 90% water and 10% milk, and shake well. Spray on plants at least twice a week.
Chili Powder
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Sprinkle chili powder around the base of your garden plants to deter mammalian pests, such as rabbits. Make sure to reapply the chili powder after a rainfall, because it will wash away.
Soap
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Dissolve 2 tbsp. of soap flakes in 2 liters of warm water. Put the mixture into a spray bottle and shake well. Spray your plant every five days. Make sure not to add too much soap; this will burn your plants. This remedy works on aphids, whiteflies and spider mites.
Salt
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If you have slugs in your vegetable garden, simply use table salt. Sprinkle table salt directly on the slugs to get rid of them.
Garlic and Cayenne
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Bring to a boil one chopped garlic clove, 1 tbsp. of cayenne pepper and 1 quart of water. Let it cool and pour it into a spray bottle. Add 1 tsp. of liquid soap, which will ensure the mixture sticks to the leaves. This will repel dogs or cats that get into the garden.
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References
- Photo Credit garden fresh stirfry vegetables image by Brett Mulcahy from Fotolia.com
