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Home made pesticide/insecticide
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Posted by Hanma none (My Page) on Tue, Jan 3, 12 at 7:44
| Hello there. I know I am not the first one who has asked this but I am on a budget with limited resources.
This is what I have:
1) Half a clove of garlic.
2) Olive oil.
3) Some white onions.
4) A packet of extra hot chili powder.
5) Neem oil.
Now how should I go about making my bug killing spray? I have no appropriate soap for neem oil so that is out. What should I do next?
Also if it helps, I am growing mint, basil (lemon, sweet and Indian), coriander, garlic, curry leaves, magnolia, jade, sunflower and Cestrum nocturnum.
The insects I get are mostly flies, little mosquito type insects and spiders.
So I need a spray that will get rid of all of them
Any help is appreciated.
Thank you. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Home made pesticide/insecticide
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| I took the pictures of some of the pests, please click the links and let me know of your answer. http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/881/photo0013x.jpg\ http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/4287/photo0016fz.jpg http://img847.imageshack.us/img847/5042/photo0014n.jpg http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/2307/photo0015dl.jpg |
RE: Home made pesticide/insecticide
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| images are a tad out of focus to know who they are. That said, someone in your part of the world (Australia) is more likely to be of help. Perhaps that someone will pop in.) But some questions: 1. How many of each kind do you see? 2.What sort of damage are they doing? (For instance, flies don't make holes.) A comment: In my part of the world, many a fly fits in one of these categories: - beneficial (help limit other insects) - nuisance value to people but an important part of the food chain - seasonal critters that can be ignored |
RE: Home made pesticide/insecticide
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| Sorry about the quality, they were just moving so fast. 1. How many of each kind do you see? I would say a dozen of the small / mosquito type ones during the day on average. As for flies, about half the amount. 2.What sort of damage are they doing? (For instance, flies don't make holes.) Well I am worried about flies laying eggs. The other damages include holes in leafs, increase in the number of insects causing some small spiders to make their webs over my plants and strangely enough, some of the leafs turning yellow. I can stick with what solution I get, so the critters can go away (I have not noticed and beneficial ones yet)and once I get the proper type of soap, I can use neem as neem would be effective in the long run. |
RE: Home made pesticide/insecticide
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The vast majority of insects do no harm to our plants so all of us need to learn about which ones might be harmful and might need to be controlled. As many of the ads for pest control products seem to imply anytime one sees some kind of bug the spray or dust should be applied and that simply is not so. We are harming many of the beneficial insects we have, pollinators, because of gross overuse of pesticides. All that said sometimes something might be needed to aid in insect pest control and one I have used in th past is to mix together in some water one medium sized onion, one clove of garlic, a tablespoon of some kind of hot pepper in a blender, liquify this mixture and let it steep for 24 hours minimum. When needed mix 1 tablesoon in 1 quart of water and spray. This is not going to kill any insects but has driven them away, including bebeficials, from the plants for a time. |
RE: Home made pesticide/insecticide
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Thank you! I did just that. I also do my best to keep the garden area clean so insects do not breed. For now I am not concerned with the lack of beneficial insects, this cure is temporary. As for neem oil, is any dish washing liquid usable? The one I have is Unamat dish washing liquid, lemon scented. It is: phosphate free, biodegradable and grey water safe. Standard strength I think. |
RE: Home made pesticide/insecticide
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You should not need to add any soap to any Neem Oil product, unless the product label states to do so and how much to add. You also do not want the garden so clean that insects won't breed since the benefiicals, that can help keep the pests under control, are also out there doing that. |
RE: Home made pesticide/insecticide
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| Okie dokie, I will leave it just messy enough then. So you suggest mixing neem oil with warm water then? Nothing more? Because I got my neem oil bottle from an Indian shop and it says nothing much of importance at the back really. And thank you for your replies, I have been following some of your other posts, very helpful! |
RE: Home made pesticide/insecticide
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| I expect that Hanma has purchased a container of pure neem oil and not a product that is ready-to-use as an insecticide/fungicide. Such a formulation will not contain an emulsifier and something will have to be added so that the oil will mix with the water. And there's the problem. We don't know, without proper directions on a label, how much to mix with how much water and how much soap. All I could comment on is that this type of product won't make a solution in water. I wouldn't use it at all unless you can track down some directions. |
RE: Home made pesticide/insecticide
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| Any idea where I could by or order a proper batch of neem oil? I live in Australia, so I guess buying online would be the only option. Any info? |
RE: Home made pesticide/insecticide
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| Your garden centers there don't carry Neem Oil based pesticides? |
RE: Home made pesticide/insecticide
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| Sorry about the late reply! I managed to find and buy Eco-Neem ... all I had to do was mix it with water as indicated. I drenched my garden and surrounding ground with the solution. That should be enough for a week eh? Also, I noticed that my chili plant's leaves were so weak that they are starting to fall off. The colour is getting "lifeless" green I think. Is that normal or did the pests do it? I have given it plenty of fertilizer and water before. |
RE: Home made pesticide/insecticide
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Hanma, I just want to share this site. I could not (or did not know how to) find the source. The information that I could evaluate checked out as accurate; but I have a skeptical outlook on these things lest I fall for the "snake oil". |
RE: Home made pesticide/insecticide
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| Hey guys! Sorry I was on a vacation in the country side, didn't have internet there but my parents have been taking care of the plants with the neem oil. So I have heard and just witnessed spiders making their nets on the leaves and the pots! Is neem oil supposed to repel spiders as well? I hope so. I just killed some relatively big spiders from some of my bushy herbs - mint and basil. I am paranoid now, if I should use those leaves or just burn them. HELP! |
RE: Home made pesticide/insecticide
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Spiders would not be plant pests but should be considered as beneficial, even passive beneficial, since the webs they weave trap any insect that gets there. Spider mites are plant problems but they are a different species, not the same as spiders. Apiders are beneficial in the environment, for the most part. |
RE: Home made pesticide/insecticide
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| Well that's fine, but some of the spiders were big enough that I could see their eyes! And they may be beneficial, but I don't want them and their webs on my herbs! I eat them! But then again it has been raining here a lot, and I keep my important plants and herbs under a shade to avoid the neem oil being washed away, but I have to put them back since they need water eventually. And I suppose the dampness would explain why there have been so many insects =/ It sucks, having both these pests. |
RE: Home made pesticide/insecticide
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| I have 4 types of kale. I seem to have an infestation of these little olive green colored, flat, about 1mm and they mass together at the base of the leaf. any ideas what they are and how to get rid of them organically? |
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