As a person who tries her best to leave a smaller footprint on the earth, I am not interested in using products on my plants which use unfamiliar ingredients. Certainly, I could spend hours doing research into each chemical and its origins and impact on the earth and then buy a product packaged in plastic to use on my organic garden, but it seems counter intuitive to me.
In an ideal world I wouldn’t feel the need to use anything on the plants I grow. However, my garden can be a bug-infested oasis. I like it, cats like it, plant eating bugs like it, even weeds like it.
My precious carrot leaves were eaten away overnight, something has gobbled my clematis, and my potato plants are more holes than green in places.
I needed to take action. I needed a simple, effective, low-cost solution. The good news is this spray meets all those requirements and I love it! I made it last year as well and stored it in an old vinegar bottle, but when I went to retrieve it, the glass had broken. Time to make some new bug spray!
Ingredients needed:
1 onion
A few cloves of garlic
1 Tbs cayenne powder
1 tsp – 1 Tbs soap
To make:
Blend the onion and garlic until they are nice and mushy.
Place the mush in a saucepan or pot with about 4 cups of water and 1 heaping tablespoon of cayenne powder, then turn to a simmer. Let the mixture simmer for a good 30 minutes.
Let that cool.
Use cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer to squeeze out the liquid and compost the remaining material.
Pour into a spray bottle with a teaspoon to a tablespoon of liquid soap. I use Sal Suds because of how effective it is and because it is extremely concentrated and biodegradable.
Spray on any bug-eaten plants directly and reapply if it rains or if much overhand watering has occurred. You don’t need to worry about this spray when it is time to harvest because it is made out of mostly food and a safe soap. Obviously rinsing is a good idea, but don’t worry about health problems later on in your life or depleting soils of microbes.
My potato plants already look much better and whatever was eating my carrot tops has stopped their destructive ways.
Do you have any favorite gardening tips?
Peace and love,
Kristan
Suffused Supper 
If you know someone who smokes tobacco, you should tell him or her not to. I they continue to do so, you should continue to tell them not to; but during the process, you can collect their cigarette butts and simmer them for a toxic brew that kills homopteran insects rather well. I like to add a few drops of soap just to make is stick, and because aphid dilsike soap.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is an interesting use for a waste product! As it happens, my husband is a smoker. Do you designate a pot just for such a use?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I did not designate a pot for such use, just because it does not leave a residue in the pot. It is like simmering any other herb, coffee or tea.
LikeLike