Do you spray for bugs?

[Cjk85]

Does anyone spray for bugs? What do you use?
Personally in all my different gardens, be it Aquaponic, Hydroponic, or Permaculture, I take 40ml of molasses and add 1L of water into a pump pressure pack and spray.
Non toxic and keeps the bugs away.

 

[Jed]

Yes we spray white oil for mealy bugs and aphids. Its made from soap and vegetable oil.

 

[mrsbatista]

I don't spray for bugs, I never thought about it much. I'm not sure if that alone means having an organic garden; so far I haven't had the need to spray. I would like to know does spraying whether non toxic or otherwise improve the quality of the garden?

 

[Jed]

I don't spray for bugs, I never thought about it much. I'm not sure if that alone means having an organic garden; so far I haven't had the need to spray. I would like to know does spraying whether non toxic or otherwise improve the quality of the garden?

You are very lucky to not have problems.

Mealy bugs can make a lemon tree sick, aphids suck the sap of plants and white fly also.
I grow in a long plastic tunnel most of the year and plants in them are susceptible to these insect attacks.
Then there are cabbage white butterfly that lay eggs and result in worms eating them. I'm surprised that you don't have this one.

 

[maddie]

I don't spray for bugs, I never thought about it much. I'm not sure if that alone means having an organic garden; so far I haven't had the need to spray. I would like to know does spraying whether non toxic or otherwise improve the quality of the garden?

You are really lucky.. I have lost a couple of my lovely chrysanthemums to mealy bugs.. which are now threatening to spread everywhere. I keep washing the plants and spraying with water and alcohol.. hoping that they will go away.

 

[suzjbibby]

I've not heard of using molasses to spray cjk85, I'd have thought it would attract bugs being sweet but if it works well then I'd much sooner use that than any other spray, I use soapy water a bit but I'd much prefer molasses, my dad always has drums of the stuff to add to his horses feed, we used to always go dip our fingers in whenever we were up at the stables and have a lick... nice memories

 

[Cjk85]

I got the idea from Murray Hallam when I put my Aquaponics system together, since then I have sprayed my Hydroponics system and soil grown plants it reduces at least 85% of bugs.

 

[Jessi]

We only do if there's a problem that gets out of hand.

We don't mind a few bugs here or there and we'll kick them off by hand when need be. I don't like spraying pesticides because I think it somewhat defeats part of the reason we grow our own. If we have to, though, in order to not completely lose the plants/fruits/veggies, then we will.

 

[dconklin]

I will occasionally spray the plants with an organic spray (Ecosmart - safe to spray and harvest in the same day), but we have a lot of spiders in our garden that eat many of the bugs. I do have to spray my tomato plants tho, I started to get the green horn worms that eat the whole plant in a couple days if you don't catch them quickly. I also use garlic in my yard to keep the fleas and mosquitoes out so that may help too. Living close to the river brings a ton of spiders to take care of most of our garden bugs tho.

 

[Franklin]

Molasses and water? Dude I would have never thought/heard of this! I'll take your word for it, but I would think that the sugar in the syrup would attract more pests. Now if you ask me (which I'm sure you won't but I'll say it anyway) you should try a cocktail of lemongrass oil, cinnamon oil and lime juice in a spray bottle. It works as one of the best natural pest remedies!

 

[Mickypoo]

The molasses sounds interesting! I have to come up with an organic/non-toxic solution for my garden. I was growing tomatoes over Summer (Australia) and got infested with 'stink bugs.' My climbing beans were also decimated by 'white fly.' i was going to try a lemon and chilli solution but have to do some research, and will certainly look into your suggestion.

 

[Tmann]

I don't spray anything on my vegetable garden, my wife prefers organic. With that she spends a lot of time picking them off and dropping them in a cup of soap and water. I would think that the molasses and water would be too thick to be able to use in a sprayer. Interesting idea.

 

[JenVarsity]

Yes we spray white oil for mealy bugs and aphids. Its made from soap and vegetable oil.

I would be interested in knowing a bit more. Does it help with any other pests? What is the exact mixture you use?

Thanks!

 

[JenVarsity]

Molasses and water? Dude I would have never thought/heard of this! I'll take your word for it, but I would think that the sugar in the syrup would attract more pests. Now if you ask me (which I'm sure you won't but I'll say it anyway) you should try a cocktail of lemongrass oil, cinnamon oil and lime juice in a spray bottle. It works as one of the best natural pest remedies!

I am interested in the exact mixture of this too! What types of oests will it rid? Where can I find more information?

 

[claudine]

I never spray for bugs. Poor bugs . Also, I really don't want any chemicals in my garden, I'm scared of them, I prefer when everything is natural. A cocktail of lemongrass oil, cinnamon oil and lime juice sounds more reasonable - but I don't feel that I need it, bugs aren't such a big problem here, where I live.