Natural Anti-Pest Oil

[ziskasun]

I came across this recipe and thought I would share. I needed to get rid of spider mites and aphids - You mix 1/2 cup canola oil, one-gallon water and about 2 tablespoons soap. I put it in one of those pressurized pump sprayers ($12 at Walmart). You have to shake it up before use because water and oil don't mix well, but that's what the soap is for. I sprayed the leaves front and back and it worked great! I sure don't want to spray poisons on the food I'm gona eat.

 

[Chuck]

I came across this recipe and thought I would share. I needed to get rid of spider mites and aphids - You mix 1/2 cup canola oil, one-gallon water and about 2 tablespoons soap. I put it in one of those pressurized pump sprayers ($12 at Walmart). You have to shake it up before use because water and oil don't mix well, but that's what the soap is for. I sprayed the leaves front and back and it worked great! I sure don't want to spray poisons on the food I'm gona eat.

Yes, that is an old recipe that works very well if you are careful about the time of day you use it. Under bright afternoon sun it can burn the leaves of plants. Always use it in the early morning or late afternoon. But the most important thing about getting rid of spider mites is to break their reproductive cycle. The link below is a simplified explanation of how they reproduce.
http://www.spidermites.net/tag/reproductive-cycle/

 

[Pat]

I will have to keep this recipe for future use. Right now I do not have a problem with spider mites but I know you never know when the little pest will show up in your garden.

 

[remnant]

I have bookmarked the recipe and well suits crops which are meant for consumption on a regular basis like kales. I suppose that this recipe works through suffocation of the spider mites and aphids. However, I think the canola oil is a bit expensive especially for largescale operations. Is there a suitable alternative?

 

[The Urban Farmer]

If you're into essential oils you can also use them for pest control. Here is an all-purpose spray made of EOs:

• 1 tsp dish soap
• 5 drops rosemary oil
  
• 5 drops marigold (tagetes) oil
  
• 5 drops peppermint oil
  
• 1 quart distilled water

I have others which I have used before on my blog. Here's the article:
Essential Oil Garden Recipes

Happy gardening

 

[kgord]

I bet that would work wonderfully Urban farmer the only thing is that purchasing all those oils would run into money. I think liquid dish soap is the operative ingredient in your spray and just using a bit of scent or oil with it or even one of those ingredients would probably make your garden pest free. That is just my feeling on the subject, I might be wrong.