Garlic is not only a tasty and wholesome aroma to use in the kitchen, but you can also use it in the garden. As garlic includes sulfur compounds, and it works as a naturalistic repellent for various pests. That implies that you can convert garlic into affordable and safe pesticides.
Further, you can make your own garlic spray to control slugs, ladybugs, caterpillars, aphids, and other insects plus animals too. It is important to have a healthy garden that has an equal balancing of beneficial pests which keep damaging pests under control.
Moreover, pesticides plus kill useful insects, throwing the garden out of balance so that it has no natural defences. This ends a vicious cycle, as you just have to resort to more pesticides. Before you are going to giving a try for toxin, try out garlic for pest control.
How to Make Garlic Spray for Pests?
There are various recipes you can easily found on the Internet, but the easiest and simplest recipe to make garlic spray pest control is here.
#1 Firstly you have to do is make a concentrated garlic extract. Mash 4-6 garlic cloves in a food processor or with a blender and you can use anything else that help in crushing the garlic. Then add one quart of water and five drops of dishwashing cleanser or soap, optionally a general biodegradable soap.
#2 Filter the mixture through clean cloth twice to exclude any pieces of garlic that can clog the spray bottle. Store up remaining concentrated garlic in a glass jar or any container but with a tight-fitting lid. Next, simply dilute your concentrate with two water cups, pour into a spray bottle or any sprayer, and now you are ready to use it to control pests. Take care of one thing that this natural pesticide will not last long forever.
#3 Use it immediately just after making the mixture, as it will lose its power over time. To use garlic spray for garden pests then, spray the plant once a week to protect against pests. Do not spray until the crop gets close to harvesting unless you want your lettuce to taste like garlic. Besides, garlic spray is a broad-spectrum pesticide, therefore spray only those parts of the plant that is infested with pests so you can reduce the risk of damaging any beneficial insects.
#4 A different method to use garlic for pest control is to have intercourse with it. It implies sowing garlic among other crops. This is particularly helpful if you like garlic. Garlic does an astonishing job of removing pests on many plants, avoid setting it near legumes, peas plus potatoes.
Garlic insecticide spray
Garlic famously recognizes for its pungent aroma, which is pleasant to some and yet repellent to others plus has a strong odour that helps to control the natural insecticides.
In fact, it’s not understandable whether garlic sprays and chilli sprays are insecticides or also more likely insects repellents. Moreover, these essential kitchen ingredients use to knock down infections of pests in the garden easily. To make a garlic insecticide spray then.
- Take two whole bulbs garlic, or you can take as per your need and puree them with one quart of water in a blender or food processor.
- Allow the mixture to sit overnight, then pour it into a container or jar, and add half cup vegetable oil, one teaspoon light liquid soap plus sufficient water to load the jar. If you want to use this homemade insecticide then, use only one cup of mixture with one cup of water and spray it carefully on infected plants.
Common tips for making and using garlic extracts
#1 First, you have to do is select parts of the garlic plant that are free from diseases. After it, keep garlic bulbs in a cool, dry, shady place. The most basic way for storing garlic is to cut the dried tops off and allow the bulb to recover when hung in the tops. A further method is to store in a layer in a completely ventilated shade and dry place as practised for onions.
#2 Use only clean utensils plus be assure you have cleaned again after use. Do not keep direct contact with the crude extract during the preparation process and application. Make assure to keep the plant extracts out of reach of kids and household pets when leaving it overnight.
#3 The garlic essence will remain on the sprayed plants for some time after spraying, therefore avoid spraying before harvest time, or harvest all ripe fruits on the crop before spraying it over to the plants. To discover the powerful dose for specific pests, try various garlic extract strengths.
#4 Keep in mind that first test the plant extract spray on some infected plants before going to spraying it into all over the plants. While adding soap in it as an emulsifier, use potash-based washing soap. Use protecting clothing when using the extracts. Always wash your hands after using garlic extract for pest control.
Benefits
As per of the Environmental Protection Agency, exposure to some toxic pesticides poses a health hazard. If you, your children or your pets like to spend time in the yard, then you don’t want to worry about it.
On the other hand, garlic is an organic natural green solution. It does not pose any severe health risk to anyone in the home. It does not kill beneficial bugs, and its sharp smell just makes the plants undesirable as a place to eat or lay eggs.
This will helps your garden to make balance to defend itself. This homemade garlic spray has multiple uses and can also be applied to vegetable, fruit, ornamental plus indoor plants too.
#1 Naturalistic Pesticides and Insecticides
While using foliage spray then keep in mind that garlic is effective against aphids, Colorado potato beetles, whiteflies, bean beetles, cabbage worms, and spider mites, moths together with diamond mites, ants, and termites. If it is used as a soil treatment, garlic water is a well-known treatment for nematodes and fungus gnats.
#2 Natural fungicide
Activated sulfur compounds can eliminate a kind of fungal and fungal infections. This powder is very powerful in treatment and preventive remedy for mildew.
#3 Natural detergent
When it is used in mixture with chilli, garlic works great as a deterrent upon mice, rats, rabbits, deer, and voles.
Precautions
However, garlic spray is non-toxic and it can be an irritant particularly to the eye area. This is specifically true if you add extra ingredients like pepper or washing detergent. Put the nozzle away from your face and wash your hands after using it or touching your plants.
Do not allow your children or pets to play within spraying plants. Store garlic sprays for short term into the freezer if you’re not going to use in a few days. Garlic spray will rot like any other perishable food product. Moreover, it should not be applied more than twice a week as a leaves spray or once a week as a soil handling.
Khaja Moinuddin, a computer science graduate, finds joy in gardening and homesteading. Join him on this blog as he shares his experiences in homesteading, gardening, and composting