These homemade pesticides are cheap and easy to make with many being just as effective as some commercial products on the market. No fancy ingredients required, everything you need is likely stocked in your kitchen and garden. Most of the ingredients are earth friendly and natural with the harshest being liquid dish detergent–no need to use toxic chemicals!
Tip: The best method of pest control in the garden is to keep your plants healthy so they don’t attract bugs. Fertilize as needed (see How To Make Compost Tea) and stay on top of weeds by pulling them as they appear or using weed killers (see Homemade Weed Killer Recipes & Tips).
Begin treating for insects as soon as you notice signs of an infestation, the sooner you start the easier it will be to get rid of the critters.
Note: For recipes that require liquid dish detergent, use the basic stuff–nothing fancy with added bleach, nothing concentrated and no special antibacterial formulas. You can also substitute with a gentler liquid soap such as liquid castile or a perfume free, gentle liquid hand soap.
Update: As with all pesticides, take care when applying to food bearing plants, handling and storage of the pesticide. No one needs reminding I’m sure, but wash all produce well before consuming.
Rhubarb Leaf Mix
1 cup rhubarb leaves
6.5 cups water
1/4 cup liquid dish detergent or soap flakes
- Cover rhubarb leaves with water and bring to a boil. Boil for 20 minutes then remove from heat and cool. Strain then add 1/4 cup liquid dish detergent. Apply. Good for aphids, june beetles, spider mites, thrips.
- Rhubarb leaves are poisonous, take care when preparing and handling. Do not use on food bearing plants.
- Make your own garlic spray by boiling a pint of water, throw in roughly chopped garlic cloves and steep until the water cools. Remove garlic bits then apply.
2 hot peppers
1 large onion
1 whole bulb of garlic
1/4 cup water
- Toss in the food processor and add water, blend until a mash is made. Cover mash with 1 gallon hot (not boiling) water and let stand 24 hours. Strain. Spray on roses, azaleas, vegetables to kill bug infestations. Bury mash in ground where bugs are heaviest. Good for thrips, aphids, grasshoppers, chewing and sucking insects.
- Crush leaves from a tomato plant and soak in water for a couple days. Strain then spray. Good for grasshopper and white fly control.
- Tomato leaves are poisonous, take care when preparing and handling. Do not use on food bearing plants.
4 cups water
1 cup fresh basil (or 2 TBS dried)
1 tsp liquid dish detergent
- Bring water to a boil then add basil. Remove from heat, cover and steep until cool. Strain. Mix in the liquid detergent then apply. Good for aphids.
*First published May 18, 2007 and moved to this page for better organization
Save Onion Peels & Bits To Make Your Own Garden Brew
- Save onion skins, peels and ends then refrigerate in an empty margarine-sized tub or ziploc bag until the container is full.
- Once you have enough, place the onion pieces in a pail and fill with warm water. Soak for a few days, up to a week. Optional: You can keep this on the patio in the sun to steep.
- After one week, strain the onion bits out and store the onion water in spray bottles. Bury the onion bits around plants that are prone to aphids, spiders and other pests.
- Spray both house and garden plants with the water to fight aphids and pests.
Salt Spray
2 TBS salt
1.5 gallons warm water
- Mix salt and water to dissolve, allow to cool to room temperature. Use for spider mites, caterpillars, cabbage worms and chewing insects.
2 ounces of salt
2 gallons water
- Benefits: Helps with Black Spot, Mildew, Wilt and Rust
- Set out beer in shallow containers to attract slugs, they’ll drown in the beer. See more tips on this page.
- An all natural solution for insects of all kinds (ants, snails, slugs, etc.). Sprinkle diatomaceous earth on top of soil around plants with pest problems.
1 TBS vegetable oil
1 tsp liquid dish detergent
2 cups water
- Fill a spray bottle with the ingredients then shake to mix.
1/2 cup hot peppers (or 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper)
1 quart water
1 tsp liquid dish detergent
- Bring water to a boil, remove from heat and add peppers. Cover and steep until cool. Strain then mix in soap. If using cayenne pepper, no need to bring water to a boil first. Apply.
2 cups orange peels (or lemons)
4 cups water
- Bring water to a boil, remove from heat and add peels. Cover and steep until cool. Strain and use. Use the lemon mixture to repel white flies.
2 TBS liquid dish detergent
2 TBS baking soda
1 gallon water
- Mix all ingredients together then use.
1 TBS peppermint essential oil (can also use an infusion made with mint leaves, increase amount to 1 cup infusion)
1 quart water
- Mix together and use as an insect spray (good for ants).
2 cups water
1 mashed banana
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup wine
1/2 tsp yeast
- Mix ingredients together and put in an old margarine container, cover with lid and set container out in the hot sun for a day. The next day, remove lid and set in garden where the beetles have been spotted (use a shallow container).
1 cup potato plant leaves
2 cups water
- Chop leaves then cover with hot water. Seal container and leave 24 hours in a sunny window. Strain then use.
- Potato leaves are poisonous, take care when preparing and handling. Do not use on food bearing plants.
1 TBS Neem soap (shavings)
1 liter water
- Add soap to water then let sit for an hour. Shake bottle then use.
3 parts oil per 100 parts water
- Benefits: Helps with Aphids, Codling Moth, Leaf Roller, Mealybugs, Scaled Insects, White Fly
2 TBS soap flakes (don’t use detergents)
dissolved in 1 quart water
- Benefits: Aphid control
*First published February 1, 2008 and moved to this page for better organization
Vegetable Oil Can Be An Effective Ingredient For Organic Pest Control
Ingredients:
1 cup Sunlight dish soap
1 TBS vegetable oil
Directions:
- Mix ingredients together then store in a plastic, airtight container.
- When you’re ready to use, take 1 to 2 teaspoons of the concentrate and mix with a quart of water. Pour into a spray bottle.
- When applying make sure to get underneath the leaves as well as the flower buds and new shoots.
- In hot weather, repeat every third day (3 applications over 7 days).
- Warm to cool weather, use once a week for 3 weeks.
Tips
- Apply the treatment on top of the leaves as well as underneath–don’t overdo it, excess can cause damage.
- Most recipes can be used effectively with just a weekly treatment. Excessive use may affect the plant as well as kill the good insects you want to encourage in your garden (earthworms, bees, ladybugs, etc.). If you aren’t seeing results with a 7 day treatment, you can bump it up to 5 days but watch carefully to make sure plants can handle it without being damaged.
- Avoid treating during hot sunny weather, do so later in the day to reduce the risk of burning.
- If it looks like rain, delay until the weather is clear since any rain will wash away the new application. If it has recently rained, wait till greenery is dry before applying to prevent the mix being diluted with water.
- When trying a new recipe, test on just a couple leaves first (apply then watch how the test leaves react after two or three days, if no signs of damage proceed with spraying the whole plant).
Organic Garden Aids
*First published June 5, 2007 and moved to this page for better organizationWith a little bit of planning you can help cut down on pests and disease organically by growing natural repellents near problem areas. Here are a few suggestions…
Rosemary, Mint, Thyme: Grow near cabbage
Benefits: Repels cabbage worms
Nasturtiums: Position near cucumbers, melons and squashes.
Benefits: Repels squash bugs
Summer Savory: Position near beans
Benefits: Repels bean beetles
Radishes: Grow near cucumbers
Benefits: Repels cucumber beetles
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