Natural cultivation of herbs, fruits, and vegetables has become increasingly popular in recent years. Many people are turning to organic food either by purchasing it or by growing it themselves. Whether for hobbyists or enthusiasts, the common goal is to ensure maximum naturalness and freedom from chemicals and pesticides in their produce.
Regardless of whether you have a large garden, a small plot, or just a few pots of herbs or tomatoes, here are some tips on how to protect your plants from pests in a natural way. Most of the “natural pesticides” discussed here can be made from ingredients you already have at home.
Garlic Spray
Garlic spray is one of the most well-known natural pesticides. Chop several cloves of garlic into one liter of water and let it boil. Allow it to simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let it cool completely.
Strain the liquid, pour it into a spray bottle, and use it by spraying around household plants or pouring it around the base of the plant. This spray can be refrigerated for about ten days, so you can make a larger batch.
Basil Spray
For this spray, you’ll need: four cups of water, one tablespoon of fresh or two tablespoons of dried basil leaves, and one teaspoon of liquid dish detergent. Boil water in a large pot, add basil leaves, and simmer for three minutes.
Remove from heat, cover, and let it cool. Add liquid detergent to the mixture and pour it into a spray bottle. This is a highly effective pesticide against aphids and is the only one on this list that isn’t entirely natural because it contains detergent.
Salt
Dissolve two tablespoons of salt in gallon of water and let it sit for five minutes. Use the mixture by spraying it against caterpillars, worms, spiders, and similar insects. Similarly, you can use bitter salt, which you can buy at a pharmacy. It is effective against black spots and leaf stains, molds, and similar diseases.
Citrus Solution
For this mixture, you’ll need: two cups of chopped lemon or orange peels and four cups of water. Boil the water, remove from heat, add the peels, cover, and let it cool. Strain and use it by spraying it against leaf aphids.
Tobacco
Here’s one good aspect of tobacco. Tobacco has proven to be one of the best homemade pesticides. Tobacco spray is excellent against aphids, especially when it comes to garden plants. You need to soak clean tobacco in water and let it sit.
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When the water becomes light brown, similar to the color of tea, strain the tobacco and spray the affected leaves with the resulting liquid. Do not use this spray on plants such as tomatoes, peppers, or eggplants.
Nettle
True, not everyone has it at home, but many have access to this plant. Nettle is an excellent tool in the fight against plant lice. To use it for spraying, chop it, pour cold water over it, and let it sit for two days. After that, spray the plants with the solution obtained.
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