Looking for a homemade way of pest control for my cannabis plants really don’t want to buy a pesticide because they aren’t cheap and as I am a beginner I don’t know necessarily what is going to be safe to use on my plants or not please let me know thank you
Thanks @AAA
If you have mortar and pestle, it will be the best tool, if not, blender is ok.
Ingredients
3-5 cloves of fat garlic
2 habanero peppers, you can use other HOT chili pepper, just get pungent, hot kinds
A few drops of dishwashing detergent
Pound garlic , add peppers. Pounding crushes cell walls and release volatile gas more. Blending would just cut the cell up, many cell don’t get cut so won’t release gas. Just knife? Use the side of blad smash the garlic and pepper (at your own risk) to increase potency before chopping.
Add about half to a gallon of water, depending on how bad your infestation is. Half if you’ve got a lot and want quick slaughter job. One whole gallon if it’s maintenance dose. Strain it. Squirt your detergent in. Put in spray bottle and stay downwind when you spray it, don’t say I didn’t warn you!
It’s good for aphids, white flies, mites of all kinds. Not so effective on inch worm. It doesn’t kill it but seem to discourage the mama butterfly to lay her eggs on your plant. So it’s for long-term considerations. Good bugs like praying mantis and lady bugs don’t seem to mind it either.
It kills with capsaicin. Garlic just make their deaths more unpleasant and deter future invasion. Pros is it’s cheap. Cons is you have to do it often like a few times a week of infestation is really bad like I did with orange spider mites in my eggplants last year. But for weeds, twice/week when they are young and more delicious to bugs. Once they flower, there are less bugs so you can do it every week or two.
1 Like
Thank you so much I’ll get everything I’m going to need asap but it’s not to bad I just noticed a few that I’ve been able to kill which is my fingers I just want to stop it before it gets out of control appreciate it thank you very much
1 Like
You’re welcome. There are a lot of bugs you don’t see because they won’t show their faces to you. Some are nocturnal. Some swooped down to lay eggs to let their tiny young feed on your plants. Spray them before you see them. Like going into enemy’s territory, you’ve gotta do the sweep with a few clips to clear the coast.
These are totally safe to eat or consume but rinse the soap off before you spray new batch. I like to wash the plants early in the morning, let the leaves dry then spray them late morning or afternoon. Some bugs will get washed off too. So you have better chance they won’t be able to come back.
1 Like
Neem oil has always worked for me.
Gotdeparted3113,
First I would like to welcome you to ILGM and to our awesome community " WELCOME "
Ok you asked for it and here ya go…enjoy and copy to your files ok
- Oil spray insecticide
A homemade insecticide made from vegetable oil mixed with a mild soap (such as Dr. Bronners castile soap) can have a devastating effect on certain
troublesome insects, such as aphids, mites, thrips, etc. To make a basic oil spray insecticide, mix 1 cup of vegetable oil with 1 tablespoon of soap
(cover and shake thoroughly), and then when ready to apply, add 2 teaspoons of the oil spray mix with 1 quart of water, shake thoroughly, and spray
directly on the surfaces of the plants which are being affected by the little pests. The oil coats the bodies of the insects, effectively suffocating
them, as it blocks the pores through which they breathe.
- Soap spray insecticide
A very similar homemade pesticide to the oil spray is a soap spray, which is also effective for controlling mites, aphids, whiteflies, beetles, and
other hungry little insects. To make a basic soap spray insecticide, mix 1 1/2 teaspoons of a mild liquid soap (such as castile soap) with 1 quart of
water, and spray the mixture directly on the infected surfaces of the plants. A soap spray insecticide works in a similar fashion as an oil spray
pesticide, and can be applied as necessary (though it is always recommended to NOT apply it during the hot sunny part of the day, but rather in the
evenings or early mornings).
- Neem oil insecticide
An oil extracted from the seeds of the neem tree is a powerful natural insecticide, capable of disrupting the life cycle of insects at all stages
(adult, larvae, and egg), making it a great resource for the organic gardener. Neem oil acts as a hormone disruptor and as an “antifeedant” for
insects that feed on leaves and other plant parts. Neem oil is biodegradable and is nontoxic to pets, birds, fish, and other wildlife, and is effective
against a variety of common garden insect pests, as well as being a natural fungicide that can combat powder mildew and other fungal infections on plants.
It can be found at many garden stores or natural foods markets. To use neem oil as an insecticide, either follow the instructions on the bottle, or start
out with a basic mixture of 2 teaspoons neem oil and 1 teaspoon of mild liquid soap shaken thoroughly with 1 quart of water, and then sprayed on the
affected plant foilage. Neem oil can also be used preventatively by spraying the leaves of plants that are often ravaged by pests, before they’re actually
infested.
- Diatomaceous earth as a natural pesticide
This natural substance with a somewhat unwieldy name is made from a sedimentary rock created by fossilized algae (diatoms), and which is a rather
abundant resource (diatomaceous earth is said to make up 26% of the earth’s crust by weight). Diatomaceous earth has a number of uses in and around
the home, and acting as a natural insecticide is just one of them. This material works not by poisoning or smothering the insects, but instead by
virtue of its abrasive qualities and its affinity for absorbing the lipids (a waxy substance) from insects’ exoskeleton, which then dehydrates them
to death. Diatomaceous earth is often available at garden stores, although many times only in large bags, so if you’ve got a small yard, consider
splitting it with a neighbor. To apply, simply dust the ground around your plants, or even sprinkle it on the foliage, where it will help control
snails and slugs as well as other crawling insects. Due to its dried nature, in order to be an effective natural pesticide, diatomaceous earth
needs to be reapplied after every rain.
- Garlic insecticide spray
Garlic is well-known for its pungent aroma, which is delectable to some and yet repellent to others, and it is this strong scent that comes into
play when used as a natural insecticide. Actually, it’s not really clear if garlic spray and chile spray (below) are actually insecticides or are
more likely insect repellents, but either way, these common kitchen ingredients can be used to knock down, or even knock out, insect infestations
in the garden. To make a basic garlic spray, take 2 whole bulbs (not just 2 cloves) and puree them in a blender or food processor with a small
amount of water. quart of water. Let the mixture sit overnight, then strain it into a quart jar, adding 1/2 cup of vegetable oil (optional),
1 teaspoon of mild liquid soap, and enough water to fill the jar. To use this homemade insecticide, use 1 cup of mixture with 1 quart of water
and spray liberally on infested plants.
- Chile pepper insecticide spray
Similar to garlic spray, chile pepper spray is a great homemade natural insect repellent that can be used for a variety of different pests. Chile
spray can be made from either fresh hot peppers or chile pepper powder. To make a basic chile spray from pepper powder, mix 1 tablespoon of chile
powder with 1 quart of water and several drops of mild liquid soap. This mixture can be used full-strength on the leaves of affected plants. To make
chile spray from fresh chile peppers, blend or puree 1/2 cup of peppers with 1 cup of water, then add 1 quart of water and bring to a boil. Let sit
until cooled, then strain out the chile material, add several drops of liquid soap to it and spray as desired. [Caution: Hot chile peppers can be
very potent on humans as well, so be sure to wear gloves when handling them, and keep any sprays made from them away from eyes, nose, and mouth.]
- All-in-one homemade insecticide spray
From the folks at Rodale’s Organic Life comes this all-in-one DIY natural insecticide, which is said to be a combination of many different recipes
submitted by readers. To make it, puree 1 bulb of garlic and 1 small onion, add 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper powder and let steep for an hour.
Strain the mixture and add 1 tablespoon of liquid soap and mix well. To apply this homemade insecticide, spray it full-strength onto both the
upper surface of the leaves, as well as the undersides, and store the remainder in the refrigerator for up to a week if desired.
- Tomato leaf as a natural insecticide
I have to admit that this one is new to me, but I’ve seen enough mentions of it now to warrant its inclusion here as a natural pesticide. Tomato
plants are part of the nightshade family, and as such, contain alkaloids such as the aptly named “tomatine,” which can effectively control
aphids and other insects. To make tomato leaf spray for a natural insecticide, chop 2 cups of fresh tomato leaves (which can be taken from the
bottom part of the plant) into 1 quart of water, and let steep overnight. Strain out the plant material and spray onto plant foliage.
Make, use, and observe, then modify
Although there are many more natural pesticides available, such as Bt (a soil microbe toxic to certain insects), milky spore (also a microbe),
nicotine (extracted as a tea from bulk tobacco), pyrethrum (derived from a variety of daisy), and iron phosphate (a natural mineral toxic to
slugs and snails), the above natural and homemade insecticide recipes should give you a good starting point for creating your own version.
Every organic gardener seems to have their own particular blend and ratio of ingredients, so by paying close attention to the effects of a
specific recipe, it’s possible to modify it to best suit your own insect battles.
Just remember, killing off all of the insects in your garden is not the desired result here, as any healthy ecosystem requires an
abundance of beneficial insects, microbes, and fungi, both in the soil and on the plants themselves, so introducing other predatory
insects (ladybugs, praying mantis, etc.) or creating good habitat for them, as well as building soil fertility, can also be an effective
pest management approach.
2 Likes