Gardening Spray Recipes and Tips
Gardenersnet.com has recipes for organic (or at least more earth friendly) garden and plant sprays that are simple to make up with items that are easily found in your home or grocery store.
Included in the article is a recipe for garlic insecticide spray, soap insecticide spray using only liquid dish detergent and water (1 tablespoon to 1 gallon), hot pepper spray for repelling deer, rabbits and other pests from your flowers and some vegetables, and a fungicide spray recipe for powdery mildew.
The article also includes some references to using milk for powdery mildew. Among those references is a recipe from hgtv.com’s host for Gardening by the Yard for a milk-and-water fungicide solution consisting of 1 part milk to 9 parts water. (Have read somewhere that you should only use organic milk due to the antibiotic qualities it contains.*) Used twice a week by spraying entire plant including leaf undersides supposedly will eliminate the mildew problem.
For algae and weed problems, use one part white vinegar to three parts water. Can also add lemon juice. Mix and spray on algae and weeds.
According to marshallgrain.com, another fungicide recipe uses 3T apple cider vinegar to 1 gallon of water. Suggests even adding 1T of molasses to the mix. Spray on roses during the cool part of the day to treat black spot and other fungal diseases.
Gardenweb.com has an article with many suggestions on natural pesticidal and fungicidal recipes, most of them organic.
Neem oil is often recommended for controlling pests and fungus in the garden. One ounce of neem oil in a gallon of water, along with a teaspoon of dish soap or castille soap to emulsify the oil, can be used as a leaf spray. Mix thoroughly and use right away. Spray on plant leaves in AM, but avoid blossoms.
Neem oil is reportedly effective against mildews, including powdery mildew, rots, rusts, scab, leafspot, and blights. It is also supposedly effective on many insects, such as aphids, cutworms, leaf-miners, thrips, mealy bugs and many others. Neem will not hurt most beneficial organisms as long as it is not sprayed on them directly, and it has been found to be non-toxic to humans, birds, earthworms or animals. (See Neem Oil for more information.)
*Sidenote: If you haven’t already replaced the milk you consume with organic, I highly recommend doing so…You won’t be sorry.
Recommended reading:
Pest-Proofing Your Garden