Use 1 tablespoon of mild soap (like dish soap or castile soap) to 1 cup of vegetable oil. Mix well. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil mix to 1 quart of water and pour into a spray bottle. Spray the top and bottom of each leaf where the insects are dwelling and the stems if needed.
One of the most effective DIY repellents calls for just coconut oil and peppermint, says Harlow-Ellis. "While this combination of scents is delightful to humans, it will chase away mosquitoes," she says. To make it, mix 1/3 cup coconut oil and 15 drops of peppermint essential oil in a jar.
Acetic acid makes vinegar an excellent tool for pest control, repelling some of the most common backyard nuisances and even killing weaker insects. It's most effective against ants, spiders, and mosquitos. You can keep spiders from entering your home by spraying vinegar around your property's perimeter and entryways.
Dawn dish soap can save your plants from pest infestation, but it can damage them as well — this may sound contradictory, but it's true! Too much of it dissolved in water can burn the leaves of your sensitive plants. If you want to make this work, do these things: For a gallon of water, 1 teaspoon of it is fine.
There is a general misconception that any soap can be used as an insecticide. Dishwashing liquids are primarily designed to dissolve grease from dishes and clean clothes, not to kill insects. Dish detergents may dissolve the protective waxes on the plant leaves.
Did you know that a build-up of dirt on the leaves of your plants can affect growth and photosynthesis? Try mixing a small amount of ACV with water and gently applying it to the leaves with a soft cloth. Not only will this clean the leaves but the smell of the ACV is likely to prevent pests from eating them.
Most dryer sheets contain the ingredient linalool, which can be found in plants like lavender, basil, and coriander, all of which naturally repel common garden pests. Similar studies found that this ingredient is also useful for repelling bugs like mites, weevils, beetles, and German cockroaches.
Keep insects away with peppermint oil. Before you reach for the chemical-laden bug spray and store-bought insect repellents, there's a natural solution you can try—peppermint. Insects hate peppermint.
Peppermint. Peppermint essential oil might just be the holy grail of natural pest repellents to leave around your home's entry points, as it can help keep away ticks, spiders, roaches, moths, flies, fleas, beetles, and ants. Use sachets of this oil near your doors and windows or try making a diffuser or spray.
Garden Guides suggests using one part vinegar - white or apple cider vinegar are great options - with three parts water in a spray bottle. Add a teaspoon of dish soap. Mix the contents thoroughly and spray on both sides of your vegetable plants, not on the vegetable itself.
The smell of coffee is repulsive to many bugs and will keep them away from treated areas. Coffee grounds can be used fresh or used, but unused coffee grounds are more effective at repelling pests. The smell of burnt coffee is also effective at repelling pests.
Keep Pests Away
Sprinkle baking soda on your soil with a flour sifter to keep ants, roaches and slugs away from your garden. (Be sure to avoid your plants!) It's a safe way to keep beneficial insects around and say sayonara to the ones you're tired of seeing.
It's not recommended to use dish detergent (like Dawn), laundry detergent, or hand soap (even the “natural” versions), since these soaps contain abrasive ingredients that could harm your plants. For DIY insecticide, organic pure castile liquid soap is the best solution since it's all natural and highly effective.
Oil Spray. An effective insecticidal spray can be made with two very simple ingredients: soap and oil. Oil spray works by coating enclosing and smothering soft-body insects, such as aphids and mites. Mix a cup of vegetable oil with a quarter cup of liquid soap and shake it well.
Because soapy water works by touching the insects, sprays need to be made whenever new insect populations appear and start to grow. Spraying soap directly on the leaves when no insects are present does nothing, as soap doesn't bother insects if they eat it. It only works if it contacts the full body.
Vinegar is non-selective, meaning it will damage any plants and turf grass it touches, not just the weeds you are trying to kill. When you spray the vinegar onto weeds, make sure it isn't hitting other plants. If that isn't possible, paint the vinegar onto the weeds with a brush.
As vinegar temporarily changes soil pH, it may be harmful to garden plants and roots so avoid applying too close to those areas (though such an application used just once or twice should be okay).
Vinegar (or acetic acid) is the ultimate product of the fermentation process in fruit, which is why fruit flies are attracted to vinegar odor.
As a whole, the biweekly application of soapy water to plants is enough to get rid of pests. It's crucial to spray directly on the insects, coating them entirely. However, this homemade dish soap mixture may kill beneficial bugs and damage plants due to its additives and varying concentrations.
Vinegar spray
You can also add half a teaspoon of dishwashing soap to help the solution adhere. Shake thoroughly and apply to the affected areas. The acetic acid in the vinegar will treat a wide range of garden pests but it requires contact. If you have whitefly eggs be sure to spray under the leaves.
2.5 tablespoons of liquid dishwashing soap (preferably Dawn or Lemon Joy) and not automatic dishwasher soap Mix with 2.5 tablespoons of vegetable oil per gallon of warm water. Make only what is needed for one day's treatment. An insecticidal soap like this is generally not harmful to plants, animals or humans.