This is the time of year I like to go to my local nursery or the garden departments of all nearby big box stores. I try to stick to easy to grow plants as much as possible. Check out my post about Low Maintenance House Plants & 5 Essential Tips for their Care. But no matter how easy plants are to grow, they’ll still need some care. One item of business with plant care is insect control. These 5 DIY Natural Plant Insecticides help keep insects from destroying plants.
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Recipe for 5 DIY Natural Plant Insecticides
- Soap: Add 1 Tbsp. of pure soap to 1 quart of water. I use Dr. Bronner’s Castile soap (in Peppermint), but any pure soap will work. Do not use detergent. Saturate the insect with the mixture. The soap will break down the bug’s natural outer coating and they’ll die from dehydration.
- Pepper Blend: Add ½ tsp. cayenne pepper to above soap and water recipe.
- Vegetable Oil Blend: Mix 1 & ¼ Tbsp. soap and 1 & ¼ Tbsp. Vegetable oil in 2 quarts water.
- Garlic Blend: Puree 1 clove garlic, 1 hot pepper, & 1 Tbsp. soap in 1 quart of water.
- Hot Pepper Mix: Blend together 2 hot peppers, ½ of an onion, and 1 clove garlic in a quart of water. Boil for a few minutes. Steep for 2 days. Drain through a cloth before use.
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Don’t spray plants in full sun. Spray about once a week until bugs disappear. Be sure to spray both the tops and bottoms of leaves. Can be used on indoor or outdoor plants.
*Be careful not to touch your eyes when handling hot peppers.
These 5 DIY Natural Plant Insecticides help control insects like aphids, spider mites, lace bugs, whitefly, and mealybugs.
Natural plant insecticide solutions are also simple to make, eco-friendly, and cost-effective. This is important because even though I tell myself that I’m only going to buy one or two plants on my shopping excursions, I somehow walk out with more greenery than I intended to. If I bring my youngest daughter with me, who also loves plants, we’ll definitely leave with a full cart!
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Have you ever used natural insect repellents on your houseplants? What solutions worked best for you?
Lisa is a mother of three lovely young women and is a new grandmother to a baby boy! She has been married to her high school sweetheart for more than thirty years. Lisa is originally from Dearborn Heights, Michigan, but has lived in the Tampa Bay area since 1984. Running a small business for over 25 years and raising a family has made for a busy, busy life with many ups and downs; it’s definitely been an adventure.
Lisa’s always involved in one project or another whether it’s work related or serving her community. She also recently went back to school to finish her bachelor’s degree in American Studies. Lisa tries to make every day a good day—that means learning something new, practicing kindness, and enjoying the present moment.
I love, love, love houseplants but I’ve never been very good at keeping them alive. I should obviously be reading more of your posts! 😉
Natural is the way to go. I love how natural pesticides do not harm the environment or other living things. Thank you! This was both informational and helpful.
These are all great ideas! I hate seeing little bugs around my houseplants!
Oh yes these are my nemesis, hates those bugs that come and eat my veggies. I have a veggie garden at home and this is a constant struggle. So I appreciate this tips on how to get rid of this insects the natural way.
This is a great idea, especially because I have little ones around. Saving it for following it at home.
The timing of the post couldn’t have been better! My little borther recently moved his plants outside and has since been looking for natural insecticide options. Thank you for sharing!
Interesting natural concoctions. If you have any natural bug repellent or insecticide that also kills ants and mosquitoes, I would also be interested in making that too. I hate the regular spray ant killers because of the chemicals and because of the strong smell.