What can I spray on my plants to keep pests away?
Simple soap spray is useful in taking out a wide variety of common household pests, including aphids, scale, mites, and thrips. Just add 1 tablespoon of dishwashing soap to 1 gallon of water and spray the mixture on the pests. While dish soaps (detergents) can cause issues for insects, their effect on pests is limited and highly variable. Dish soap is also much more likely to cause damage to the plant, such as phytotoxicity. Insecticidal soap is a true soap (usually potassium salts of fatty acids) created specifically to target pests.Apply carefully: Soap solutions work by killing pests on contact, but leaving them on the leaves too long increases the chance of damage, especially in hot, dry conditions. Best practice includes rinsing the plant with water, washing it with the soapy solution, and rinsing thoroughly again.
What is a natural spray for outdoor plants?
Mix 1 cup of vegetable oil with 1 tablespoon of mild liquid soap. Add 2-8 teaspoons of this mixture to 1 quart of water and spray your plants as above. The oil in this spray smothers the insects, so it is effective on aphids, thrips, mites, and scale. Combine 1 teaspoon of the soap mixture with 1 cup of water before spraying it on plants. You can apply it once per week as long as your insect problems persist.
What can I spray on my plants to keep bugs away?
Garlic Spray: Blend garlic cloves with water and a splash of liquid soap. Spray it on your plants to repel aphids and caterpillars. Neem Oil Spray: Extracted from neem tree seeds, this spray is effective against aphids, spider mites, and whiteflies. Some plants—such as tea tree, lavender, and basil—emit smells that bugs don’t like, enabling the plants to serve as natural bug repellents. Another handy trick you can implement is placing garlic cloves in potted plants throughout your backyard.
Can I spray vinegar on my plants for bugs?
Vinegar spray is one of the most effective homemade bug sprays. It is a natural bug repellent and a weed killer. Mix one part vinegar (white or apple cider vinegar) with three parts water in a spray container and add a teaspoon of dish soap. After thoroughly mixing the contents, spray on the plants. Alternatively, you can also make a spray solution made of equal parts white vinegar and water to use alongside your trap, particularly if you want to get rid of swathes of gnats flying around in the air or landing on your surfaces, suggests Sholom Rosenbloom, pest control expert and owner of Rosenbloom Pest Control.