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How to Make Organic Pest Control for Vegetables

Overview

Don't let bugs ruin your backyard garden's harvest. Numerous chemical-based insecticide sprays areon the market to kill and deter pests from attacking your vegetables, but these products may havetoxic side effects. Mix your own organic pest control spray to defend your crop in a safe and effectivemanner. The total preparation time is less than 30 minutes and the spray immediately begins to deter and control pests on your zucchini, tomatoes and other vegetables.

Things You'll Need:

Organic garlic Water

Stove Pot Spray bottle Organic liquid dish soap

Step 1

Add 2 quarts of water to a pot. Place the pot on a stove-top burner and bring the water to a boil.

Step 2

Peel one to two heads of organic garlic while you're waiting for the water to boil. Drop them into thewater once it's boiling. Allow the garlic to boil for five minutes. Remove the pot from the burner andlet the liquid cool to room temperature.

Step 3

Remove the garlic from the water. Discard the garlic. Pour the garlic-infused water into a spray bottle.Add 2 tablespoons of organic liquid dish soap. Close the spray bottle and shake it to thoroughly mixthe contents.

Step 4

Spray the solution onto your garden vegetables. The garlic scent deters pests such as rabbits and deer,while the soap suffocates insect pests and kills them. The soapy residue also discourages new insect

pests from feeding on your vegetables.

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Pepper Spray for Insects in the Garden

Overview

Pepper sprays used to repel and kill insects contain the active ingredient capsaicin, the chemical nameof which is 8-methyl-n-vanillyl-6-nonenamide. It appears to disrupt the nervous system and damagecell membranes of insects and mites. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists it as a

biochemical pesticide. The EPA first registered it as an insecticide in 1962; it is also registered as amiticide.

Insecticide UsePepper sprayed on plant foliage deters feeding by lace bugs, spider mites and other insects. Liquiddishwashing liquid is often added to help the spray cling to leaves. Hot pepper spray is considered anappropriate insecticide for use by organic gardeners.

Keywords : hot pepper insecticide, hot pepper pesticide, hot pepper miticide

Commercial SpraysSeveral dozen pepper sprays marketed in the United States are used to repel insects; others are used torepel deer, rabbits and other animals. They come in granular formulations, liquids and aerosols.

Pepper Capsaicin Content

Capsaicin is a phenylpropanoid compound, a substance some plants manufacture to keep them from being consumed by plant-eating animals. Capsaicin used in pepper sprays is obtained from plants inthe genus Capsicum that are important to the cuisine of Mexico, Thailand, South Korea and other countries. The strength of a home recipe for pepper spray depends on the amount of capsiacin the

peppers contain. The capsaicin content of peppers is measured in Scoville units. Of the pepperscommonly available in North America, Anaheim peppers contain 500 to 2,500 Scoville units; jalapeno

peppers contain 2,500 to 8,000; serrano peppers have 10,000 to 23,0000; cayenne peppers have30,000 to 50,000, and habaneros range from 100,000 to 359,000.

Pepper Spray Recipes

The Sierra Club recommends dropping three to four chopped hot peppers or 2 to 4 tsp. of Tabascosauce or hot pepper powder into boiling water. Remove the water, let it steep for 24 hours, and thenadd 1 qt. of cold water and two drops of biodegradable dish washing liquid. An agronomist from theUniversity of Florida suggests a simpler spray recipe: Mix 2 tbsp. of hot pepper sauce and six drops of dish washing liquid to 1 gallon of water. A spray recipe from India, said to repel ants and other insects, is to boil 2/3 cup of chopped hot peppers in 3 cups of water and then strain the mixture.

CautionIf dried hot pepper powder is used to make pepper spray, care should be taken not to inhale it. If capsaicin is inhaled, it can cause the lungs to swell. Capsaicin can irritate eyes and the mucousmembranes of the mouth.