Natural Pest Control Solutions

There is a lighter horticulture oil on the market that is more useful on leaf bearing plants. Make sure the viscocity is 70 or less for this job. Follow directions. Most of these are used in a 2-3% solution.

Add a little alcohol to the oil to increase it's effectiveness. The alcohol kills the insects and the oil smothers the unseen young and eggs.

According to the Garden Answer column at http://www.organicgardening.com, Mike McGrath tells us about problems with soaps and oils. Please check out his article this month. If you missed it, let me recap a few items. Mike says,

1. "Don't use oils and soaps in direct sunlight. Use early morning or at night." 2. "It only takes an hour or so for the soaps mixes to kill the pests so wash the solution off after an hour." 3. "Plain water is one of the best pesticides especially with aphids. A sharp spray will kill most pests. Don't miss undersides of leaves!" 4. "Soaps and oils can harm some plants. Read labels! Test plants first."

UPDATE: Studies have shown that tobacco juice is an extremely good pest control substance. Make tobacco tea by steeping a half pack of tobacco overnight in 1 gallon of water. Use 1 cup of this new juice per 1 gallon of water sprayed or 1/4 cup per quart. Also, for better control add 1 cup of any hot sauce to the same gallon of water or 1/4 cup per quart. If you have a fungus problem add 1 cup of milk to same gallon of water or 1/4 per quart.

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