DIY Organic Pest Control recipes

Good Morning!!!  I had an absolutely amazing weekend at the Yellow Green Farmer's Market.  I had an opportunity to present Edible Gardening information as well and GMO VS. Heirloom Seeds info both Saturday and Sunday.  I'm working on a post that will share all of the info (and include pics).

Below are some of the DIY Organic Pesticide recipes that I shared over the weekend.

#1 Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth!  No preparations necessary!  
DE kills aphids, white flies, beetles, loopers, mites, snails, slugs, leaf hoppers, and harmful pests. Use DE inside your home, greenhouse or outdoors on fruits, vegetables, flowers, grains and grass. Apply *Food Grade* Diatomaceous Earth up to and including day of harvest.
Do Not use the stuff for Pools.  That is TOXIC!
Check out Using Diatomaceous Earth for Non-Toxic, Natural Pest control 

#2 All-Purpose Insect Spray from Organic Gardening

• Chop, grind, or liquefy one garlic bulb and one small onion.
• Add 1 teaspoon of powdered cayenne pepper and mix with 1 quart of water.
• Steep 1 hour, strain through cheesecloth, then add 1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap (I use Organic Dr. Bronner's) to the strained liquid; mix well.
• Spray your plants thoroughly, including leaf undersides.
• Store the mixture for up to 1 week in a labeled, covered container in the refrigerator. 

Dr. Bronner's Unscented Baby-mild Pure Castile Soap (1 X 32 Fl Oz)

#3   Spray to Control Nematodes from Love to Know Organic
Nematodes are tiny parasitic worms that live in your soil. If you've ever grown tomatoes and found that the leaves were beginning to yellow and fall off the plant, then you have a nematode problem. While some nematodes are actually good for your garden, most are not. This mixture can also be used to spray on your plants to control grasshoppers and caterpillars.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons of molasses
• 4 cups of water

Instructions

1. Mix the molasses and water in a spray bottle and shake vigorously. Use warm water to help the molasses dissolve better.
2. Spray the "Molasses Tea" on your soil around your plants every couple of days to keep the nematodes away.

I plant Marigolds all over the garden for organic pest control

 
#4 Companion Planting from Back to the Basics
Companion planting is based around the idea that certain plants can benefit others when planted next to, or close to one another.  Companion planting exists to benefit certain plants by giving them pest control, naturally without the need to use chemicals, and in some cases they can give a higher crop yield .

Generally, companion planting is thought of as a small-scale gardening practice, but it can be applied on larger-scale operations. It has been proven that by having a beneficial crop in a nearby field that attracts certain insects away from a neighbouring field that has the main crop can prove very beneficial. This action is called trap cropping.

Other ways that companion planting can be beneficial is to plant a crop like any Legumes, on an area where it will feed nitrogen into the soil, then it will not be necessary to use any chemical fertilizers for the next crop.

Sharing Here and Wildcrafting Wednesday

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