Homemade pest and disease control

by Daryl
(Derby, KS)

I would like more information on homemade tonics for lawn weed control, pest control, fungus control, and fertilizer that really work.

Thanks for your advise
Daryl

From Farmer Dave

Greetings Daryl
I must apologize for the delay in getting back to you, I have a new grand daughter born last week and have been taking a break from my web site and even gardens.

Your question is very broad so I will give you a broad idea of how I work to prevent pests and diseases.
If this does not answer your question and you have a particular bug or problem let me know and I will try to help you with that too.

Pest and disease control can usually be accomplished before it becomes a problem by feeding your soil and rotating your crops. By doing this we have had very few pests or diseases. The best way to fight pests and diseases is to feed your plants well so they will be strong and resist the diseases and pests on their own.

Here are a few home remedies that work well as it seems like that is what you are after. We rarely have to resort to these as we take good care of our garden soil so I also encourage you to read the rest of the article and you probably won’t have any problems.

Home made or purchased organic plant sprays are good to use if prevention and hand picking has not gotten rid of your pest problems. You can make your own or look for organic pesticide sprays on the market.
I strongly suggest against any chemical sprays as they will poison your food and garden.

Most homemade sprays use liquid soap or oil to stick noxious ingredients like cayenne, or garlic to the leaves which will deter most plant predators. Here is one simple recipe that can be used to deter and kill most aphids, caterpillars, grubs and ants. It also helps with scab and scale found on fruit tree leaves. The oil and soap help the mixture stick to the leaves and have a suffocating effect as well as helping the garlic and hot peppers to stay in place and repel insects.You must reapply after overhead watering.

Be observant and careful not to spray if you already have beneficial insects such as lady bugs or lacewings that may be able to take care of your problem for you.
Try this simple recipe.

•4 cayenne peppers or 1-2 tablespoon of cayenne powder)
• 3 garlic bulbs
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon of biodegradable soap (DR. Bronners works great)
• 6 cups water.
Put the garlic through a garlic press and smash the hot peppers then soak overnight in the water, add vegetable oil and soap, strain through cheese cloth or a coffee filter. If you have a blender you can blend the ingredients and then strain them and use immediately.

Use a simple hand or pack sprayer. When you are using sprays, make sure to have a mist setting and to spray the underside and top of foliage, spray your plants in the evening or in the early morning before the sun comes out as this is when the leaves will absorb the spray the best.

Fungi and Mildew
Baking soda is used to combat fungi that attacks plants, such as powdery mildew.

Combine 2 tablespoons of baking soda, 1 gallon of water, and 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon of biodegradable soap. Mix thoroughly and place in a spay bottle. Spray on contact.

Scale is a tenacious pest that attached our indoor lemon trees. Scale are tiny parasitic insects that adhere to plants and live off the plant’s sap. They look like bumps and are often mistaken for a disease.
How to rid your plants of scale Outdoor Plants:
Treat with dormant oil in late spring, just before the leaves unfurl. Scale can overwinter as nymphs or eggs tucked away in tree bark.

If you catch the problem early, pruning infected branches is often the easiest and surest solution.

Scale are preyed on by beneficial insects like oldier beetles, lady beetles and parasitic wasps.

Indoor Plants: Remove scale by rubbing gently with a facial quality sponge dipped in rubbing alcohol. The alcohol alone should kill the scale, but the dead insects will remain on your plants and make it difficult for you to scout for new infestations. The small facial sponges, found in the cosmetic aisle, are abrasive, yet soft enough to use without scraping the plant stems.

Here’s a couple techniques and products to help control weeds:

Corn Gluten Meal for lawns
For weed seeds, such as dandelions, spread corn gluten meal over your lawn to prevent seeds from germinating. Corn gluten meal is a natural byproduct of corn starch, and is used in animal feed, taco shells and chips, and pet foods. As a bonus, it is a great source of nitrogen fertilizer. It does not harm existing plants, only seeds, so spread liberally in your flower gardens, but not in your lawn if you are reseeding. Apply in early spring, and then reseed your lawn six weeks later when the corn gluten meal has broken down.

Tests show corn gluten meal reduces crabgrass by 86% the first year and 98% the second year, using proper applications in the spring and fall. In a 4 year test, dandelion infestation on a test plot was reduced by 100%. (University of Wisconsin)

Rotate your crops so diseases don’t get a foot hold and make sure that your plants get the nutrients they need. Create habitat and in some cases introduce beneficial insects or other forms of biological pest control.

Organic insecticides are a last choice but a good one if you really have some stubborn problems. Some organic poisons are very strong and although better than chemical sprays are still very intense and should be used sensitively and only in extreme need. Other organic pesticides or fungicides can be used safely anytime. In many cases you can easily and cheaply make your own organic insecticides.

Most of the time removal of diseased plants and in some cases hand picking of bugs has been sufficient to control our pest problems. In our orchards we have had some problems with fungi and blights and have done some spraying with dormant oil spray in the spring which was successful.

Organic gardeners learn how to attract beneficial insects, bats or bugs to their yard to help control undesirables (or they may purchase Lady Beetles, Lacewings or others). They learn to differentiate between good bugs and bad.

Prevention and a healthy garden is the best cure for pests and diseases.
• Build up your garden soil
• Use Maxi Crop or another seaweed extract to give your plants the minerals they need for their health. Minerals to plants are like vitamins to humans.
• Take out weak or diseased plants
• Keep gardens clean of insect habitat
• Rotate crops
• Provide habitat for beneficial insects
• Observe and take care of problems in early stages

Hand Picking is a good technique if your plants are not to heavily infested
• Pick off any insects that are harming your plants
• Pull out plants or take off infested leaves

For larger pests like deer, bears, raccoons and foxes I suggest good fences,. We have a good 6 foot woven wire fence around our whole garden area (8 acres) and in some cases like early sweet corn which can get ravished by raccoons we use an electric fence around the corn patch. We also trap ground squirrels and foxes when they become over populated and a problem.