Let's talk about insects, shall we? About how much we hate them? And then, let's talk about an organic bug spray recipe.
Some days I can take a sucker punch, and some days I can't. Today was one of the “can't” days. Today was one of the I'm-going-to-loose-my-mind days. So when I went out to find my broccoli nibbled to teeny nubs, I may have lost it a little bit.
Shovels were thrown.
Fences were punched.
Chickens were kicked across the barnyard.
I'm kidding! I would never throw a shovel.
Regardless, I came back into the house – steam coming from my ears – and decided I had one of two choices. I could either a) pray that the Lord would eliminate every single broccoli-nibbling-critter from here to kingdom come OR I could b) try and be an adult and come up with a better solution, like perhaps coming up with an organic bug spray recipe myself.
A quick reference in my gardening manual led me to an organic bug spray recipe. That coupled with a few others I've heard of over the years lead me to the cookstove. Go figure.
Shaye? At the cookstove? Who'd've thunk.
I was ready to really bring my A-Game on these stupid bugs. I don't care if they were hungry. I don't care if they have to have their place in the food chain. I want them GONE! Because I love broccoli.
Organic Bug Spray Recipe
You will need:
– 1 organic onion
– 1 entire head organic garlic
– 1 teaspoon organic cayenne pepper
– 1 quart water
– 1 tablespoon dish soap
– 1 spray bottle
1. Mince or finely chop the onion and garlic. You don't have to peel them if you don't want to. I just threw them both in my food processor and practically liquified them. Chop. Mince. Liquify. Do what you want.
2. Combine the minced onion, garlic, cayenne pepper, and water together in a large saucepan. Turn the heat on low and let it gently simmer, infuse if you will, for 45-60 minutes.
By the way, your house is going to smell horrible. If you've got an outside cookstove I'd recommend doing that. Because seriously. It stinks baaaad.
Bad. I really want to emphasize that. Do NOT cook this pest spray before you have company or they'll wonder what sort of dead carcass you have hidden under your house.
3. Once the mixture has simmered, allow it to cool to room temperature. Lastly, strain it through cheesecloth. Once the majority of the liquid has drained through, use your hands to squeeze out all of the extra liquid from the super-stinky-mixture. It's bug fightin' goodness, baby.
4. Combine the stinky liquid with the dish soap in the spray bottle. Gently shake to combine.
5. Use the organic bug spray recipe ALL OVER your susceptible crops – I used it all over my broccoli, kale, collards, radishes, lettuce, and cabbages. I'll reapply after each watering – about once a week.
It deters the bugs. And if it doesn't deter them, and they eat a bite of my broccoli, I hope it burns their stomach and they never come back for more.
It's been a few days since the first application so it may be a bit too early to tell, but it surely seems that the plants are finally being left alone. I didn't think I'd have to worry about pests this early on in the season but they seem to have my address – showing up for breakfast, lunch, and dinner uninvited.
Isn't it wonderful that such natural ingredients can provide such a powder punch to the ‘ol garden bugs?
I'm thankful.
My broccoli is thankful.
Happy gardening, my friends!
Organic Bug Spray Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 organic onion
- 1 entire head organic garlic
- 1 teaspoon organic cayenne pepper
- 1 quart water
- 1 tablespoon dish soap
- 1 spray bottle
Instructions
- Mince or finely chop the onion and garlic. You don’t have to peel them if you don’t want to. I just threw them both in my food processor and practically liquified them. Chop. Mince. Liquify. Do what you want.
- Combine the minced onion, garlic, cayenne pepper, and water together in a large saucepan. Turn the heat on low and let it gently simmer, infuse if you will, for 45-60 minutes.
- Once the mixture has simmered, allow it to cool to room temperature. Lastly, strain it through cheesecloth. Once the majority of the liquid has drained through, use your hands to squeeze out all of the extra liquid from the super-stinky-mixture.
- Combine the stinky liquid with the dish soap in the spray bottle. Gently shake to combine.
- Use the organic bug spray recipe ALL OVER your susceptible crops – I used it all over my broccoli, kale, collards, radishes, lettuce, and cabbages. I’ll reapply after each watering – about once a week.
My husband and I use a spray bottle with about 40 drops of peppermint essential oil in 12 or so ounces of water to keep the bugs off of our roses. It works like a charm! Might be less stinky for your house (but it might make your broccoli taste like mint?)
I may try this on my lettuce, I do like this idea. Have you had success with out killing your plants?
Yep! No plants have been harmed in this bug battle 😉
Can this be used on all vegetables?
I use it on all of mine!
How long does this mixture last and should it be kept in the fridge or freezer?
Any idea how long your mixture lasted once you bottled it?
We are brand new to growing broccoli in a raised outside bed. How in the world do I figure out what is eating my broccoli? No holes, no eggs or larvae, just leaves eaten all the way off or partially off, with bite marks on edges. What to do? Soon the entire plant will be gone….
Remember not only insects like broccoli. Maybe a pesky rabbit. Seems like this mixture should work.
I will try the peppermint
Where do I get the pepper Manhattan do I boil it I’m trying to use it for inside my house I like the smell of peppermint
Have peppermint oil will try it
What recipe or dilution Equation do you use
Awesome!! I’m gotta make this.
I’m curious. What in the recipe would cause such a stink-bug 😉 aroma? Everything in the recipe smells wonderful: Onion, yep. Garlic, oh yeah! Water, neutral. Soap, probably. The only thing I’m not sure about is the cayenne pepper.
Do you think it’s the combination of all these, or does soap smell really nasty if it boils? I’m not sure what all is in soap, so I’m guessing that’s the culprit.
Wait … did you boil the plastic bottle? 😉
I love all those smells too… but this is strong stuff!
You can also dust with diatomatious earth,or spray with kaolin clay. These two are safe for plants but not pests. Thanks for your spray mix. Sounds effective too.
I was thinking the same thing. I use all of these ingredients when I cook and the smell is like a holiday meal. That is minus the dish washing liquid.
Will this change the flavor of your broccoli or whatever else you spray?
It shouldn’t. I always wash my vegetables before eating too.
Does it work on aphids? Do you have to spray under and on top of the leaves? Every day? Or only after it rains? Sorry for all the questions…
I don’t know about aphids – we don’t have them (yet!). Yes, I spray the top and the bottom, if possible. I reapply after each watering.
I sprayed tomatoes last year with a homemade pest control which had dish soap in it and it killed the plants the next day. I then read somewhere you should spray directly onto the pests then rinse immediately. I would really like a diy pest control but don`t know I`m getting all the right information and will probably stick with neem this year just because I want my garden to thrive and not die very next day after I spend my day keeping the pests away.
I used to work in a florist shop and we used dish soap all the time to kill a variety of pests that made homes in the plants around. It shouldn’t have killed your plants – that’s bizarre! I’m happy to say that no plants of mine have died, other than from the bugs, from using this spray.
I use, and many recipes suggest, dish soap. My tomatoes and peppers look good.
Can you use dawn dish soap in the recipe ?
Yes.
I use dawn , never hurt my plants
These home made sprays work well, however you should spray them early in the day before the sun gets hot and they have time to dry or in the evening after the sun is low in the west. Even water standing on leaves while the sun is intense will act like a magnifying glass and burn the leaves. This may be why your plants were harmed.
I think here in Arizona with the heat the soap in the spray did my garden in. Am usually up at 5 am so will try it again on a few vegetables to check again. Thank you for your comments.
Please stop spreading the wives’ tale about the magnifying glass effect of water. If that was the case no one would be able to swim or wet in the summertime without getting roasted.
I read about a homemade spray using dishsoap and alcohol. I followed the directions perfectly ( 1 quart of soap to 1/2 cup alcohol) and the day I sprayed was even overcast and rainy. Something was infecting my garlic (It turns out to be a potyvirus from aphids spreading the virus they got from weeds). I used it on half of my 5 rows of garlic before I ran out and got tired (We planted a lot of garlic!). it killed the leaves of the 2 1/2 rows I sprayed! Not sure WHAT to do now! I have an onion allergy so I couldn’t make or use a spray like this myself.
I too have a onion allergy! I get odd looks from people when I tell them this, especially when I used to eat fast food. I totally get it! I didn’t like onions before but I so don’t like them after I have eaten one… unknowingly and I swell up like a puffer fish! <3 good luck!
Thank you for the tip. I am a bit scared about putting the dish washing liquid on my plants. It is a chemical too.
Does it work to deter rabbits? They are devouring everything
Ehh, I doubt it! They are resilient little critters. Hugh from River Cottage would recommend shooting them with a pellet gun and utilizing the meat! 😉
My favorite idea yet!!!
Castor oil. Works great on corn too. Just a drop or two on your produce as it grows. Raccoons, deer etc will only taste a few and then leave never to return. It tastes really bad.
I made something like this last year only without the soap and I let it brew in a covered container for a week or two instead of cooking it. I also used tai peppers that I grow instead of ground pepper. It worked great on my apple trees and my snowball bush when it got infected with caterpillars. Now if I could just find something to get rid of squash bugs and cucumber beetles.
Diatomaceous Earth?
At my house we use wood ashes from our wood stove. Wood ash works against SVB and cucumber beetles along with anything else that lays eggs in the ground but you have to use it before you need it. Once they’ve laid their eggs in the soil under your plants, it’s too late. I put the ash in the garden along with the plants when transplanting from greenhouse to garden. I then sprinkle them around susceptible plants (all of them) around the 2nd week of June (Zone 5B) Along with this recipe, which I’ve used for years, I have almost no loss due to pests.
I’m here today because I have something that looks like a left legged beetle that is sucking the life out of my squash/zucchini plants. I also think that something is attacking my cucumbers. Have you found a treatment yet?
Just please be aware that soap pesticides are broad spectrum contact bug killers. They are toxic to bees and lady bugs and other beneficials, as well as the bad guys. Spray them only directly on the bugs you want to kill. Spray during late dusk – after the bees have gone to bed. If standing soapy water droplets are available for bees to stop for a drink – the bees will be killed.
This is one of those organic sprays that are not truly harmless. Use with caution.
Thank you so much for your comment this is what I was worried about most because I do not want to harm the spiders that are very beneficial and the lady bugs and the bees all of them are necessary and they need to have access to our gardens, they help our tomatoes grow in the 1st place come on… So that is what I am trying to figure out. I am growing in containers; I am growing bell peppers and jalapenos and then I am growing tomatoes in Earth boxes and then I have another Earth box that has just French lettuce
I am also worried about Spring stuff on my lettuce as worry about it tasting like it.
Peace
My husband was wondering if it would keep the bees away?
thanks
I haven’t noticed that it does! Bees are still super active on our garden.
I haven’t tried it on trees!
I mix 20 to 30 drops of cedar essential oil to a whole spray bottle of water for the inside of the house to prevent ants. I spray it on all my door and window frames. I would wager it would work on outside plants too. I have not had a single ant since using the cedar essential oil and water spray 4 years ago. Seriously only 1 treatment 4 years ago.
Great to know!
Should you refrigerate the liquid?
I use baby power To get rid of my ants all around the house in cupboards etc etc and it works.
Just wondering if this would work for a household bug spray, to deter cockroaches?
I have no idea! No roaches where we live so I’m not sure what works good as a defense against them.
A good dish soap kills roaches in seconds! You can dilute in water or spray as is, I swear by it
What can I use for termites in the soil? Once I start watering the plants they show up to eat the roots. Do I have to get rid of all the wood chips in my garden? Thanks for your help.
I love onions, garlic & some cayenne…can’t imagine this smelling bad……who knew…I will probably add diatamatious (sp)earth, food grade of course, to this. Snails are really bad in my garden & they don’t like the DE. Thanks for the recipe.
Do you have a spray for unwanted house guests that show up uninvited? And I don’t mean bugs.
I’m not so sure that adding diatomaceous earth to a liquid will do anything to kill anything because I was told where we buy it that it shouldn’t get moist. Its the microscopic shards that cut the exoskeleton of certain pests, and if it gets wet they are no longer sharp. On the other hand… we use DE in water or juice in the morning as a detox to keep our own systems clean and healthy. Thoughts?
I excitedly made this yesterday because I have a striped (something) caterpillar infestation on my cabbage. I live in Lousiana. I sprayed it on my cabbage and also a few squirts on some of my black eyed pea and bean leaves that had holes in them last night and when I went out to the garden this morning every leaf I had sprayed it on was brown and dead!!! I’m freaking out now because my plants were doing so well before!!!
I’ve sprayed it on almost every vegetable I’m growing and I’ve NEVER had it react that way!
I’ve been making my spray with jalapenos and garlic with a little ivory soap. I have my mixture in a gallon container, with instruction to put 1/2 cup mixture and fill quart spray bottle with water. When I was away, friends tending my garden added 1/2 cup water to spray bottle and filled with jalapeno/garlic mixture. Burnt leaves on my garden, thinking they will come back – I hope. Your mixture could have needed watering down? Good luck!
Is it necessary to use an organic onion? will it work with a non-organic onion?
Yes, it will.
Can this be used on all vegetables?
Hi, I came across your site last night and it enticed me to stay up until five in the morning reading through your site. The birds were sure noisy and I loved hearing every tweet. Anyway, here I am again back at your site thinking to buy your cookbook. I clicked a link and it took me to e-junkie,, sounds like something I would not normally sign up for but thought that is where I had to buy your book. Anyway I can’t seem to get to your book there so easily. I now found it on Amazon. but just wondering what the e-junkie thing is for and……… also…. wondering do your have a recipe for all natural plant food feeding…. for flowering plants as well as vegetables? Thank you. I love your site I will be passing it on.
Welcome, Louise! Purchasing the book through Amazon will get you the printed, hard-copy version of the book. EJunkie will get you the digital version that you can download to your computer. Either way, I hope you enjoy!
I have some birds that eat my pimento peppers , cantaloupe and cucumber leaves. Is there any thing i can use to prevent this from happening.
Scarecrow! Or bright, flashy metal objects or streamers.
What dish soap do you use? I wouldn’t want to eat dish soap. Does it work without the dish soap?
what about castile soap? Or Branch Basics makes a fantastic completely safe soap which may work too. Check out their website!
It just works fine even without soap! I had my aromatics eaten by aphids and red little spiders and put 5 chopped garlic cloves in 1 liter water and let stay for 3 days… it worked fine but it really smells like hell 😀
Got aphids on my tomato plants. Gonna try but will start with just oneplant to see how it works.
I would use some of that seventh generation soap that is made naturally, or something alike that has been made with organics.
Baby shampoo worked for me after using dawn and leaves seemed to start turning yellow and falling off.
hi there! Do you dilute the mixture with water? I’ve done a lot of research and you’re recipe seems to have the best reviews. A lot of the other recipes recommend a little dilution..
I dilute it enough to fill a standard squirt bottle.
Do you think castile soap would work in place of the dish soap?
I’m not sure… I haven’t tried it!
I made up a garden pest spray of 10 drops of peppermint pure essential oil, a little Seventh Generation dish soap and filled a 32 oz spray bottle with water. The next morning every leaf I sprayed it on was brown and dead. I also would like to know what caused this. Your thoughts??
Was it sprayed on during the heat of the day in a hot sun?
I made my spray today. around 7:30pm I sprayed it on my collared greens. I hope this works, I’m Fed Up with the Bugs.
I need to get rid of biting flies and mosquitos!!! The cows kick so much during milking that I have to rub them down constantly while the machine is on them. They love it but I have other chores to get done! Wonder if I should try a little of this in a spray bottle?
We use it on our semi-dwarf fruit trees and so far so good. I spray once or twice a month depending on rain.
I love your blog, and your sense of humor. We live outside of a little town on 1 acre. There is a 80 acre cornfield across the street. We have hot summers and cold winters. I am able to buy 6 pullets & feed from a local organic farmer. We just bought a sturdy chicken coop and it is ready for delivery. Our kids are grown. We have an indoor cat and 3 indoor dogs who will definitely be checking the chickens out! My first question is where to place the coop. Should the chicken area get 50% sunshine-50% shade? or what? We will definitely have a fenced in area for them. I’m doing this as a means to help feed our
small family. I am a caregiver at heart; hopefully, I am not biting off more than I can handle. I probably need to go online and buy a book… Taking care of Chickens for DUMMIES. God bless you and yours,
I have used diatomaceous earth and also sift wood ashes over garden plants. This needs to be repeated after a rain or watering, but both are very effective for pesky critters that think they have to sample our hard labor 🙂 You can also rub the diatomaceous earth into the fur on the pets and cows and it will kill fleas and flies. Given to animals in their feed kills internal parasites. I put about a teaspoon on wet food for my cats and it keeps them worm free and I rub it into their fur to kill sand fleas and other critters they pick up outside. It doesn’t harm them at all. Sprinkle it around the barn area where you milk your cow and it will reduce the fly problem considerably. Go online and search it out. It’s great stuff. I also use the food grade DE in my smoothies. It kills parasites that we might have occasionally from various foods, etc. It’s also good for high colesteral, etc. A good website for information on DE is http://www.earthworkshealth.com/. Lots of testimonies and ways to use it. It can be purchased from Azure Standard in Oregon in 50# bags for around $20.
Thank you, Shaye. I needed it TODAY!
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Share, I make my “Buggies Be Gone” bug spray from essential oils and water. Much more simple.
Love your blog. Never stop.
what is the recipe? and will it work with corn?
Thanks! Having an effective organic spray alternative is amazing. Here’s a rundown on how ticks find you https://www.lifenotlabs.com/blogs/news/how-ticks-get-on-humans
Hello! You mentioned “reference your garden manual” is that something you bought or is it a go as you learn journal you started? If it is a pay for book, could you share the link?
Love you blog!
Can I use this if stored in the basement over a winter, or should I start over.
Is this safe to use on livestock?
How long can you store the mixture before having to dump and make more? Or does it last until its all used up?
This is a super late reply compared to the date you posted, I hope you still see it!
is it safe to use on myself?
Will this work for other flowering plants as well ? And do I need to add more water once I put it in the spray bottle ?
Ok so I made this but do I need to add more water once I have it in the spray bottle ? And can I use it on flowering and other plants also ?
Sad to say I tried this, followed it to a T and I sprayed it on both my lettuce and my kale plants and whatever was feasting on them it did not deter them or stop them. I still have big huge chunks out of both plants. Thanks for the idea.
will with work on corn? and will this effect the taste if the corn?
Where do I get the pepper Manhattan do I boil it I’m trying to use it for inside my house I like the smell of peppermint
I’m not 100% sure, but this sounds like a concentrate and should definitely be diluted. And 1 TBS soap is a lot, I’ve never seen any recipe calling for more then 1tsp, I’ve been making homemade insecticides for many years and I would have to say this should be a 1 part insecticide to 1 part water mix with only a ½ to 1tsp of pure dish soap (castile type) with no perfumes or colorants, per 1qt spray bottle. I use a very similar recipe as a 1 to 1 with 1tsp soap in a ½ gallon sprayer and it works perfectly and no damage to my plants ever