Organic Recipes Kill Weeds, Fungus and More
‘Tis the season! Wild morning glory will be rampant this year after last year’s wet winter, and our current long mild spring. Lawn fungus will spread rapidly. Catch it early before it can set in.
Over the years I have given out several of my most effective Organic Recipes for controlling pests and diseases in the garden. Since doing the podcasts, I have discovered or fine-tuned even more Organic Recipes. These recipes are great because they actually improve our gardening environment by improving soil conditions, eliminate or control damaging pests and weeds without doing harm to our environment. These recipes also give us a better awareness of how we interact with our environment. We watch, see and understand the results of what we are doing.
You don’t need too many recipes since gardening is really a very simple process and so are controlling pests and weeds. Often we become overwhelmed because weather changes create different challenges every single year. But as my grandmother used to say, “Every year you get to start over.”
So this year, with the new, extra challenges we are seeing in climates that used to be very dry and very cold and are now warmer and wet, I thought I’d share a few of these recipes that are tried and true. And, I’d really love it if you’d share with me some of the Organic Recipes you’ve come across by using the comments box at the bottom of this post. Then I can gather them all and share with all the viewers of this blog.
That’s what’s so great about gardening. We get to share our plants, our tips and most of all our love of all things in nature!
HORTICULTURE VINEGAR SPRAY FOR WEEDS
The myth is that White cleaning household vinegar will kill your weeds, but household vinegar is only 5% acidic, whereas Horticultural Vinegar is 20-30% acid. Don’t forget you don’t always have to use a sprayer. I have an old paint brush that I use to paint the vinegar on weeds like crabgrass that are tight among my other plants. Here’s the link to Amazon to purchase.
SOAP SPRAY
2 qts. water
2 tsp. dishwashing liquid
2 tsp. baking soda
couple drops peppermint essential oil*
OR garlic oil*
*Use good quality essential oil from an herbal store
This is a great all-around spray for eliminating/controlling spider mites, aphids, ants and powdery mildew. And you can easily increase it for use in a hose-end sprayer for large areas like a greenhouse (or my half-acre garden). Adding the peppermint essential oil came from Michelle LaFriniere, podcast guest. Podcast link
Buckingham Palace Gardens uses the garlic oil for their rose gardens. Maybe this is more affective for aphids on roses—Check my blog here
Equisetum Tea (horsetail) Fungicide
Gather wild horsetail–we have lots of it and simply steep it in a gallon or so of water for
several days. Then use as either a soil drench or in your sprayer.
This tip came from new podcast guest, Beth Van Sandt. Podcast link
Slugs & Earwig Control
Fill small cat food cans with 3/4 water and 1/4 cooking oil. Place on soil near the base of various plants throughout your garden. The water/oil attracts them, they crawl in and drown. Dump and refill cans periodically.
Remember to please share your Organic Recipes with me on the comment form below so I can share with all our other gardening friends.
In sync with nature,
Tova Roseman
Earth Diva
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