Re: [CH] Question of Bug Spray
Che Wong (che.wong@vlsi.com)
Thu, 20 May 1999 07:47:07 -0700
I have not tried sprays with ingrediants other than soap, but
I suppose the theory with the additives is a residual effect.
The garlic, chile, etc. puree contains oils that will stay
around the sprayed plant and repel new pests that try to feed.
I suppose it will work, but I do not want to attract my dogs to
the plants because they like people food and garlic, chiles, etc.
are people food to them.
I have heard 2 different theories on how the soap sprays kill
the offending pests. The first theory claims that the soap covers
the insect and smothers the bug. The second theory claims that
the soap strips away the waxy protective film around the aphid, white
fly, etc. and the sun & wind dehydrates the pest. Whatever, the soap
spray works.
If mixing up my own soap mixture, I use about 1-3 teaspoons of dish soap
to a quart of water. If there is too much soap, the tender parts of the
plant will die back or worse, the entire plants dies. If you do use a
lot of soap in the mixture to make sure the bugs are killed, hose the
plant off with clean water a 1/2 hour later. Also, be wary of additives
to the dish soap. In the US, I have used the following brands of dish soap:
Ivory (a bit harsh, use a weaker solution), Joy (makes everything smell
lemony fresh) and Dawn.
During the peak of aphid and white fly season, I buy a commercial
insecticidal soap solution to use in my garden. I look for a mixture
that also contains Pyrethrum. (Pyrethrum is an extract from the Chrysanthrmum
seed that is a natural insecticide; note, natural does not equate to safe
to use indescriminately.) I rely on the Pyrethrum to kill the bugs that do
not get completely covered by the soap. The Pyrethrum breaks down fast, but
my theory is it will stay around long enough to get any late comers to the
party. When buying the commercial sprays, look at the active ingrediants.
There is a wide range of prices for products that have the same ingrediants
at the same concentrations. A lot of the extra money pays for the brand name.
On a side note, Phoenix still has not hit 100 degrees F. yet this year. My
garden is loving the weather. Tomatoes and chiles are still setting on. On
the down side, the winds are drying everything out faster than normal. My water
bill is higher than normal.
Tim wrote:
>
> After reading a little while back, and more recently
> the topic of making home made pest sprays has come
> up. With these being made from chilli, garlic and
> dish soap
>
> My question is this does the above spray mix
> actually kill these pests, or does it just annoy them
> so much that they go and reside unwontedly on
> someone else's valued plants??
>
> What's the general census on pyrethrum based sprays
> for these pests??
--
Che Wong
che.wong@vlsi.com
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