Organic Repellent Spray for Plants in an Organic Garden

As the old saying goes, prevention is better than cure. Organic gardening aims to work with natural processes and materials, to create an ecosystem that mirrors nature. This can mean more work and planning is required, as organic gardeners can’t rely on quick solutions through chemicals to problems that occur. Instead, they need to be proactive rather than reactive to pests and plagues, preventing them before they arrive.

Commercial pesticides may eradicate pests populations, but their harmful chemicals get into the soil, the plants that we growing to eat and maybe even into our waterways. North American homes use around 136 million pounds of pesticides on lawns and gardens per year. Commercial pesticides are not just bad for plants and the soil. They also attack the beneficial insects that we want to encourage in the garden.

Prevention of Pests with Organic Repellent Spray

Repellent sprays are used on healthy plants, to repel the pests before the pests have colonised and multiplied on the plant. The repellent doesn’t actually kill the pest, but merely discourages them from choosing that particular plant as a food source.

This repellent recipe uses onions, garlic and other aromatic plants. The repellent’s effectiveness is short lived and so repeat sprays will be necessary, especially after rain.

1. Place a bulb of garlic, an onion and a handful of mint in food processor
2. A handful of other aromatic plants such as sage or African or French marigolds can be added too.
3. Add sufficient water to allow it to mix and blend the plants until the mixture is finely chopped.
4. Once it is well blended, add an equal amount of water to the plants.
5. Pour into a closed container, preferably glass and allow the mixture to seep for 24 hours at room temperature.
6. Drain the mixture through a stocking (it doesn’t have to be a new one) to filter out the plant material. Squeeze it to get all the liquid from the plants.
7. Add a few drops of organic detergent to the liquid and mix well. The detergent will improve the wetness and stickiness of the repellent spray, making it more effective.
8. Pour the into a spray bottle and use it frequently on plants to repel pests.

More Pest Control Ideas for an Organic Garden

Pests and plagues are most likely to attack plants with weaker defenses, so building up plants natural defense system through good soil and compost is a great way to protect plants from attack. Using seaweed in compost or even as a direct seaweed spray is one way to add a nutrient boost to plants.

While repelling undesirables is a good idea, its equally important that desirable insects are encouraged into the garden. This can be done by planting a range of nectar producing flowers. Most parasites feed on nectar and they won’t come into a garden unless it provides them with a food source. Even some types of weeds provide nectar and shelter for beneficials. Beneficial insects such as ladybirds are so valued by organic gardeners that they are now being commercially reared and sold.

Finally, gaining more knowledge about the pests and plagues is one of the best ways to proactively fight them. Learning to identify the pests on sight, learning about their life cycles, their diet and their natural predators will allow the organic gardener to be more prepared to prevent an attack, or diagnose one quickly. This might mean reading books or websites on organic pest control. Talking to other keen gardeners in the area is a great way to get local information about pests in the area, what time of year they are likely to attack a plant and what action can be taken to discourage them.