SIMPLE HOME-MADE ORGANIC PESTICIDES

By James Kamau

Using these recipes, almost all types of common garden pests can be taken care of. Liquid dishwashing soap (organically prepared) in most recipes can help the pesticide to stick to the plant and the soil around it.

POWDERY MILDEW CONTROL

Mildew is rampant when it is cold. Therefore, farmers should ensure that they spray the solutions weekly. 

• Milk spray

Mixing one litreof milk with one litre of water and spraying the plant and the soil around it controls mildew.

• Baking soda spray

Bicarbonate of soda prevents bacteria spores from forming. Mix one tablespoon of baking soda with one tablespoon of vegetable oil and add one tablespoon of liquid dishwashing soap.

Mix with one gallon or three-and-a-half litres of water and spray.

• Liquid dishwashing soap spray

It is recommended to use liquid soap The spray melts the outer shell of most insects. It works against some pests, including aphids, scales, mites, and thrips.

Mix liquid dishwashing soap with water in a mild solution and then spray on the crops.

• Neem spray

Neem leaf juice and neem oil spray are toxic to over 100 species of insects and contains components present in over 50 different pesticides. It is one of the most powerful pesticides in the world.

Mix 150ml oforganic neem oil with ½-tablespoon organic liquid soap and ½ litre of warm water, then stir slowly and spray the mixture. Scale up the mixture to the size of the garden.

• Tobacco spray

Tobacco is toxic to pests such as caterpillars and aphids. It also kills some bacteria in the soil. Use natural organic tobacco.

NB: Tobacco pesticide should never be used on plants of the solanaceous family, such as tomatoes, capsicums, and eggplants.

Mix tobacco in water and let it sit for at least 24 hours until the liquid turns brown. Put in a sprayer and apply on the plants.

• Tomato and nightshade leaf spray

Nightshade and tomato leaf spray contain compounds that are fatal to most insects that invade gardens.

Mash the leaves using a pestle and mortar a or blend them in a blender and soak in warm water, then strain and spray on the crops.

You can mix it with a very small amount of liquid dishwashing soap for longer lasting effects.

• Hot pepper and chilli spray

The active ingredient present in all varieties of hot pepper that gives them their ‘heat’ is capcisin. It is fatal to some pests like mites and white flies, and other species of flies and ants.

Mix blended hot pepper with water and little liquid soap.

Do not spray on a sunny day. The best time for spraying is in the evenings and during cold weather. The spray can cause the crops to be scorched in the hot sun.

• Garlic oil spray

Garlic oil repels pests such as white flies, aphids, and beetles.

Onion and garlic, garlic mint and pepper sprays all work in the same way.

Soak minced garlic in organic vegetable oil or olive oil overnight. You could also mince garlic with onion or garlic with mint and pepper in a blender or mash them. Add liquid dish- washing soap and mix with water.

Spray in the evening, and never on a sunny day.

DUST MITE AND FLEA REPELLANT

Cloves, eucalyptus and rosemary

Mix cloves and eucalyptus or rosemary and soak overnight, then mix with a little water and spray.

Chopped-up banana peels

Burying chopped-up banana leaves under the soil repels aphids and adds potassium to the soil.

Coffee grounds

Coffee grounds repel most pests. They are used to control ants.

Pyrethrum spray: 

Pyrethrum is a broad-spectrum insecticide used to control bugs, caterpillars, beetles, aphids, flies, mites, whiteflies, thrips and leafhoppers
Mix 20g pyrethrum powder with 10litres water. Soap can be added to make the substance more effective but it is not vital. Strain and apply immediately as a spray. For best effects apply in the evening.

Sodom apple and African Marigold

To manage aphids and other common pests on vegetables, chop Sodom Apple fruits and African Marigold leaves and soak them in water for two weeks. Add some liquid soap to the mixture. Extract the liquid and use it on your crops.

Farmer’s experience

Andrew Ngure is a 37-year-old farmer from Gilgil grows Sukuma wiki, potatoes, beans, asparagus, and maize on his 3-acre piece of land.

Over time, however, he realised that despite putting in a lot of effort his yields kept dwindling.

“My yields kept dwindling every season until I discovered what I was doing wrong,” says Mr Andrew Ngure, a TOF ambassador in Gilgil.

After meeting Francis Maina of Biovision Africa Trust and discussing his farm with him, Ngure realised that his challenges sprung from resistant pests, especially aphids that attacked his crops and were expensive to control. His soil too, degenerated and become infertile due to over-reliance on synthetic fertilisers.

He would constantly purchase farm inputs and pesticides, but had little to show in terms of increased harvests.

The problem was so intense that his harvest could barely last upto the next season.

“Being a farmer, it always feels odd when I run out of produce and end up having to purchase supplies such as maize, vegetables and potatoes,” he adds.

Mr Maina introduced him to organic farming and trained him to prepare a extract from Sodom apple and African Marigold, to repel aphids and other pests that were  frustrating him.

“I use the extract on my vegetables. They are healthy and taste better,” says the father of three, expressing great relief that he no longer has to purchase pesticides nor worry about chemicals on his farm .

 “I chop the Sodom apple fruits and African Marigold leaves and soak them in water for two weeks. I then add a bit of soap to aid in stickiness. I sieve the mixture and fill it in a spray bottle and spray on my crops,” he explains.

This solution has kept pests away and Ngure says that he now enjoys satisfactorily harvests every season.

He points to some potatoes in a bucket and explains that he can now feed his family from his farm yields and remain with some surplus for sale.

“My organically grown potatoes are physically attractive and do not ooze the white fluid from the pores, even after being stored for a long time,” he explains.

Ngure uses farmyard manure, and mulching on his soil which increases fertility and moisture retention.

He has also learnt the importance of crop rotation and uses this practise to keep the soil fertile while managing the pests.