Re: Home-Made Sprays

Gemcopley@cs.com wrote:
> 
> I have just been going through some notes made about Dec 9th last year where
> Moira says she [if I recall correctly] only ( more or less) uses cooking oil
> and baking soda as pest controls in the garden I would be really interested
> to know more, if she has the time and patience. TIA ,
> Jennifer in [this year] the overly dry and hot French Med. We really need
> some rain.

Hi Jennifer

The recipes you want are as follows:- 

Fungicide 
1 Litre water
1 Teaspoon (5 ml) Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)
1 Teaspoon any cooking oil.
2 or 3 drops of dishwashing detergent or soft soap solution to disperse
the oil and improve the sticking power. 
Spray immediately without dilution.

A sure cure for powdery mildew on just about any plant and some people
swear by it also for various leaf spots such as black spot on roses.

For the mildew it works even if the leaf is quite heavily infected, but
is most effective in severe cases if one first hoses the foliage well to
remove the thick cover of loose spores. Spray both sides of the leaf to
run off and repeat after a week or after rain (not a problem for you at
present, though !!)

For other fungal problems I am not sure, but I suspect it would only
work as a protective spray or in the very early stages of infection.

Home Spraying Oil

Stock solution
1 Tablespoon (15mls) washing up detergent
150 mls cooking oil

(These are basic quantities and can be increased as necessary)
Put in a screw-top jar and shake well before use.

To spray, dilute at the rate of 1-2 teaspoon (5-10 mls) per 150mls water
and spray both sides of leaf to runoff.

This can be used against insects or mites on growing plant tissues
instead of a light (summer)mineral oil. (Like the mineral oil it works
by suffocating the pests)

However, a few types of foliage can be damaeged by it, so try the
greater dilution first, and always try a few leaves only on any new
subject before spraying the whole plant.

The great advantage of these sprays as I see it is that the will do you
no harm and you can actually prepare them  in the kitchen and just using
your ordinary food-preparing utensils. Nothing could be much safer than
that!!

Moira

 
Tony & Moira Ryan <theryans@xtra.co.nz>
Wainuiomata, New Zealand. (on the "Ring of Fire" in the SW Pacific).
Lat. 41:16S Long. 174:58E. Climate: Mediterranean/Temperate
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