Organic Solutions Recipes

IMPORTANT NOTE - Please take care with spraying and storing these preparations, especially with regard to children and pets. The strength of ingredients varies noticeably particularly in regard to garlic. These home remedies are designed to have a minimal impact on the environment, but no solution that is intended to kill should be regarded as safe.  When storing solutions keep out of reach of children and clearly label.

Ants and Cockroach Spray

1 crushed clove of garlic, 1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper, 1 litre of water. Steep for 1 hour and then add: 1 tablespoon of liquid soap. Then take the mixture and spray it around the house.

Bordeaux mixture

This is a standard organic fungicide used to treat a wide range of rots, mildews, and blights. Mix 90g of copper sulphate (bluestone) with 4.5 litres of hot water in a non metallic container and leave overnight. Next day mix 125g slaked lime with 4.5 litres of cold water in a non metallic container. Combine both mixtures by stirring vigorously. Use immediately. Oil like Codacide can be added to increase its effectiveness. Bordeaux spray may clog nozzles. Also, if over-used, it may lead to a build up of copper in the soil and associated toxicity.

Borax Mixture

Mix 3 cups of water, 1 cup of sugar and 4 teaspoons of borax and place where ants are a problem.

Borax mixture 2

Mix equal parts of Borax and Sugar and place in old lids, place where cockroaches are a problem.

Bicarbonate spray

4 teaspoons of bicarbonate soda, 50 mls of white oil and 4 litres of water mix well. Spray foliage

Chamomile Spray

Cover a handful of flowers with boiling water, or use a teabag according to instructions on the packet. Spray when cool.

Chilli Spray

Blend together ½ cup chillies with 2 cups of water. Add a dash or dishwashing liquid or vegetable oil, strain and then spray

Chive tea

Cover a good handful of chives with boiling water and let stand till cool, Strain and spray. Useful against downy mildew on cucumbers, pumpkins and zucchini.

Chive Spray

A spray can be made out of the tea and can be used for apple scab or powdery mildew. Cover chopped chives with boiling water: just enough to cover them. Infuse for 15 minutes and use undiluted

Derris spray

Mix 60m1 Derris dust with 40ml Codacide oil and add 20 litres water. Use with great care as this is also toxic to a wide range of non-target insects, and other species including humans.

Elder spray; Boil 500gm of elder leaves in 1 litre of water. Let stand till cool, strain and store. Use undiluted.

Elder Spray

This works for mildews, black spot and a range of fungi. It is also poisonous. Boil 500g elder leaves in a litre of water for an hour with lid on the pan. Top up with water as necessary. Strain and spray. This can be kept in a sealed bottle in a dark place for up to three months

Garlic spray;

Soak 125g of minced garlic in 40ml of mineral oil or alcohol. Leave to soak for two days to extract the garlic oil. Then add 500ml of water and 10g of grated Sunlight or similar pure soap and mix well. Strain and store in plastic or glass. To use, dilute one part garlic mix to 50 of water. Repeat spraying after rain.

Horsetail Spray
this is a mildly preventive for mildew. Spray fortnightly. Boil 20g of horsetail leaves with one litre of water for half an hour. Strain and spray. Use at the rate of 1 litre to cover an area of 10 meters by 10 meters for the first spray, then dilute with 50 percent more water for subsequent sprays.

Horsetail Spray 2

Use 40 grams of the fresh herb, or half of the dried herb, 4 litres of water and boil for 20 minutes. Add a little pure soap as a spreader, cool and strain. You can add 1¹/₂ cup of pyrethrum daisy for Insect Pests.
Equisetum's rich content of silica, calcium and cobalt and other minerals can make an effective fungicide for black spot, mildew, dampening off diseases, wilt, scale, anthracnose and other fungal diseases, on garden plants. Use the Equisetum tea fortnightly to aid the health of trees, ornamentals, vegetables and herbs. The spray is not a cure but, a preventative.

Horseradish Spray

Chop horseradish leaves, cover with boiling water, leave till cool and spray undiluted for any fungal problems.

Lantana/wormwood spray: Boil 500g of lantana leaves in 1 litre of water- for 20 minutes. Cool and strain. Spray liberally on affected plants. Most effective against aphids. A stronger spray can he made by substituting wormwood for lantana.

Milk mix: Mix equal quantities of water and milk and spray as mildew preventative. A spray of one part milk to nine of water sprayed every 10 days is used to treat mosaic disease on tomatoes, cucumber and lettuce.

Mustard Seed Powder

Grind mustard seeds to a fine powder. Dust over plants affected by powdery mildew. 

Nettle Spray
The Spray can be used against powdery mildew. It is also effective against aphids. Take a container of nettles, cover with water and leave for three weeks or till the water is mid-brown. Spray undiluted

Pyrethrum spray:

Dry pyrethrum flowers (Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium) as soon after harvest as possible to retain active ingredients. Soak flowers for 24 hours in enough alcohol (brandy or sherry) to cover. Filter and store can be stored up to 6 months. Dilute 10 times before use.

Remember pyrethrum is toxic to most insects on contact, including beneficial ones (e.g. bees) so use with great care. (Also toxic to humans and other mammals. Although less so than to insects.)

Pyrethrum Spray

Pyrethrum spray or dust may be made from pulverized pyrethrum (Tanacetum cinerarifolium) flowers or from feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) flowers, often incorrectly called pyrethrum. They have a similar effect, but the true pyrethrum is more effective. 1 tablespoon pyrethrum powder or 2 tablespoons flowers or 4 tablespoons feverfew flowers. Cover flowers with alcohol (like brandy or sherry) or mineral oil overnight, and then cover with 1 litre of hot water for an hour. Soapy water is best but not necessary. It helps the spray stick on the plant. Strain and use. Never boil pyrethrum, the fumes are toxic.

Rhubarb Spray

Simmer 500g chopped leaves in one litre of water for 20-30 minutes in a glass or enamel container, then cool and strain. Dilute at 1:100 with water and spray. Take care as rhubarb spray will kill predators and beneficial like bees. It has a minimum withholding period of two days on fruit and vegetables.

Rhubarb Spray

Rhubarb leaves are poisonous. It is also harmless to bees and breaks down quickly. Boil 1kg rhubarb leaves in 3 litres of water for half an hour. Add enough soap to colour and dilute with equal proportions of water before spraying. Keep out of the reach of children and label Poison.

Repel flies

Grow pots of fennel, mint, tansy, wormwood, rue, basil or any of the Pyrethrum family and place near doors, windows or inside, for the summer, to repel flies and other insect pests.

Repel Spiders

Mix 200mls of water, 10mls of alcohol (Gin or Vodka), 5 drops of Eucalyptus oil and 5 drops of Lavender oil, shake well and spray the area you want to keep spiders away from

Rue

Grow Rue around the house to repel flies, stable flies and mosquitoes. This is an excellent insect repellent.

Seaweed Spray

Wash salt from seaweed, cover with water for three weeks. Strain off as much water as you need, dilute till it is the colour of weak tea and spray. This will strengthen a plant's resistance to a range of infections. It is also a mild fungicide and repeated use should cut down brown rot, curly leaf and other such problems. It can be used at any time of the year, but spray at night in hot weather.

Soap Spray

Grate 10gms of Sunlight soap into 1 litre of warm water, stir until dissolved, pour into spray bottle and use.

Sugar Spray

Dissolve 2 kg sugar in a bucket of water. Drench the soil to kill nematodes. Molasses can also be used but don't use honey as it may transmit disease to bees.

Tansy Spray

Tansy inhibits feeding. Cover 1 cup chopped tansy with 2 cups hot water. Cool, strain, spray. Good fly and insect repellent.

Wormwood Spray

Wormwood kills and repels fleas and other pests like flies, months and mosquitoes. Cover leaves with boiling water and leave for three hours. Dilute with four parts water.

Vegemite Traps

¼ teaspoon of Vegemite, 1 cup of water mix together and pour into plastic drink bottles. Make a few holes in the bottle and hang with wire in trees. You need to hang lots of traps to maximize the impact.

White Oil

480 mls of vegetable oil, 120 mls of Sunlight dish washing liquid, mix together, place in a glass jar and mark as White Oil, also write dilution rate: 20mls per litre. Store in cool, dry area. This mix should last 3 months. Don’t spray when temp is 30 degrees Celsius or higher. Spray late in day or early in morning.

Molasses Spray

Some gardeners have found Molasses useful in repelling certain leaf chewers such as caterpillars. In this case, dilute 2 tablespoons of molasses in a litre of warm water and spray it on the foliage regularly.