Permaculture Design/How to/Effective but non toxic sprays

Water

• pressure knocks insects off.
• with lime added & applied around beets & cabbage, scab,
• clubroot & cabbage is reduced.
• Warm 54deg. C. for soft skinned insects, aphids & caterpillars.

Milk

• control sprays on tomatoes, cucumber & lettuce. Spray at planting time & then every 10 days, 1 part milk to 9 parts water.
• Buttermilk is good for red spider mites. Add1/2 teacup b’milk to 4cups flour & 5gal. water.( an old recipe!)

Soap

• dissolve 2 tsp pure soap e.g. LUX, in 1lt water (you can use old soapy water from washing clothes), or use soft soap not ordinary soap (caustic soda) & dissolve 225gr in 9lt water. For aphids, white butterfly & caterpillars.

Ground rock dust

• mix water, flour & soap & sprayed on leaves. Deters soft bodied insects as sharp.

Crushed clay

• dust on to repel caterpillars.

Vege cooking oils

• paint on or mix with water to spray on for aphids, whitefly & mealy bugs.

Fish emulsion

• repels many insects & fertilises plants.

Other methods

• Wormwood cuttings put them over brassicas to camouflage & repel.
• Give plants susceptible to whitefly, comfrey liquid or use the leaves as a mulch & in your compost. Whitefly occurs when potash levels are low. Wood ash & rock phosphate also helps.
• You will see that you will need nozzles on your sprayer that can cope with the thicker mixes. They need to be used quickly, not stored.These sprays work by various means ~ smothering, deterring & dissolving insects protective shells.

References

Thanks to Tania J. McLean, Waitati & Rodale Press U.S.A.