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Garlic - Pepper Spray ....

 
                
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I'm hoping that I can go completely organic to fight the bugs ....

I've tried Sevin-5 and others, and I think those chemicals have made me sick! Also, I like to be able to go out and pick anything I want from my garden anytime I want.

Sometimes I like to pick stuff, like fresh Peas, Curly Mustard Greens (spicy hot!!!), Radishes, Beans, and eat without even washing.

Has anyone tried using Garlic-Pepper (hot pepper) spray! I've been having a terrible infestation of bugs (green, white, black, red, brown), mostly on the underside of my greens (Mustard, Turnip, Beet, Collards, Swiss Chard, Chinese Cabbage, Kale).

Also, something is eating my Cantaloupe and Cucumber seedlings, killing most of the new plants before they get a chance to mature. I almost lost all of my Potatoes, until I sprinkled Sevin-5, which seemed to have saved my Potatoes. Fortunately I won't be eating the Potatoes for another several months, but now that deadly poison has soaked into the ground ... !!!

Just how effective is Garlic-Pepper spray?

Does it matter much if you add something, like Mineral Oil, or Dish Soap? I just made up another batch of Garlic-Pepper spray and soaked it in two teaspoons of Mineral Oil, then let it steep over night. Strained it today and put in two containers, which are in the fridge.

I've tried just plain Dish Soap mixed with water (nothing else), and that didn't seem to be much good.

I'm wondering how often I can use the Garlic-Pepper mixture to spray on my plants ....

I've also prepared a mixture of Tomato leaves (nothing else), but haven't applied it yet. I've checked my Corn really good, and there doesn't seem to be any problems with my Corn ....

Is the Tomato spray good for any/all plants ...

Should I add some Mineral Oil or Dish Soap to the Tomato leaves mixture?
 
                            
Posts: 43
Location: Pennsylvania, Zone 5B
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Certain organic sprays work better on some bugs than others. The way to get the best advice would be to identify the bugs. Maybe you can post pictures?

Others will explain later on how the final solution to this problem is polyculture but for now at least try to target your specific pests instead of unleashing multitudes of sprays across the entire garden. You'll kill more good bugs than bad ones that way.
 
steward
Posts: 3999
Location: Wellington, New Zealand. Temperate, coastal, sandy, windy,
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I'll completely sidestep the 'how to kill bugs' thing and mention that I put a fair amount of time and effort into my soil.
Healthy soil=healthy, strong, resilient plants.
My major problem used to be dry soil, and the attendant insect troubles.
Now, with heavy mulching and plenty of organic matter from wherever I can get it, including groiwing compost crops, the only pests I have are shield bugs and tomato fruit worm.
By far the best cure  is regular garden stalking, combined with finger and thumb.
I had a healthy crop of cabbage white butterflies this year and by the end of the season, the caterpillars were all parasitised by tiny wasps. May seem a bit ot, but my point is that without a food sources for the 'good guys', the whole thing will always be unbalanced, and there'll always be a problem.
 
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