Defend Your Garden with Herbs: Garlic and Chile Insecticidal Soap Spray

June/July 2008
By Susan Belsinger and Tina Marie Wilcox  
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Makes about 3 cups concentrate

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Susan has been making this spray for more than 20 years. In late summer, she routinely sprays this on plants before bringing them indoors for winter.

Tina adds 10 drops cinnamon, vetiver or eucalyptus essential oil to the concentrate when she makes it.

• 10 to 12 large cloves of garlic
• 4 to 6 hot chile peppers, dried or fresh
• Generous 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon liquid castile soap (like Dr. Bronner’s or Shaklee Basic H™) OR any biodegradable liquid dishwashing soap
• Optional: 10 drops cinnamon, vetiver or eucalyptus essential oil

Put garlic, chiles and water into a blender and puree contents until foamy.

Let mixture stand at least 2 hours or overnight. When mixture settles, you will have a coral-colored liquid with sediment at the bottom.

Pour through a strainer lined with fine cheesecloth (or through a coffee filter or jelly bag) to remove particles that could block the sprayer valve.

Pour concentrate into a jar with plastic lid (not metal), add soap, stir and label.

Store in a cool, dark place until needed, up to a few months. For a 1-quart or 1-liter spray bottle, use 2 tablespoons concentrate and fill the rest of the bottle with water.

Spray plants late in the day, so hot sun can’t burn the plants. Cover the top and bottom of leaves. Re-apply as often as needed, but allow several days between applications.

With vigilance, effective practices and select natural pest controls like these, you can prevent or stop a major outbreak of pests. Taking the time to observe and protect our plants brings extra rewards: time to watch them grow, to inhale their floral perfumes and to enjoy their uplifting presence in our lives.

— Tina Marie Wilcox is head gardener and herbalist at the Ozark Folk Center in AR. Contributing Editor and herbalist Susan Belsinger lives in Brookeville, MD.

Sources for natural pest control products:  Arbico Organics, (800) 827-2847, www.Arbico-Organics.com; Gardens Alive!, (513) 354-1482, www.GardensAlive.com; Planet Natural, (800) 289-6656, www.PlanetNatural.com.

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