Homemade insecticidal soap for your outdoor plants
It is sometimes handy to have an old spray bottle loaded with an insecticidal soap mixture in case you see some bugs (aphids, beetles, mites or other chewing or sucking bugs) on your precious landscape plants. Always test the mixture on a plant before spraying. In an old window cleaner bottle mix up:
Quart bottle almost full of clean water
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil or Neem oil
½ teaspoon of mild soap like blue Dawn or castle soap without bleach
Shake well and apply to dry foliage in the evening when it is not going to rain.
Simple weed and grass total vegetation killer:
Remember this mixture is used like you would a total vegetation killer, not for your lawn.
Half gallon of vinegar
1 cup of Epsom salt
1/8 cup of blue Dawn or castle soap without bleach
Mix well and spray on dry plants to be killed (keep in mind that whatever it gets sprayed on, it will kill anything green including lawns). Great for using on brick pavers, driveways, fence lines, etc. where you do not want things to grow at all.
Simple fungicide for your plants:
Wet and humid weather may have caused more problems than normal in some years. Keep in mind that you probably will not cure the problem but you can prevent fungus like powdery mildew from occurring or from spreading. The other thing that is important is to know what you are dealing with so have the problem assessed by a professional. There are some products available already made on the market, but you may want to consider making your own. Always test a small portion of a plant before spraying everything first.
Mix the following in a spray bottle well:
Half gallon of clean water
2 teaspoons of baking soda
½ teaspoon of blue Dawn or Castle soap without bleach
Shake well and keep agitated when using. Spray both sides of the foliage of dry plant in the evening including new and unaffected leaves too.
