Are aphids, spider mites and mealybugs attacking your plants? Don't rush to the store for chemicals!
Ordinary laundry soap is a weapon of mass destruction for pests.
Folk recipes with soap
Grate 50 g, dissolve in a liter of warm water and spray the leaves. The soap film will block the oxygen, and the alkali will burn the mite eggs.
But after treatment, wash off the solution after 2 hours - it clogs the pores of the leaves.
Garlic Bomb for Survivors
For stubborn pests, there is a garlic bomb.
Grind 5 cloves, pour a liter of boiling water and leave for 24 hours. Add a spoon of vegetable oil - it will stick to the scale insects' shells.
Spray once every 3 days until complete victory. And if midges have appeared in the soil, stick matches in with their heads down - sulfur will kill them.
Gardener's mistakes
But the main enemy is excessive care.
Frequent watering and excess fertilizer create a paradise for pests. Keep plants slightly stressed: let the soil dry out and do not feed nitrogen. A healthy plant will fight off attacks on its own.
What about spider mites?
It hates humidity. Give the plants a "bath day" once a week: cover the soil with film and wash the leaves under the shower.
As a preventative measure, spray them with water containing neem oil, which is a natural repellent.
And if the tick has already occupied the plant, wrap it in plastic for a day - the greenhouse effect will kill the pests.
And don't forget about quarantine
Keep new plants separate for 2-3 weeks. Inspect the leaves with a magnifying glass - many pests are microscopic.
And if you notice suspicious spots, treat the plant immediately, even if the symptoms seem harmless.
And don't forget that folk remedies are more effective as a preventive measure. In serious situations, it is better to use industrial preparations, for example with the prefix "bio".
Author: Igor Zur