Flowering and garden plants are often attacked by small pests that can seriously damage and even destroy the plants. Most of the time, they are tried to be suppressed with ready-made artificial pesticides, because this is the easiest solution, since they work quickly and are effective in the short term. The problem with artificial pesticides is that they are harmful to the environment, to us and often to the plants as well.

Therefore, I would like to reveal to you a very simple recipe for a pesticide that is extremely effective in the fight against various insects that feed on our greenhouses. The main active ingredient of this preparation is natural soap, which is why it is also a great idea for useful use of leftover soap 🤩.

What are the benefits of a natural pesticide based on natural soap?

• is very easy to prepare
• is completely non-toxic for us, for the environment and for all beneficial insects such as ladybugs, bees and even birds
• is effective in the fight against many pests, such as aphids, whiteflies, mites, bedbugs, ...
• you can save a lot with it, especially if you make it from leftover natural soap

What are the disadvantages?

The only weakness is basically related to the advantages 😊. The pesticide works by contact. This means that it effectively kills insects when sprayed. Therefore, it is necessary to spray the plant thoroughly and turn each leaf during treatment, as pests often hide under the leaves. And that's why it can happen that some pest escaped us and we need to repeat the exercise in a week. On the other hand, due to the contact action, we do not harm beneficial insects, since we apply it late in the evening, when there are no more diurnal, beneficial insects on the plant (bees, ladybugs, butterflies, ...).

Picture: Capers on the native laurel

To prepare a natural pesticide, you need:

• natural hard soap
• vegetable oil (cold-pressed neem oil is best)
• Water
• optional additives such as diatomaceous earth, essential oils
• in addition to the ingredients, you also need a mixing bowl, a technique, a sieve, a funnel and a bottle with a spray for application.

If you just need a prescription for a natural pesticide, you can download it HERE and you print it.

But if you are like me, who likes to understand all the details and how things are connected to each other, I invite you to read the section below, where I describe everything from the effectiveness of the ingredients to tips for use.

Natural hard soap is the main active ingredient in a natural pesticide. Just right natural soap, which is made on the basis of fats, is an effective insecticide. The saponified natural fats in it dissolve the protective coat of insects, which causes them to die. In addition, it is environmentally friendly, as it is biodegradable and made from renewable resources (natural fats). Many times I have seen recipes for natural pesticides based on liquid soaps on the web, which I do not recommend. Liquid soaps are mostly made from synthetic foaming compounds and various other additives. Therefore, they do not have such an effect on insects, in addition, they are not biodegradable and therefore remain in the soil. Various impurities in these liquid soaps can even damage treated plants.

Vegetable oil has a natural pesticide the glue function, which allows the preparation to stay on the insect better and longer. You can use any vegetable oil (olive, sunflower, pumpkin, ...). But if you have the chance, it's best to use it cold-pressed neem oil, as the effect of the pesticide will be significantly greater. 

take olive is obtained from the seeds of the neem tree or Azadirachta Indica, which is native to India. This tree is so special that it is the basis of Ayurvedic medicine. It is important for plant protection due to two active ingredients:

• It is the only oil that contains the ingredient AZADIRAHTIN, which works withot an excellent natural insecticide by destroying hormical system of pests. They therefore stop eating and reproducing. And what's great is that this ingredient only has an effect on insects that suck or bite the plants, but beneficial insects are not harmed because they have a different digestive tract. 
• Another important active ingredient yes I SALON, which gives neem oil its distinct, stinky smell and acts as an insect repellant.

Diatomaceous earth was formed from the fossil remains of diatoms, with high porosity, very small particle size and low specific gravity. Due to all these properties, it acts on insects as a strong absorbent (absorbs the protective fat layer) and thus the insects dry out. Diatomaceous earth also has abrasive properties and is therefore also effective against snails. However, it is necessary to be very careful when working with it, so as not to inhale it, because it can damage the lungs due to all its properties. 

Etheric oils in the pesticide, they act as a repellent - they repel insects with their smell. The most effective natural pesticide is sweet orange essential oil. We can also use the essential oil of cinnamon, lavender, cloves, rosemary, eucalyptus, thyme or peppermint. Essential oils are highly concentrated compounds and the "less is more" rule applies to them, so they should be used diluted. 

The recipe for a natural pesticide is easy and we make it very quickly.

For 1 l of natural pesticide we need:

• 10-20 g of natural soap (1-2%)
• 20-50 g of vegetable oil (2-5%), the most effective is neem oil
• up to 1 l of water

You can also upgrade the recipe with the following ingredients:

• 10 g of diatomaceous earth (1%)
• 100 ml kisa (0,1 %)
• 10-20 drops of essential oils (sweet orange, cinnamon, lavender, cloves, rosemary, eucalyptus, thyme, peppermint)

Preparation

1. Natural soap cut it into small pieces or grate it with a cheese grater and dissolve it in a small amount of warm water (about 1 dcl of water) so that the soap dissolves better in it.
2. Weigh out the vegetable oil and add it to the prepared soap.
3. At the end, add enough cold water to make the total amount of pesticide 1 l.
4. Mix everything well, pour into a bottle and the natural pesticide is ready. 😍
5. You can enrich it with the active ingredients I wrote above (essential oils, vinegar, diatomaceous earth).

When and how to apply a natural pesticide?

The pesticide should be shaken well before use. If you don't use it right away, you can store it ready in the cold for another time.

For application, use a spray bottle, with the help of which you will treat the plant more thoroughly. Since the pesticide is contact, it is important to be thorough when working and to also spray the underside of the leaves, as that is where pests usually hide. Apply the pesticide in the evening or very early in the morning when there are no beneficial insects on the plants and to avoid burning the leaves on the plant.  

If the pests still persist on the plant, you can repeat the process in a good week. It is recommended to start treating the plant with a lower concentration of 1% and increase it to 2% if necessary.

I wish you a blooming balcony and healthy vegetables! 🌸🥗

Katyusha 👋