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Pest
Confuser Recipes
In an organic garden, there are a few pests … also there, an array
of insects, spiders, lizards, birds and snakes.
Natural controls are those that occur physically in nature and help
keep insect numbers in check. These could be weather, rainfall
levels, shade availability and location.
Biological controls keep insect populations in check. These are your
frogs, toads, moles and birds. Naturally occurring diseases caused
by viruses, fungi & bacteria also help to keep insect populations
down. (This is usually caused where man has upset the balance of
nature). Biological controls do not work overnight. It takes time to
become established.
Some points to consider:
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Choose healthy plants & give them the best
possible growing conditions.
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Practice crop rotation.
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Time planting and harvests
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Practice companion planting.
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Apply moon phase planting practices.
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Physically remove insects such as caterpillars
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When using a pesticide, choose a time when the pests are most
vulnerable.
Companion planting is a good way of confusing, repelling or
attracting pests. This form of planting produces odours that masks
and repels pests. It is also a good breeding ground for beneficial
insects. Beneficial insects need a constant food source in your
garden and many flowering plants produce enough nectar and pollen
for this purpose.
UTENSILS NEEDED
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Bucket with snug fitting lid (as many as you need)
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Herb/plant/vegetable material
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Warm water to cover
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Stick to stir liquids
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Rubber gloves
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A good pair of cutters
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These few simple items are sufficient to start your own liquid
fertiliser manufacture.
KEEP ALL HOME MADE PESTICIDES & REMEDIES AWAY FROM CHILDREN & PETS
Hyssop, Sage & Thyme are best planted around the vegetable
patch and not in between. (These are perennials) This creates a
protective barrier. This applies to all strong herbs,
such as Rosemary. Celery is used as a nurse plant for
protection from the elements while the seedlings are emerging. Be
careful not to cut out too much light with this type of planting.
Comfrey is slower acting than nettle.
Success depends on providing the correct mix of plants that
fertilise, plants that heal and plants that protect, when preparing
liquids.
Always test your homemade products on a small branch or leaf of any
affected plants to check the reaction.
If the sprayed plant appears healthy after 2 days, go ahead.
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Basil, Tagetes.
(French marigolds) |
Plant in greenhouse
amongst tomatoes and other vegetables to deter white
fly and aphids |
Dried tagetes can be
sprinkled and raked into soil to deter root invading
insects |
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Calendula |
Repels most insects |
Plant in between
flowers &
vegetables |
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Chamomile |
Repels flying insects.
Good
preventative for damping off. Good source of
calcium, potash and sulphur |
Add to compost teas or
make a strong infusion. Cool and spray on affected
plants
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Chives |
Mildew on cucumbers,
pumpkin, courgettes |
Handful chopped
chives. Cover with boiling water. Stand 24 hours.
Strain. Spray 3 - 4 times weekly |
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Comfrey |
Potash good for
tomatoes and the garden in general. Adds nitrogen |
The herb for all
fertilising and pest confusing
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Comfrey & Nettle |
Source of potash &
nitrogen. Rich in iron and trace elements &
minerals, which they return to the soil when they
die down |
Take a few handfuls
herb, soak in rainwater for a few weeks. This weak
tea is used on young plants |
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Comfrey leaves, Rosemary, Lavender, Sage, Yarrow,
Marigolds, Garlic, Chillies |
An effective all round
fertilizer and pest confuser |
Pack in bucket and
leave for 6 to 8 weeks before use
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Elder |
Keeps rodents away -
place twigs with leaves in holes. General pesticide.
Mildew and black spot. Aphids, cucumber beetles,
peach tree borers, root maggots |
Leaves have fungicidal
properties
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Garlic |
Bug repellent.
Antibiotic that cures plant diseases. Cabbage moths,
earwigs, leafhoppers, mosquitoes, whiteflies, aphids
are effectively deterred |
Essential ingredient
in herbicides & fertilizers. Potato beetle,
grasshoppers are not affected by garlic. Dry &
powder garlic. Mix with water and spray houseplants
for insect control |
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Garlic, Red Peppers |
For roses |
2 whole cloves garlic,
½ cup dried chillies. Blend with 1 litre water.
Strain. Spray roses twice weekly |
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Hyssop
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Roots purify soil
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Not good in veg patch.
Plant as border or hedging |
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Hyssop, Sage, Thyme |
Caterpillar
infestation, snail
deterrent |
Dry herbs and sprinkle
in garden. Plant throughout garden |
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Lavender, Sage, Hyssop |
Ant deterrent
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Dry herbs and sprinkle
in and around holes |
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Marjoram, oregano |
Repels aphids. General
insect repellent |
Make a compost tea and
spray as required |
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Melianthus, Wilde als, khakibos, Klip dagga |
Aphid & fruit fly
spray |
Cover material with
boiling water. Steep 24 hours. Strain & use |
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Mint, Rosemary, Rue, Southernwood, Thyme, Tansy,
Feverfew |
Hang all of these or a
few of these together in bunches throughout the
house to deter insects |
Omit the southernwood
and make compost tea of the rest of the herbs to
repel insects especially on vegetables |
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Nettle |
Nutrition. Repels
aphids, red spider. Plant and dig into the soil just
before the nettles flower |
When liquid is thick &
concentrated pour around roots of trees; best
beginning of winter |
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Nettles, Comfrey,
Garlic, Onions,
Marigolds |
Good mix for general
purpose fertilizer / pest confuser
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Place in container,
cover with rainwater and close lid. Leave for 3 to
4 months before use. Dilute before use |
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Peppers (hot) |
Ant, root maggot, soft
bodied insect control. Controls most leaf eating
insects esp. when mixed with garlic |
Odour of spray either
repels or confuses the pests. Blend 1 litre water
with good handful chillies. Strain |
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Rosemary |
Deters beetles,
cabbage moth, carrot fly |
Plant around veg patch
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Sage |
Repels insects and
generally promotes growth and health of surrounding
plants |
Plant around vegetable
patch to create a protective barrier
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Tansy |
For general health.
Repels
cucumber beetles, aphids (esp. on beans) and ants
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Do not plant near
cabbage. Acts as a trap for snails, which can then
be hand, picked off the plant. |
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Thyme |
Repels aphids, moths.
Deters worms |
Plant around patches |
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Yarrow |
Good fertilizer.
Favourite plant of bees because of high pollen and
nectar |
Border planting. Good
on the compost heap. Nurse aid to ailing plants -
plant close by |
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