Natural Insecticide

Nothing is more annoying for gardening enthusiasts than watching their beautiful plants get damaged by pests. All your efforts to provide nourishment to your plants go down the drain when the plants start wilting owing to a pest infestation. You surely wouldn't want the lush green leaves to turn spotty and brown, so it's time you paid attention to pest control. Instead of using pesticides that contain harsh and harmful chemicals, it would be a good idea to use an eco-friendly insecticide for indoor plants. Unlike the synthetic pesticides, these will not harm the beneficial insects and birds.

Eco-Friendly Insecticides

Wondering how to get rid of bugs in houseplants? If you don't wish to use harmful pesticides on your houseplants, you can use a natural insecticide. Here is some information on environmentally-friendly insecticides.

Neem Oil Spray
For making neem oil spray, you need to add a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid to a gallon of warm water. Add 4 teaspoons of organic neem oil to this solution and mix well. Fill it up in a spray bottle and use it within 4-5 hours. Make sure that you use it when it is cool. If you spray it when it's sunny, it could cause the leaves to burn. Neem oil has a pungent smell and bitter taste. Whereas some insects will find the smell very repulsive and will die of starvation, it can also affect the ability of some insects to reproduce and as a result, the use of neem oil proves beneficial in inhibiting the growth of pest population. It is especially effective on aphids, mealy bugs, spider mites, locusts, thrips and Japanese beetles. It also acts like an effective fungicide and helps in controlling diseases such as black spot, mildew, rust and scab.

Garlic and Onion Spray
Get your hands on a small onion, a bulb of garlic, two tablespoons of liquid soap, 1 tablespoon cayenne and 1 quart water. Start by finely chopping the garlic and onion. Once you have finished chopping them, put them in water. Add cayenne pepper and let it sit for an hour. Add the liquid soap and mix it well. Pour it in a spray bottle. Garlic and onion have a pungent smell and this helps in keeping the insects away. These work wonders when it comes to killing soft-bodied insects. If aphids are damaging your houseplants, this spray will surely be very effective. Garlic contains oxalic acid and oxalic acid acts like a poison for aphids.

Canola Oil and Soap
You can also use a spray made from canola oil. For making this insecticide, you need to add 2 cups of canola oil with a quarter cup of liquid soap. Put the ingredients in a blender and once these have completely blended, take a tablespoon of this mixture and add it in 1 quart of water. Put it in a spray bottle and spray it on both sides of the leaves. The soft-bodied insects often get suffocated due to the application of oil sprays. Make sure that you don't use too much of oil and soap, a stronger mix can cause damage to the plants.

Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous earth is made from tiny fossilized shells of marine plants. It can be used as a barrier for preventing the infestation of aphids, thrips, mites, earwigs and ants. This powdery mineral-based insecticide is highly absorbent and abrasive. It absorbs the protective covering of the bugs that protects the insects from dehydration. In the absence of this covering, the insects die of dehydration. You can use diatomaceous earth for getting rid of ants in vegetable garden. All you need to do is coat the anthills with this powder. You can also coat the soil with this powder. Other insecticides such as rotenone, pyrethrin, sabadilla and neem can also be used for protecting the plants from pests.

Now that you have some idea about some of the effective natural pesticides, you can prepare them at home. So, what are you waiting for? Use these environmentally-friendly insecticides for protecting your plants from bugs.