Simple DIY Recipe for Insecticidal Soap

Rose image by Galina-NB

This simple DIY recipe for insecticidal soap is the result of having my roses ravaged by spiders and ants and having to do some research online.  The Juicerless Bag is used to strain the soap after it has been processed and it works much better than a regular colander, cheesecloth, or a coffee filter because you can "milk" it through quickly capturing the residuals. And because all of these particular insecticidal ingredients are ingestible... well... no worries!

Here is what you need:
*cheapest vegetable oil (don't use your Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Coconut Oil)
*Dr. Bronner's pure Hemp-Castille Soap (liquid)
*Water
*Blender
*Funnel
*1 or 2 clean mason jars
*Head of Garlic
*Spray Bottle or Plant Sprayer
* Nut Mylk Bag  or fine strainer

What to do to make the Insecticidal Soap:

1. Assemble all items above
2. Mix together in the blender on lowest speed: 3 C. Water, 3 tsp. Dr. Bronner soap, and 1 C. vegetable oil.
3. Peel and crush 6 cloves of garlic
4. Add the soap-oil-water mix and the garlic together in a clean mason jar.  Set it aside (not in the fridge) to brew overnight
5. Next morning blend up the garlic mixture
6. Pour through the nutmilk bag and 'milk' if needed to get everything through. (Alternatively, use a fine sieve).
7. Funnel into the spray bottle, and put the remainder into a clean mason jar (or rinse out the other one and use it)
8. Spray away at your roses, etc.  Spray once a week.  It is apparently most effective if you spray immediately following a thunderstorm (?? something to do with the nitrogen in the air??) but I wouldn't get hung up on that since most of us don't have too many ongoing, weekly thunderstorms and the plants would never get sprayed hehehe
9. Pour any residual pulp on the base of particularly heavy-hit plants or add to the soil of your houseplants

   
   

   Rose image by Galina-NB
   
   
   

   
   

   The video above shows the of making a simple "Garlic Soap Pesticide."  She uses fewer ingredients and speeds up the process by boiling the garlic in water, which may decrease its potency as a pesticide.  She also adds a drop of Dawn dishwash detergent (looks like it).  As above, I would recommend the natural castille soap since commercial detergents like Dawn have the possibility of containing the corrosive chemical Methylisotiazolinone .
   

   
   

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