Natural Remedies: Essential Oils and More to Protect Your Plants from Pests
Gardeners, take note! Natural remedies can effectively protect your plants from pests. Essential oils from cloves, black pepper, and mustard can repel a variety of insects, offering an eco-friendly alternative to chemical pesticides.
Clove essential oils have proven effective against ants, mosquitoes, whiteflies, and small flies. To create a clove spray, simply boil 2 tablespoons of dried cloves with water, let it sit, strain, and dilute to 3 litres.
Black pepper is another powerful repellent, targeting aphids, thrips, spider mites, whiteflies, cutworms, and weevils. To make a black pepper spray, soak 100g of ground pepper in hot water, strain, add 50g of liquid soap, and dilute to 10 litres.
Mustard is also a useful deterrent, particularly for onion and carrot fly. You can apply mustard powder mixed with flour in a 1:3 ratio directly to the soil or sprinkle it on beds.
While these natural remedies can be effective, many gardeners recommend promoting beneficial insects and using biological control agents as a reliable plant protection method. Creating habitats for these natural predators or purchasing insect hotels can help control pests without chemical pesticides, making your garden a healthier and more sustainable space.
