DIY pest control. 40

DIY Pesticides and Homemade Pest Control.

Here are some DIY pest management tips that will reduce your use of chemicals around the house, and In your lawn and garden. These tips for DIY pesticides include natural fungicides, cheap grass killers and homemade grub killers and pesticides.

This blog article dovetails nicely with the use of biostimulants.

We all believe that we are doing the right thing for the environment. But in reality, is that the case? Taking care of our environment is important, and one way to do this is to reduce our reliance on pesticides.

We are not saying to completely stop using pesticides. We do however suggest that in some cases there are alternative DIY pesticides and homemade pesticides that you can look at.

Consider this.

• A recent UN report on pesticides leaching into waterways makes for pretty grim reading.
• Pesticides in waterways in Ireland include MCPA (a common ingredient in lawn weedkillers).
• A 2020 study in French vineyards… “the improper use of Plant Protection Products for grapevine cultivation may cause groundwater contamination”… This is after chlorantraniliprole (the active in Acelepryn) was found in the ground water.

DIY Pest Control – Natural Fungicides.

All of these are natural fungicide recipes to manage disease in your garden and lawn. These are all based on household ingredients you can find around the home.

Many of these natural fungicides will surprise you. However, do realise that under high disease pressure, you may need to use stronger lawn fungicides based on what is called “harder” chemistry.

Baking Soda or Potassium Bicarbonate

Ecocarb and Ecocarb Plus (OCP) both contain the natural fungicide potassium bicarbonate. However, they are not registered for lawns.

However, baking soda and potassium bicarbonate do work well as homemade fungicides. There is even a product called Amicarb in the USA for anthracnose, brown patch and dollar spot.

DIY Pest control is easy with this natural fungicide with the following ingredients. This DIY Pesticide makes the soil surface have an alkaline (high pH). This stops the growth and spread of fungi.

DIY Pesticide Recipe using Baking Soda.

To make this at home add a tablespoon of baking soda to 5 litres of water. Spray this every three days until the fungus dies.

Neem Oil

Neem oil works well as a natural fungicide. This DIY Pesticide works well against rust, anthracnose, and leaf spot.

DIY Pesticide Recipe using Neem Oil.

To make a natural fungicide that contains neem.

• Mix two tablespoons of neem oil and 4L of water.
• Shake the mixture well and spray it on turf.
• Make sure to get good spray coverage.

Papaya Milk.

Indian work has shown that papaya milk¹Kushwaha R, Mishra BK, Raghav A and Pandey, FK. 2016. World Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, Effects of urea, papaya milk, and menthol on R. solani and M. phaseolina. Volume 5, August issue 8 works well as a natural fungicide vs damping off. Where you get papaya milk from in Australia I have no idea.

Vinegar

Vinegar is a natural acid that creates makes the surface of plants acidic. This acidity stops the growth and spread of fungi.

Natural Fungicide Recipe using Vinegar.

To make a homemade fungicide using vinegar.

• Mix 50ml of apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar) to every 1L of water.
• Shake the mixture well and spray it onto your lawn.
• Make sure to thoroughly cover your target.

DIY Pest Control with Milk.

Milk is an excellent natural homemade fungicide thanks to its antifungal properties. It contains lactic acid, which reduces the pH of infected plant tissue thus making it uninhabitable to many fungal species.

As this is in nearly everyones home, it is an excellent option as a homemade fungicide.

The other cool thing about milk is that it also contains compounds that may disrupt the fungal cell wall or interfere with fungal respiration.

Natural Fungicide Recipe using Milk.

To use milk as a natural fungicide. Mix 1 cup of milk with 10 cups of water. Then spray this onto the infected turfgrass. You should aim to reapply this every few days until the problem clears up.

Chamomile Tea

Work has shown chamomile oil is a very effective natural fungicide vs damping off caused by Rhizoctonia solani.²Emara AR and Morsy AR, Antifungal activity, phytochemical analysis and chemical composition of Chamomile (Mtricaria recutita L.) essential oil against Rhizoctonia solani and Fusarium solani, Middle East Journal of Agriculture Research, Volume : 07 | Issue : 04 | Oct.-Dec. | 2018 Pages:1849-1855 

DIY Pesticide Recipe using Chamomile Tea.

To make a chamomile tea natural fungicide.

• Soak four chamomile tea bags in one litre of hot water for 30 minutes.
• Remove the tea bags and add a litre of cold water.
• Shake the mixture well and spray it on the turf.
• Make sure you get good spray cover over your target.
• This recipe is very good against damping-off and root rot.

Cinnamon

Another good natural fungicide is to use cinnamon. Mix one tablespoon of cinnamon powder to 4L of water. Shake the mixture well and spray it on the turf. Make sure to thoroughly cover the grass.This recipe works against damping-off and powdery mildew.

Black Cumin Oil

This is very effective against damping off cause by Rhizoctonia Solani in tomatoes³Hamza A, Mohamed A and Derbalah A, Unconventional alternatives for control of tomato root rot caused by Rhizoctonia solani under greenhouse conditions, Journal of Plant Protection Research, Vol. 56, No. 3 (2016) pp298-305

Using Hydrogen Peroxide for DIY Pest Control.

Hydrogen peroxide is a natural disinfectant that helps control fungal diseases in turf.  The natural fungicide recipe using hydrogen peroxide is:

• Mix one tablespoon of 3% hydrogen peroxide in 4L of water.
• Shake the mixture well and spray it on the plants.
• Make sure to fully cover the entire area.
• This recipe is particularly effective against root rot and damping-off.

Tea tree oil

Tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic and fungicide that controls a wide range of diseases. The natural fungicide recipe for this is to mix one tablespoon of tea tree oil and 4L of water.

Soil Wetting agents

Some but not all soil wetting agents can help manage or reduce turfgrass disease. We think that they achieve this by reducing leaf wetness. This prevents moisture being present to encourage disease.

Products such as Hydroforce Ultra are worth having a look at if you want to go this way.

DIY Pest Control – Homemade Grub Killers.

These are all options pest management with homemade grub killers and insecticides. You can also class these as organic insecticides.

Iron chelate

Iron chelate is an excellent homemade grub killer to control slugs. Interestingly, Iron EDTA chelate works better than many commercial slug killers, and that’s without any non target toxicity effects! It’s a great DIY pest control option.

Neem oil

Neem has historically been used as a homemade grub killer and works really well as a natural insecticide. The oil is a thick, “fatty” oil, and has a very strong smell.

It works best against insects, which pass through all stages of metamorphosis as a long lasting systemic insecticide. You apply it as a soil drench.

Eco-neem is a natural grub killer that controls a broad range of insects. These include: caterpillars, curl grubs, grasshoppers (wingless), aphids, mites, lawn armyworm, citrus leafminer, whitefly, mealybugs and fungus gnats in soil.

Neem works in two main ways:

• It suppresses insect appetite. They starve to death.
• They are unable to moult.

Plant damage stops as soon as the insect ingests Eco-neem. Insect death may take several days, and depends on the insect size.

Washing up liquid

This is one of the best homemade grub killers. It’s in every house and works really well as a homemade insecticide and miticide. However, you have to be careful not to add too much soap to the water.

DIY Pesticide Recipe using Washing Up Liquid.

• Use mild washing up liquid.
• Add 1 and a half teaspoons of soap per Litre of water.
• Mix this properly and then pour this mix into a pump pack/spray bottle.
• Spray the lawn aiming to get complete coverage.
• Never apply during the heat of the day or when plants are in direct sunlight. It’s best to spray this in the early morning or the evening.
• Repeat every 4-7 days.
• As it isn’t rainfast, after heavy rain or irrigation you will need to reapply.
• Continue treatment with this homemade pesticide until you start to see an improvement.
• Don’t forget to test for turf safety before you use this.

You will get best results with this Insecticidal soap when you dissolve it in soft water. The reason for this is that in hard water the fatty acids it contains tend to precipitate out.

Vegetable Oil

Using vegetable oil is an effective way to get rid of turf mites. The soap and oil combo coats their bodies and they suffocate to death.

DIY Pesticide Recipe using Vegetable Oil.

• Add 1 tablespoon of mild soap (like washing up liquid) to 1 cup of vegetable oil. Mix well.
• Add 2 tablespoons of the oil mix to a Litre of water and pour into a spray bottle.
• Spray to fully cover the lawn.
• You’ll probably have to stop and shake the mix a few times to make sure the soap, oil, and water are mixed.
• Do not ever apply to plants in direct sunlight or when the heat of the day is at its highest.
• Aim to apply this every 4-7 days or after heavy rain or if you irrigate.
• As with all of these mixes don’t forget to test first.

DIY Pest Control with Coffee.

A 1 to 2% solution of caffeine will kill slugs and snails.  Concentrations as low as 0.01 percent repel them.

You can also use Coffee grounds as a homemade grub killer to repel slugs and snails. However, a caffeine solution is much more effective. In fact, caffeine is more effective against slugs than metaldehyde.

Dealing with mites.

Mites are a problem for both turf and garden plants. These tiny pests can cause a huge amount of damage in a short time so they need to be dealt with as soon as a problem occurs. There are a lot of miticides available on the market and probably the best is Malice Duo. This controls the eggs, juveniles and the adults.

However, if you want to control mites more naturally avoid the use of pyrethroid insect sprays (e.g. bifenthrin). These can actually worsen the problem.

• These kill any natural predators
• They cause “mite flare”. This is when there is a spike in the mite population after a spray.

Neem works against mites but another option is to use apple cider vinegar. A good DIY miticide recipe that uses vinegar is:

• Mix a 3 tbsp vinegar, 1 tbsp baking soda and a few drops of liquid washing up liquid soap in 1 L of  water. You then apply this liberally to the effected area. Always remember that if it rains or you irrigate etc you will need to reapply this.

Rosemary Oil.

Research has shown that this is very effective against mites⁴Miresmailli S and Isman MB, Efficacy and persistence of rosemary oil as an acaricide against twospotted spider mite (Acari: Tetranychidae) on greenhouse tomato, J Econ Entomol . 2006 Dec;99(6):2015-23. doi: 10.1603/0022-0493-99.6.2015..

A good natural insecticide recipe using rosemary oil is:

• Dilute a tsp of rosemary oil in 1ltr of water and fill a spray bottle.
• Spray generously on the plant’s stems and leaves, paying extra attention to the undersides.
• Repeat daily as necessary.

Rhubarb.

Rhubarb leaves contain oxalic acid, which makes a great homemade grub killer for leaf-eating insects. To use this at home as a homemade insecticide, collect some fresh rhubarb leaves and boil them in water. Once the solution has cooled, transfer the solution into a spray bottle. Add a splash of dishwashing soap and spray on affected leaves.

Companion Planting.

Certain plants like dill, Chinese parsley, Chrysanthemums, Shasta daisy, and peppermint deter insect activity. Peppermint contains pulegone and menthone, which are effective at repelling pest insects. Menthol, a which is in peppermint, shows significant promise against the two-spotted spider mite.

DIY Pest Control – Homemade Weed Killers.

All of these work as homemade weed killers or cheap grass killers that you can make with common household items. This is the list for natural weed control.

Nigrospora oryzae 

The first cab off the rank as a DIY pesticide isn’t actually a homemade weed killer. However it is definitely a cheap grass killer.

This is a natural fungus that eats Parramatta grass and is native to Australia. Relax it’s not a “The Last of Us” type fungus!

Nigrospora crown rot fungus is caused by the natural (endemic) fungus Nigrospora oryzae. This means that it is a completely non toxic cheap grass killer as it only targets this grass weed.

The disease only attacks giant Parramatta grass (GPG) and reduces it’s population over several years. Up to 78% reduction in tussock size (over 15 months) and 64% reduction in tussock presence (over 12 months) has been seen in the field.

Sadly it isn’t registered but if you can find some contaminated Parramatta Grass you can wash off the spores and spray these onto the grass weed.

Sugar as a Cheap Grass Killer.

Sugar works well as a non toxic weed killer and cheap grass killer. It causes the grass and weeds to fight over limited N in the soil.

Yes good old obesity causing sugar, is an excellent homemade weed killer which works well against juvenile broadleaf and annual weeds. You can use granulated or powdered sugar sprinkled lightly over your lawn, aiming to evenly coat the lawn and water it in lightly.

The use of sugar as a non toxic weed killer is supported by researchers at Charles Sturt University. They found that sugar provides a good, short-term non-chemical and ecologically friendly method of weed control.

One other cool thing about using sugar as a homemade weed killer is that it kills yellow nutgrass. Sprinkle sugar onto the plant 3-4 times and bingo!

Ammonium sulphate

Lawn sand is a traditional greenkeepers weed and moss killer. This DIY weed killer works by “burning” them out of your lawn.

It’s simple enough to make this homemade weed killer, as all you need to do is mix 65 parts ammonium sulphate with 35 parts dry sand. This mix works really well against Daisies, Plantains and also moss.

DIY Pest Control with Vinegar.

Good old vinegar again! This is a cheap non selective cheap grass killer.

A US study into Summer grass control in buffalo grass, with 30% acetic acid, and sodium bicarbonate. The conclusion was that because of high turfgrass injury and little residual control, that these are not an effective substitute for using pre-emergence herbicides like Echelon Duo or Onset 10GR.

Vinegar does work as a cheap grass and weed killer although it is non selective (it kills everything!). You can also use it to buffer your spray water

This is a good cheap grass killer recipe that uses vinegar and gives non-selective weed control.

• Add 30ml of orange oil and 1 teaspoon of liquid soap per 4L of 10% concentration of vinegar.

Iron

FeHEDTA (iron chelate) can be used as an effective homemade weed killer. Being selective this means it controls broadleaf weeds but does not harm the grass. This works quickly, and gives same-day results, even in cool weather.

Broadleaf weeds absorb chelated iron easily and in larger quantities than grass. This then causes weed death while the grass remains unharmed. Be sure to fully cover the weed to get the best results.

It has to be the FeHEDTA chelate for this to work.

Sodium Bicarbonate/Baking Soda.

The final homemade weed killer is baking soda. You can use this for summer grass control and as a non toxic weed killer. Simply put some in an old sock and whack the sock onto damp summer grass to dust it on. After a few days the weed blackens and dies.

It works due to its alkaline properties drying out the weed which then kills it. To combat summer grass, water the weeds with a hose or watering can. Once the summer grass is wet, apply a hefty whack of baking soda. Try and do this on a sunny day, as the drying effect of the baking soda will work really well.  The weed’s then dry out under the heat of the sun.

So there we have our list of homemade weed killers. Please feel free to contact us if we have left any out.

Although not available in Australia “Fiesta” is an organic pesticide sold in the USA based on FeHEDTA. When you use a non toxic weedkiller like this, they will give visible results within 24 hours.

Summary of DIY Pest Control.

Hopefully you find this list of DIY pesticides, homemade grub killers, cheap grass killers and natural fungicides useful. If there are any we have missed off please feel free to contact us.