I have had some problems with insects in the veg garden this year and searching thru the web sites I came across a product called garlic spray.Has any one used this stuff before?Do some of you make up your own and what is it?I don,t want to use any of those poision sprays on the veg,s that I eat.
EDD

edd,

You can make a garlic spray of your own, and add some other things that help against the bugs, such as hot peppers, rosemary, and some other herbs commonly found in organic sprays. I just throw a few cloves of old garlic (doesn't have to be perfect, if you have any that got dried out a little because the skin loosened, use that), some pepper oil (the stuff I make for chinese - more capsaicin than commercial products!), and some rosemary (I cut off the outer, flowering tips of the branches) into the blender, with some water, blend a minute or so, and strain. Then I mix it with some yucca extract, to emulsify it and make it stick, and spray it on the plants, making sure to get it under the leaves. I did this yesterday for my lime plants, as they had some bugs from peppers I had brought in - I added a little neem oil to the mix before spraying the peppers, as they were the original source of the problem, and there are no fruits on the plants still, so I won't be eating any soon.

For a gallon of mix I usually use about 3-4 cloves garlic, 1/4c oil, and about an 8" length of rosemary, and about 1/4 tsp of the yucca - you could add a little dish detergent
instead of this, for the emulsion.

Dave

A long time recipe for an insect repellant is several cloves of garlic, a medium onion, some hot peppers whizzed in a blender with enough water to cover. Allow this to steep for a few days and then strain and dilute 1 cup of this with 1 quart of water and spray where needed. Keep in ind this spray will repel beneficial as well as your pests and a much better method of keeping insect pests off your plants is to get your soil into a good, healthy condition so strong, healthy plants grow there that will resist insect attack without your intervention.
If you think you need something to help this stick to the plants use soap, not a detergent. All detergents can be much more harmful to plants than soaps, although soaps also can be harmful if not carefully used.

quote:

kimm a much better method of keeping insect pests off your plants is to get your soil into a good, healthy condition so strong, healthy plants grow there that will resist insect attack without your intervention.

I calling bull caca on this statement.

There are those that do not yet have a good, healthy soil and do not believe that statement and there are those of us that have good, healthy soil and see that statement at work.
I can tell which garden beds need my attention by the insects that visit the plants in that garden bed.
Start with a good, reliable soil test and look closely at your soil to be sure the level of organic matter is optimal and do what is necessary to get the level of nutrients in balance, and those home soil test kits will not help you do that.

Well, lets see.....

Good healthy soil,

makes for strong healthy plants,

which are better able to survive bad bugs...

Sure sounds like a winner......

...and if bull caca is not available in your area,
maybe chicken poop will do!



....You may want to perform a soil sample prior to adding said caca!


Robin

quote:

Well, lets see.....

Good healthy soil,

makes for strong healthy plants,

which are better able to survive bad bugs...

Sure sounds like a winner......

Sound and real world proof are not the same.

Kimm1, I had an idea based on your last post here, but rather than go too far off topic I started it under "OG." Wonder what you think?

http://forums.organicgardening.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/2441078301/m/2221071512

I learned of a lady who is one of my heroes’; her name is Lady Eve Balfour. She had a farm that she ran an experiment on, the experiment lasted 10 years. In short she divided three parcels evenly, planted the same crop on each, fed the crop to animals living exclusively in each section, then measured the results. If I may quote the good Lady:

“In addition to carefully recorded field observations, an extensive range of sample analyses (soil and products) was carried out by the consultant bio-chemist, Dr. R.F. Milton. These included analyses for available plant nutrients in every field every month for a period of over 10 years.

The outcome of this huge number of individual analyses, running into thousands, was a new discovery. It was one of the most important single findings to come out of the experiment, because it was so conclusive and, surprisingly, hitherto unsuspected by orthodox agricultural chemists -- namely that the levels of available minerals in the soil fluctuate according to the season, maximum levels coinciding with the time of maximum plant demand. These fluctuations were far more marked on the Organic Section than on the other two, where, moreover, they could be partly related to fertilizer application.

On the Organic Section, which received no fertilizers, the fluctuation was so marked that, for example, in the field with the highest humus content and the longest history of no chemicals, as much as 10 times more available phosphate has been recorded in the growing period of the year than in the dormant period. Potash and nitrogen followed the same general pattern. It was clear, from the fact of the closed cycle, that this seasonal release of minerals could only have been brought about by biological agencies, and it appears to be a natural action-pattern of a biologically active soil.

When this finding was first published it was taken up by a Scottish University, repeated, confirmed, and is now generally accepted. Previously it had been assumed that a single spot analysis at any time of year could show what the soil required.”

From her results I must conclude that a “soil test” is good for what I call “dead dirt”. A soil that is alive is never static, it is a dynamic, living, growing, and evolving organism. If one is not sure if their soil is alive or dead, then you need a test. I have found that as I added organic matter to my soil “the fruit of the labor of love lived in the harvest, and that always comes in the right season”. My soil is tested repeatedly at the dinner table. The results of the test are measured in the sound “mmmmm”, and food left on the plate. I elect to spend my money on alfalfa meal, kelp, and other amendments. This is my opinion and how I help my garden grow.

The entire lecture can be found at this link: http://www.journeytoforever.org/farm_library/balfour_sustag.html

In my opinion it makes fascinating reading and serves to enlighten those who wish to step into the light…

Blutranes

P.S. The issue of insects and disease is also found in the article if you decide to spend the time reading the web page.

edd, If you have a problem with caterpillars, BT is a good solution. It doesn't harm other insects or animals and is available in a liquid concentrate, Thuricide, or a dust, Dipel..These products can be found at most Home Depot, Lowe's, Ace hardware, and garden center stores. I have used BT for several decades with excellent results. It, and the garlic/pepper/herb sprays are very helpful to the organic gardner who has bugs taking more then their fair share of the crops. Hope this helps.

Liz, that is a good discussion over at "Club OG" and it appears to me that some people that take what appears to be the negative are really simply stating the same thing, differently.

It is quite interesting to me how people see things just a little differently based on their perspective. Ultimately we just do the best we can, don't we?

quote:

Originally posted by Liz1:
Ultimately we just do the best we can, don't we?

Hmmmm? Now, where have I heard that before?

Edd, Re your original inquiry about garlic spray. Some of the homemade recipes suggested here are good as well as what you may be able to find in some stores or online.

You also mentioned that you had "insects in your garden this year". Might I suggest it also might be beneficial for you if next season you can identify any insects you see in your garden. See what kind (if any) damage they're doing and to what extent. That way, you can better determine a specific approach to dispatching them or just leave them be if it turns out they're not doing any damage at all (or such minimal damage as to not be a big enough deal to fret over) or they may even be beneficial insects, if left alone, could work as your allies in the garden to deter the bad guys.

BTW: If you remember now what some of those insects looked like, perhaps someone here can help you identify them.

quote:

Hmmmm? Now, where have I heard that before?

Must have picked it up somewhere from an innovative philosopher. Words to live by, aren't they?

gardenz,
In answer to your question,the only insect I could indentify was the japanese beetle.the rest I don,t know since all I seen was eaten vegetable leaves where some thing has eaten
halve the leaves away.Checked the underside and seen no insects and this wasn,t the work of animals,no foot prints around base of plants.


Edd