How to Protect Plants from Pest Attack? 3 DIY Organic Insecticides to Make At Home

Who doesn’t love spotting hibiscus flowers? Blooming in vibrant colours of red, yellow, pink, white, and purple, they enhance the beauty of any space. But have you also spotted tiny white insects on their stems, buds, and leaves?

Known as mealy bugs, these thrips damage the developing buds. This problem  intensifies in summer and takes a toll on the plant. Apart from mealy bugs, the common insects that attack the hibiscus plant are spider mites and aphids.

Gorakhpur-based urban gardener Brahmadev Kumar says, “These insects suck the juice from the plants and gradually make the plant sick. Without timely intervention, your plant may die.”

He shares that people use chemical pesticides to get rid of these insects. “This chemical harms our plants and if given to fruit and vegetable plants, it will be harmful to our health too,” he adds.

Mealy bugs damage the developing buds, stem, and leaves of the plants.

The urban gardener suggests opting for organic alternatives. He shares three secret and simple solutions to control pest attacks using household ingredients like liquid dishwash, neem leaves, garlic, ginger, and chillies.

Neem insect repellent

• Fill a vessel with water and boil neem leaves. Boil the content till its volume reduces to half.
• After the water cools down, filter it and fill it in a bottle. You can prepare this water in bulk as it can be stored in a shady place for 2-3 months.
• Make garlic paste and mix it in a glass of water. Filter this mixture and mix it with neem water.
• Take a spray bottle and fill half of the bottle with normal water. To this, add a spoonful of refined oil and liquid hand wash each. Mix it well.
• Pour water containing garlic and neem into this spray bottle. Mix all the contents. Your organic insect repellent is ready to use. Spray it on your plants twice a week.

Insect repellents should always be sprayed on the plants in the evening or night. The following morning, you should spray normal water on your plants.

You can prepare this neem water in bulk as it can be stored in a shady place for 2-3 months.

Dish soap spray

Brahamdev says you can also use soap water to get rid of pests. “Take a spoonful of liquid dishwash or shampoo in a litre of water. Spray this mixture on the plants. You can also use a jet sprayer that removes the pests by spraying water with force on all the plants. However, this method is effective only when the pest infestation has just begun,” he adds.

3G mix: ginger, garlic, green chillies

The urban gardener suggests preparing effective pest repellent using garlic, ginger, and green chilies.

“Make a paste of these three ingredients and mix it in water. Cover this mixture for a few hours. Filter it and fill it in a spray bottle. Spray this mixture on plants once a week or at an interval of 10 days to prevent plants from pest attack,” he says.

Edited by Khushi Arora.