CHAPTER 11 - The Best Control 2

2. All-purpose - Grind together three hot peppers, three large onions and at least one whole clove ofgarlic. Cover mash with water and place in a covered container. Let container stand over night.Strain mixture through cheesecloth or a fine strainer and add enough water to make a gallon ofspray.3. All-purpose - Mix one tablespoon of a mild dish washing detergent plus one teaspoon of a vegetablecooking oil with one quart of water. This can be sprayed on all plants. Remember to spray both thetop and the underside of the leaves. You can also add 1 teaspoon (rounded) of baking soda if youhave fungus problems.4. All-purpose - Finely chop 10 to 15 garlic cloves and soak in 1 pint of mineral oil for 24 hours. Strainand add enough water to make a gallon of spray. Test on a few leaves to see if the plant is damagedand spray as is, or add a few drops of soap for extra stickiness.5. All-purpose - Blend ½ cup of hot peppers with 2 cups of water. Strain and spray.6. All-purpose - Combine 1 to 2 cups of rubbing alcohol with 1 quart of water. Test spray and let standovernight to see if damage occurs to plant.7. Orange trees and rosebushes - Soak macerated tomato leaves in water and apply as spray ontoleaves and branches. Do not allow any pet or person to drink this spray.8. Red spider mites, spiders, cabbage worms, and weeds - An ounce of table salt to a gallon ofwater has been shown to stop these pests. Use a tablespoon of salt to two gallons of water for theworms. Be careful salt damages plants! Straight salt, especially in non-garden areas can stop weedsand termites in protected areas, e.g., crawl spaces.9. Species specific - Collect ½ cup of a specific pest and mash well or blend. Mix this with two cupsof water and strain. Mix ¼ cup of this “bug juice” with 2 cups of water and a few drops of soap andspray. Whether the soap or the dead bugs are killing the pests, the Author can not tell, but the mixworks very well.Caution: Some sprays can damage, discolor, kill or scorch foliage - always test a small,inconspicuous area first.Spiders - The weight of insects eaten by spiders every year is greater than the total weight of the entire humanpopulation.Spindle Tree (Euonymus europaeus) - The fruit has paralyzing action on aphids and will kill lice.Spotted Knapweed - uses a l-catechin stereo-isomer to establish its dominance as a weed so quickly. Whiled-catechin is a well known antioxidant, in some fruits its mirror image, l-catechin, is a potent oxidant that cankill off whole roots in an hour and most plants in days. This l-catechin will probably also act as a fungicide andsoil sterilant.Spray Starch - Some of the ingredients in spray starch may include phenol formaldehyde and penta-chlorophenol.Spring Cleaning - When the Author was a young man, he and his Mother would clean every surface, everycrack, beat every carpet and rug and clean everything else in their home every spring, and they never saw anyinsect or arachnid pests.Sprinklers - If a neighborhood dog or cat frequents your yard - turn the sprinklers on - or spray them with a hoseor Super Soaker ® - most animals quickly become “trained” to leave your yard alone. Sprinkle ground pepper torepel them or plant common rue (Ruta graveolens) anywhere dogs are a problem - but, remember rue can alsocause human allergenic (skin) reactions.Spurge - will repel moles and the decorative plant is self-sowing.Squirt Guns - will safely deter cats and a super soaker will even deter dogs from entering your space. SeeSuper Soaker.Stalking the Enemy - Who is really guilty? Holes in tomatoes may house earwigs, sowbugs and cutworms,but the holes were found during a nighttime inspection to be caused by slugs and the others were there hiding.Controlling the slugs solved the holes in the tomato problem.460