DIY Pest Control Spray: Organic pest control for plants that WORKS!
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- čas přidán 15. 07. 2024
- Aloha! Join me as I guide you step-by-step through how to make your own homemade organic pest control spray that actually WORKS! This is a completely natural pest control remedy that not only kills the adult insects but their eggs and larvae too. And for all the pet owners out there, you'll be happy to know that this is also a pet-safe pest control spray. This has become my go-to pest spray for spider mites, mealy bugs, aphids, and all other soft-bodied plant pests. I also use this spray as a preventative pest treatment on all my plants once a month to help deter any pests from taking up residence on my houseplants.
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TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Intro
0:30 A homemade pest spray that actually works
0:55 Completely 100% natural organic pest spray that is pet safe
1:15 Pest spray that is safe for all plants
1:31 Items need to make your own pest treatment for plants
2:20 Is it safe to use dish soap on plants
3:22 How tea tree oil works as a natural pesticide
3:35 What kind of bugs does this pest spray work on
3:56 How peppermint oil works as a natural pesticide
5:05 How rubbing alcohol works to get rid of pests on houseplants
5:06 How hydrogen peroxide works to get rid of pests on houseplants
5:48 How I came up with this homemade pest spray recipe
7:39 My homemade pest spray recipe
10:47 How to treat your plants with pest spray
12:53 Real life pest treatment example on a Rattlesnake Calathea
15:08 How often should you treat your plants with pest spray
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"Aloha Plant Life" is a channel produced by me, Drea Williams, featuring all things plants. The purpose of this channel is to educate, entertain, and discuss anything and everything related to plants. I believe everyone is capable of having a "green thumb", so let me help you find yours while having some fun along the way.
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Thanks for the recipe and information.
You’re welcome!
I have peppermint and tree tea Castile soap but by Dr Bonner…comparing the ingredients they’re almost identical, is it ok if I use Dr Bonner? OR it MUST be Dr Wood Castile soap?
Recipe:
1/8 cup of tea tree soap
1/8 cup of peppermint soap
4 cups of water
1/2 cup of 70% isopropyl alcohol
1 - 1/2 tsp of hydrogen peroxide
Can i use this recipe without the tea tree soap and peppermint soap? I live in the Phillippines and i havent seen such products
@@blessildamaedayo712Hi! You can probably find regular Castile Soap (it's a multipurpose "real" soap, very popular around the world) and skip the oils altogether, or if you find them sold individually (try the pharmacy or a holistic medicine store), add a few drops of peppermint oil, tea tree oil, or both, to the mix. The reason it's good to have a soap in the mix is because it sticks to the body of the pests, so the treatment can be most effective, but you want it to be mild, not like dishwashing detergent, which is not as safe for plants (or soils). The peppermint and tea tree oils act as "extra" deterrents/healing ingredients in this recipe, but as long as you have alcohol, plant-safe soap, hydrogen peroxide, and water in the right proportions, your spray will be very effective in killing mites, mealybugs, thrips, and other soft-bodied pests.
@@blessildamaedayo712 No, you can't. Those are two very important ingredients. The mix is 4 ingredients; if you remove 2 of those ingredients, it's not going to be as effective. At 3:30 she talks about what each ingredient does.
@@blessildamaedayo712 You can use Neem oil instead.
@@blessildamaedayo712 As far as I know, you can use any castile soap that's Tea Tree and Peppermint. I don't have access to Dr. Woods, so I use Dr. Bronner's instead. If you can't find that either, then you can mix in pure Neem oil.
Just a small warning for the "first time" users - I burnt my oxalis with this, it lost all the leaves. So for very delicate leaves, it's better to try on one leaf only to see what it does. For the vast majority of my plants it worked nicely though :)
Thanks for all the research! I suggest wearing gloves if you’ve never used a product before. I discovered I’m allergic to tea tree oil when I got blisters on my hands from it. Also, 1/8 cup is two tablespoons.
I was going to say the same about 1/8 of a cup. The reason why there usually is not such a cup in a set is because those smaller amounts are likely described as mL or table/tea spoons.
Thank you!! I'm getting everything now.
Thank you again for sharing this! It came right on time for me! I’m am spraying my plant babies as I’m watching you. Super easy!
I think it makes my house smell great!
Thank you so much for this! I love all of your videos! ❤
You are so welcome!💚
I so appreciate all the knowledge you freely give! I have about 13 of a note book filled with all the info and wish list plant list!
Wonderful!💚
This is great, thank you! Love your channel!
You are so welcome!
Thanks for the video. I just discovered your channel as I have been purchasing plants and one came with thrips. I’m returning it but needed a good diy recipe. Just ordered the soaps.
thanksmy dear...gonna try that this weekend
..nothing wrong with preventment
Really appreciate this!
You’re welcome💚
Hi! I’ve play with plants before and some of them survived. Since I started watching your videos I’ve been able to keep most of them alive. I am so grateful for all the knowledge and science base info that you gathered and put together in your videos. 1 week ago I sprayed my plants and the gnats problem is almost gone. The only downside is that some of my plants didn’t like it. Stromanthe, Calathea, neon Pothos and grey maranta had some side effects like new shoots burned, yellow leaves and wilting.
Stromanthe (leaves are folding) and Rosy have grow lights. Old the others natural
I sprayed and watered all of them at night and put them back to their repot in the morning. So I wonder if I should have waited longer. 🤷🏻♀️ all my other plants are doing good and gnats are minimal.
Thank you for this! I ordered the soaps so I can make this to treat my plants. Love all your videos, I am learning a lot.
Wonderful!💚
I probably watched the same video & this is what I use on my plants, but I add Neem oil as well. The smell is covered up by the tea tree & the peppermint. It’s also a deterrent & leaves a nice sheen on the leaves 😊
You are the absolute best!!!
Thank you!💚
Thank you for doing the research and sharing! I ordered the items off of Amazon while watching your video and have already given them a treatment shower. Thank you!
You’re welcome!💚
THE best video!! And all your other ones on the insecticides and how to kill spider mites have been extremely helpful. Thank you so much for all of your information!!!! ❤
You’re welcome!💚
Just as you said, this makes sense to me. I went out and bought all the ingredients right after watching this video. I couldn't find Dr. Woods, so I went with Dr Bronners castile soaps. I just sprayed last night so I'll have to wait for the true results, but walking into the grow room this morning there was a wonderful sense of cleanliness about. Thank you so much for this recipe, it is very much appreciated.
This is the same exact treatment I use! I found it on youtube by a guy that also sells liquid dirt.
Sameeee 🥰
Yes. Cory should get a shout out!
You and your videos have been a friggin LIFESAVER!! Thank you so much for taking the time to make these videos and explain things so thoroughly! ❤
Glad to help!💚
Omg thanks for this!
You bet!
I finally received my soap order and so far so good! I did not have anything that would accurately measure 1/8 of a cup, but 1/8 of a cup is equal to 2 tablespoons.
Castille soap is also at dollar store, though not always the right fragrance. Great vid. And I use Jack's Super Insecticide Soap, neem concentrate, and water as my go-to (don't like peppermint) and does about same since I wipe leaves down after heavy spraying so they don't get limp from excess water sitting on them.
New sub. I’ll be trying this; thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome!💚
cool thanks!
That’s what I been doing for the past three years! Sorry I don’t have a CZcams channel. I’ve seen it on CZcams about three years ago. It was from the company of liquid dirt. I’m so glad that you’re sharing this.
Their mix is slightly different, but my mix is based on research and a combination of multiple mixes including theirs💚
You are definitely very knowledgeable. I do love your channel. Thank you for doing what you doing. It is really helpful.
I also saw the video from Espoma guy and made my own adjustments.
Thank you for this video. I found spider mites on my plants and was absolutely devastated. I thought I would have to buy a bunch of expensive stuff- but I had every item you listed in my home already (I love dr bronners) . I sprayed every single plant I owned as I wasn’t sure which were and weren’t infected , washed the pots and gave them fresh dirt, I used your method and I also cut/picked the leaves off of a few plants (peace Lilly and jade tees and bonzia tree) completely so the spider mites wouldn’t have any food in hopes to let them grow back without pests. Will continue for the next three weeks. I’m paranoid and really hope this works.
Thanks
Appreciate that you shared the recipe. Also, future helpful knowledge 1/8 cup is also 2 Tablespoons.
Thank you!
Wow!! I just noticed that you're from Plano, Tx, I live in Frisco TX!!
Thank you so very much for the great information. Question: my bug of choice are scales. Will your solution work on scale infestation?
Thank you as always for the great work!!
I found some spider mites on my Colocasias, JUST as I finally finished the construction of my plant room. So I treated EVERY single plant with this recipe. The week before I used neem oil as a treatment (before I saw this recipe) of the affected plants only. So I used your recipe on every single one before moving them into their new home. I'm happy to report not a single damaged leaf! It was a lot more pleasant smelling for sure, and I LOVED that it stayed on the plant long enough to do it's job! Since I had plenty of neem oil left I used that emulsified w/the tea tree & peppermint soap as a soil drench whenever they need water. I will of course be treating the affected plants the following 2 weeks, and will be using this recipe 1X a month for their monthly baths! My plants look shiny & happy, so I just LOVE this recipe. Thank you so much for sharing it. This WILL be my go to from now on. I will say I had to fill up my sprayer like 5Xs to spray all the plants & pots, sooooo worth it!❤️
So glad you like it!💚
This is the best pest prevention video out there, love the at home mix and have been using it for months. Today, I had to treat three plants for spidermites during the daytime. Do I just keep them out of the sun until completely dry?
Yes, definitely keep them away from sun until completely dry
I would love an update on this to hear if it's still working well for you!
Yeah this recipe has been available on CZcams for a long time. I purchased all these things and used them. Be aware if using this on succulents, your farina is gonna be taken off and look different . It works but takes a long time to look better.
Thank you. I read an article that instead of sulphur for flat mites, this combo is better and less caustic. I appreciate all your tips!
You're very welcome!💚
Thank you for the recipe! I have seen other diy recipes that use Neem oil. Can you elaborate on why you don't include it in yours?
Hi! Thanks for this video. If I have peppermint essential oil instead of the Castile soap, can I substitute that instead? Would you have any suggestions on how many drops to add and if I should add more tea tree Castile soap? Ty!
Thanks for the great video. Is your recipe also appropriate to use on outdoor plants?
Yes, absolutely
Thanks Drea, I will try it with high hopes. We live in southern Baja, Mexico, and the spider mites down here are especially insidious! 🪲
First off, I love your channel and all the info you share!
I have been using your suggested mix spray for a few rounds on various plants (the only modification I did was do 1/2 cut of Dr Bronners peppermint soap (because I didn’t have the tea tree one) but then I added drops of straight tree oil as well. Every time I use this one a plant, I come back the next day or later that same day when its dry, and they have a very ugly white soap residue all over every single leaf that looks worse than having mealy bugs. It becomes so that I start to get confused between what is spray residue and what are pest marks. Do you experience this? Might there be something wrong with my spray gun (i use the same one you use but mines old)? Or is the soap I’m using not the best brand for this? Thanks in advance for your time. 🙏🏻🌿
I’ve never had that issue. My best guess is it’s either that particular soap, the straight tea tree oil you’re adding, or maybe the way those two things are interacting with each other.
I have a castle soap I bought but it’s unscented could I just use the essential oils for the tea tree and peppermint part ?and add some drops to the mix or soap maybe ?
Fantastic. Thank you for telling me about this video. I plan on doubling the amount for 8 cups to start. (then likely doubling again to cover all the plants! 🤣)My question is, I do have castile soap. I also have peppermint and tea tree essential oils. Can I use them in the soap instead of buying more castile soap? If so, how much of each essential oil?
You absolutely could but I honestly have no idea how much to use. I just looked at the back of the soap bottles to see if there’s any indication as to ratio of ingredients and unfortunately there is not. I mean knowing what I know about how the soaps smell I could probably figure it out by smell by just adding little by little if I was there in person but smell-o-vision doesn’t exist yet, lol (but seriously are there scientists out there working on the smell-o-vision thing because it would be a game changer🤣)
I highly, HIGHLY recommend getting a 1-gallon (4L) pressure pump sprayer WITH A WAND. The hose attachment is fantastic when spraying plants in-place, especially the ones in hanging pots or living on high shelves. It also makes quick work of getting under leaves without having to lift a heavy container off of the floor. Another perk: the nozzle is adjustable, from the thinnest, most forceful stream to the widest, softest, cone-shaped mist.
Thanks for the tip!
@@AlohaPlantLife My pleasure! I hope you get one. It'll save you so much time when you're spraying! With the amount of plants you keep, I can't imagine how your hands feel at the end of a spray session if you're using a trigger bottle. By the way, I set the nozzle to "stream" and use it to water moss poles and plants that are way up high. It has really eased my plant care...and I don't have even half the size of your collection!
How has your spider mite/pest situation been going a year later?
Is this an be used for outdoor plants like rose bushes
I just use peroxide 3% on a paper towel and wipe down my leaves with it. I do it in the evening so the light won't risk burning them but so far it's worked for me in dusting. I've also poured it straight into plants that have fungus gnats, it seems to help keep them in check and it's interesting to hear the plant fizz 🤣 I don't get the fizz on plants that aren't effected so 🤷🏼♀️ I think if I had something super thin leafed I would water it down but I'm lazy 🤣🤣 I still do have gnats but I don't feel overrun and I'm certain it's BC it's warming up more so like any bug they're more active... I have to be careful with spraying anything BC of my birds
Have you tried using mosquito dunk or mosquito bits for the gnats? Mosquito dunk has worked well for me for fungus gnats. I just break off an 1/8 of one of the 'dunks' and leave it in my watering can all the time (well, until it eventually fully dissolves and then I add another 1/8 of a dunk). I always refill my watering cans at night so that way it has overnight to absorb enough into the water before I water any plants again.
@@AlohaPlantLife Mosquito dunks have been invaluable for me fighting fungus gnats! I put out sticky traps and started watering with the dunks. The first traps were heavily covered with the gnats, but after a couple of weeks I am only catching 5 or 6. Thank you so much!
The dunks are a serious game changer when it comes to fungus gnats! I still see a few here and there but nothing like before I started using the dunks.
I just found this video from you but watch you often! Loved you bf but love love love you even more now 😂! When you said how you felt in the beginning of the video, that is so me!!! I’ve had two nightmares about my plants being totally infected, since I noticed something was up. I even bottom watered one of my older Pothos with a drop of peppermint oil to 16 oz of distilled water 🤦🏾♀️. I panicked! I was going to donor all my plants to a plant shop if they felt they could save them. I just started back collecting plants bc of some health issues with my son and was so happy. And all of a sudden I see these dang spider web like structures in a plant. So started looking at the others and now I feel everything I see are pests 🤦🏾♀️. Non-natural pesticides are a no go for my household so when I saw these four ingredients, I was sooo happy!
Also, do you know of or have any experience with cinnamon water to fight pests
Thank you sooo much for doing the research for this video!
I have not used cinnamon for any of my plant care before
@AlohaPlantLife Thanks for the response. And just an update. I’m so so loving and impressed with the spray. I used it a week ago on my pothos (and every last plant I have bc I was scared 😨 of an outbreak) for spider mites. And the underside of the leaves looked like they were biting them. And it looked BAD! Welllllllll 😮the undersides of all the leaves look normal again. And no damage to the leaves or stems 🎊🎉❤!!! Plus the smell is nice and I noticed less of those little gnats 👍🏾. Thank you so much again! This is definitely in my monthly plant babies routine now.
Thanks for this. Is it suitable for cactus and succulents?
It’s worked fine for mine but I only have a few, so maybe test it on one leaf first just to be safe💚
Hi... Thanks for your generous sharing of plant tip knowledge...
I have (what recently was) a beautiful New Guinea Impatien in full glorious bloom when I suddenly saw webs on it. From what I've researched, I am assuming it has Spider mites. I tried the showering with water method so far and now bought supplies for your suggested treatment. The poor NGI plant has dropped about 60% of it's leaves and all the flowers and a couple of branches died. It is still trying to bud and bloom a couple new flowers but looks VERY sickly... This happened over a time period of 2 to 3 weeks.
Sorry to make this so long...
My questions are, how much solution should I make up to test on 1 leaf and how long after should I wait to treat the whole plant if it looks like it will tolerate the treatment?
Thank you for any help you could offer to help me save this cherished plant and get it back to its gorgeous healthy self...
You won’t need much at all to do the test. Usually if a plant is going to respond badly to a spray you will know within 48 hours sometimes within 24 hours. But keep in mind it can be deceiving if you don’t have a healthy leaf to test it on because if the leaf is already on its way out, you may mistake it as a reaction to the spray, when really it’s just natural leaf death progression if that makes sense.
Hi there! Thank you so much for sharing your research and recipe. I have been trying to do my own research on effective yet pet safe pesticide/insecticide.
I do have a question though, how is this considered to be pet safe? As my understanding is essential oils such as tea tree oil and peppermint oil are toxic for cats. Wouldn’t this spray be considered not safe for pets, should a cat decide to nibble on the plant after spraying? Thank you in advance :)
Thank you for this info! While you are treating for spider mites, how often did you spray your plants?
Once every 7 days for at LEAST two weeks. I tend to do it for four weeks though because spider mites are sneaky little bastards and I’m always worried one is still hiding in a crevice somewhere unfazed by my first two sprays lol
@@AlohaPlantLife thank you!!
Awesome video! I have 90% alcohol, can I use it if I take half the dose of 70% ?
Curious, what’s your take on neem oil? I mixed the peppermint soap with neem oil, which is working great on my palm trees.
I’m eager to try your recipe next.
A side note, over-spraying an alcohol solution so that it runs off leaves and into the soil can turn it into an herbicide. Plants absorb alcohol via their roots, which can cause severe dehydration and kill the plants.
Has anyone tried using only green tea and peppermint soap + hydrogen peroxide?
hey drea- my mom & i both have pests we’re treating right now & have peppermint castile soap but not tea tree. wondering if we could add tea tree oil instead & if so how much?? we both have it for our oil diffusers🤣
How does this combo work for thrips
Hi, love your channel! Subscribed!
Can I just ask is the hydrogen peroxide 3% or higher?
Also would you spray marantas? I heard they don't like water on leafs. I'm growing in leca so thinking maybe dunking in could be an option 🤔
Many thanks.
Welcome to the planty fam! I use 3% hydrogen peroxide. I use it on my marantas and they are fine with it💚
@@AlohaPlantLife thank you for your reply. Have a lovely day :)
Can this be used safely on orchids?! Love your videos. Im now an addict to house plants.
I’ve never tried it on orchids, but I think it should be OK on the leaves but maybe not so much on any blooms. You could always try it in one small spot on one leaf first just to be sure.
Would you use 1/4 a cup of soap if you only have one type of soap?
I love your tub, I don't want to have to clean it though 😬
LOL!!!!! I have a much bigger bathroom and kitchen in this house than my last house, which I love the extra space, but I'm not gonna lie, I DREAD having to clean my master bathroom and my kitchen. So much tile.......
@@AlohaPlantLife I have a garden tub and I promise you it's not cleaned as often as I would like, I can't imagine having all the extra tile! I struggle with pain and I'm thinking about buying one of those scrubby sticks for cleaning the tub and walls more frequently. Clearly, scrubby stick is the technical term 🤣🤷🏼♀️
This might be a dumb question but do I have to rinse the plant off afterwards or am I safe spraying the plant and leaving the formula on the leaves?
By the way your videos are so awesome
I leave it on the leaves until my monthly leaf dusting which usually gets done 2-3 weeks later💚
After u spray do u let it dry on ? Or rinse it off?
I've read a diy pest spray can be made using an oil such as cooking oil ( canola oil works best ) along with castille soap (oils smothers the bugs and the soap emulsifies it). Could the natural oils and shea butter in these soaps add to this solution's effectiveness?
Dr Bonners doesn't have shea butter or the same oils.
Thank you! Trying this tomorrow! Question-because Castile soap is alkaline and ideal plant ph is acidic, it won’t hurt the growth of the plant?
Just don’t drench the soil with it and you will be fine.💚
Hi! 👋 can I use dr. Bronners Castile soap in lavender? I will go tomorrow and find tea tree oil flavor soap and alcohol and hydrogen peroxide but just wondering if it could be lavender flavor Castille soap, or if it had to be peppermint? 🙏
@@Noellegem98 tea tree is slightly antibiotic so maybe it’s needed
@@Noellegem98 Lavender doesn’t have the same properties that repel pests, so no
I apologize in advance if my question here comes off as sarcastic. I don't mean it that way, I am just trying to understand.
My question is if it works so well and you use it as a prevenative... How are you battling pests so much?
Love your videos and find them extremely informative.
At the time I was battling pests I hadn’t been using it as a preventative yet so that’s why. Aside from a very small mealy bug breakout in my IKEA cabinet a couple months ago (which was eradicated in one treatment) and the random flat mites discovered on my cyclamen a few months ago, I haven’t had a major pest issue over a year (knock on wood).
@@AlohaPlantLifeThank You! I ordered my soaps and plan to start immediately using it as a preventative and treat what I cant see. I have about 60 plants and so far "knock on wood" the most I have dealt with is the fungus gnats this year mainly because everything got repotted this Spring. I have been using a preventative Earth's Ally 3 in 1 but my husband hates the smell and I hate the Neem Oil.
Thank you for the recipe and information!! Do you use this on plants as a preventative even if they show no sign of pest?? Thanks again!!
Yes! Once a month EVERY plant I own gets a spray down even if they don’t have pests💚
@@AlohaPlantLife thank you. Do you wash the leaves at some point or just leave the spray?
@@sheranrigg8841 Just leave the spray unless I need to dust the leaves off which I typically do with water shortly before they’re due for their next monthly spray down
@@AlohaPlantLife thanks again!! I got my soaps & sprayer in the mail today!! They do smell good!
Does this work on thrips?
6:25 Great video. You have so much integrity so I’m sure there’s a reason you didn’t specify the CZcams content creator that inspired your recipe/this video?
Thank you so much for recognizing my integrity💚
@@AlohaPlantLife - I hope I didn’t sound insincere. Only recognizing now that my comment was worded oddly. I don’t know what the guidelines are, or if there’s some etiquette, but I assume there’s a reason his channel and name weren’t mentioned. But I thought it was cool that you did give credit.
Hi! Thank you for the recipe! What to do if I don't have a peppermint soap at the moment? Can I just leave that out or should I double the tea tree soap? Thanks!
I would just double the tea tree soap
@@AlohaPlantLife thank you! :)
I have little white bugs in the soil of my plants. Is this recipe good to use as a soil drench?
No, I wouldn’t recommend using it for a full soil drench. But watering with a hydrogen peroxide water mix that’s one part hydrogen peroxide to two parts water should help resolve the issue.
Why would you not use peppermint tea and few droplets of a tea tree oil instead of soap?
Anyone on this channel have experience with dr bronner's soap mixes? These are the only ones, all natural based, that I can get here😊
Dr. Bronner's works for me :) that's the only one I have available here as well.
Can you use this on flowers like chrysanthemum and peace lilies flowers etc
It’s safe for the leaves of those plants but it might damage petals if any flowers currently in bloom
Hi again! Do we leave the soap on the plant or wash it off?
I don’t intentionally wash it off but I do dust my plant’s leaves with a damp rag a few weeks later
I might have missed it but can this recipe keep? As in, if I don’t use it all when it’s made, can I keep it on hand or do I need to use it all up at the time of making?
It will keep for about 24 hours so try and just make enough for what you need that day
I just barely saw spider mites on my crotan and moved it to the bathtub and used the spray. It was sitting on a bookshelf in our bedroom with 3 other plants that show no spider mite activity.. Do I need to spray down those other plants? If I move them to the bathtub to spray them down is there a risk of them getting the mites from the Croton?
Spray everything but move the croton out of the tub and rinse out the tub first
Does unscented castile soap works as well?
It will work to an extent but not as well as the ones with peppermint/tee tree oil
I was wondering do you just spray and leave it, wipe off while wet or wait til dry then wipe the leaves?
I just leave it on. I do dust my leaves once a month though so a few weeks after I spray it, they get wiped down with a damp cloth.
What would be the breakdown for 1 gallon containers???
Try googling a conversion calculator.
Does this mixture also work for thrips and will it kill all the life stages of the thrips?
It will work on all soft bodied pests.💚
If you can't find tea tree soap, can you add tea tree essential oil?
I don’t know if that would necessarily be ok or not. I also wouldn’t even know where to begin in terms of figuring out how much to use if it is safe to use.
So I've purchased the soap and intend on using it after my lacewings do their thing. But my question is, how much of this should go through the soil? Should I water right after the treatment to allow it to get the critters in the soil, or to wash it out of the soil? Also a bit concerned about the alcohol being on the roots!?
I also what to add that 75% of the 50 + plants I have are in the prayer plant family. Those roots are the ones I'm concerned about!
It won’t hurt the roots. I never rinse them after nor water them after. Only the run off and the direct spray of the surface is what goes into the soil. Be mindful of any new leaves that are still rolled though. A few weeks ago I was spraying and didn’t realize I apparently had unintentionally filled one such leaf on one of my marantas with the mixture and when it unfurled the next week it was deformed. I now place a finger over the end of such leaves when spraying. But that’s the only issue I’ve ever had using this spray and it was just because it was sitting pooled inside there and unable to evaporate or dry quickly. Which would be an issue with any pest spray.
Thank you for your response! I'll definitely keep an eye out for the unfurling leaves!
Does your formula specifically work on Thrips?
I’ve personally never had thrips since I started using this spray, so I cannot 100% say from personal experience that it works on thrips. However, it should work on thrips since they are soft bodied pests just like spider, mites, mealy, bugs, etc. Hope this helps.💚
Will this work for thrips as well?
It will work on any soft bodied pests
Aloha! Thanks for this video! Does it work with thrips ?
I haven’t personally tried it on thrips (thankfully I’ve not had to deal with thrips since starting to use this) but it should work on all soft bodied pests💚
Do u wash it all off after or just let it dry after spraying?
Air dry! The green tea and peppermint in the soaps deter pests so you wouldn’t want to wash that away💚
Does it also work on thrips?
Thrips are soft bodied insects so it should work on them. I fortunately, knock on wood, have not had any thrips on any plants since I started using this spray. So I can’t say from experience how well it works against a thrip outbreak, but hey, the fact I haven’t had any thrip outbreaks since I started using it must mean it’s doing a good job keeping them away, right?
Thanks for the tips and recipe! I just made this mix up using Dr. Bronner’s peppermint and tea tree Castile soaps, because that’s what I could find. I had mealybugs in September and possible spider mites on one recently (jury still out since I sprayed it a couple times with other stuff, but have lost potted hibiscus plants to those in the past), so I’m still monitoring everything closely and want to be prepared. Also thinking I might use this as precaution on new plants Ava preventative on my other plants every few weeks maybe, if it doesn’t damage most of them.
About 50% of my plants are succulents (lots of echeveria and soft succulents, haworthia, also things like string of hearts, Tradescantia, etc.). Have you used this on succulents and did it damage them, or did they tolerate well?
I haven't had any problems using it on the particular succulents that I own. If your worried about how yours will react try it on one leaf first and see how it does. Also, it's good practice in general to keep your plants out of direct sunlight for about 24 hours after using any kind of pest spray on them just in case the sun causes some kind of reaction when it heats up the plant and the ingredients in whatever spray your using. Hope this helps.
@@AlohaPlantLife thank you! ☺️ yeah, I usually keep them out of direct sun after spraying. It’s hard to take the time to test when you see pests, but I’ve definitely damaged (or killed) a few of my succulents when I was a bit overzealous in my alcohol spray treatments the first time I had mealybugs in September. I killed those mealybugs all right… and the plant! 😅 lessons learned… take it down a notch next time. 😂
Any idea of what the shelf life on this formula would be?
I try to use it up within a few days of mixing it but I imagine it would last longer though not certain exactly how long
@@AlohaPlantLife Once mixed with water, hydrogen peroxide degrades pretty rapidly.
Does this have to be applied at dusk for outdoor plants?
Yes, if they’re plants that aren’t in shade. If they’re in shade, I still recommend applying it at the cooler times of the day, but they’re at less risk of damage from direct hot sun.
Hi! Thank you for the video! I laughed when you said DON'T SPRAY ALL YOUR PLANTS RIGHT AWAY or something like that, because that's exactly what I just did! And my calatheas look so sad after that :( I cleaned the old leaves with neem oil mixed with soap and water, also put some of that in the soil away from new leaves but they hate it. Now I won't do it again, should've tested! But I want to spray with your mix, does this also help with the fungus that grows on the soil? There's no way I can get rid of it, I'm feeling defeated :(
Yes it will help with fungus gnats to an extent but I really recommend using mosquito dunk or bits in your watering can for fungus gnats. I talk about it more in this video: czcams.com/video/jwgMGz59Eno/video.htmlsi=TQbWT-_T7KaEiWJE
Thank you so much! I don’t get fungus gnats but I get green or white fungus on the soil, does this work with getting rid of that? Again, thank you ❤️❤️
@@paulinal4662 Sorry, I totally misread your comment. I’m not sure if would help that or not but no harm in trying. Let me know if it does help.
If you are really getting fungus growing on your soil, (as opposed to algae which is harmless) I think you must be overwatering.
@@melanieklarofficial Thank you for responding to my comment! I don't know the difference between fungus and algae but I'll look into it.
I have heard that you have to rotate your spider might sprays because they develop a resilience to it. Is that the case with this type of spray?
No, this isn’t pesticide based
Have you had thrips? And if so, has this worked to eradicate them as well?
I only had them once thankfully and at the time I alternated spraying one week with Captain Jacks Dead Bug Brew and then the next week with End All and I did that for four weeks.
@@AlohaPlantLife thank you for replying 🤗 I have a leaf on my Alocasia Micholitziana that has questionable damage. I’m wondering if it’s thrips or fungal. Idk which one I prefer 😖
@@AnaC17 I’d take fungal over thrips any day
Is their potassium hydroxide in the soap or sodium hydroxide?
Negative. The ingredients in the soaps are all natural oils and extracts.
Does this also work for scale?
I’ve never tried it on scale before but they’re soft-bodied insects so I would think it would work.
Does it work on fungus gnats?
Yes💚
Does this work for fungus gnats also?
Yes💚
Can this recipe be used on ANY kind of plant ?
Yes
Tried this and noticed a soapy residue on the leaves (and patio). Not too worried about it as I’m sure it’ll degrade but doing it every month could build up no? Wont that impact photosynthesis?
I’ve honestly never had that issue before. Are you using the same brand of soap that I used in the video?
Sorry for the delay in responding. I was not in fact and had to wait to get the right kind back to compare. The Dr.Woods appears better now that I tested the correct formula. Sorry to raise a false alarm. And thank you for the informative video(s)
@@DanShinnick No worries!
Can you add the peppermint and teatree oil to a basic Castile soap if so how many drops of each one. Thanks just found your videos and think they are very good
I’m honestly not certain if that would work the same, and I have no clue how much to tell you to try if you were to try it because I don’t know what the concentration levels are.