Container Gardening Series - Make Disease/Insect Pests Go Bye Bye

The main way to prevent pests is by creating a healthy plant through techniques like using compost, rock dust, calcitic lime, seaweed fertilizer, molasses, and proper watering. Pests usually target unhealthy plants, so creating a healthy environment for your plants is key.

You can make a homemade insecticide by crushing a clove of garlic into a container and adding half a teaspoon of mineral oil or vegetable oil. Let it marinate for at least 24 hours and then add a small amount of insecticidal soap or dish soap. Mix this solution with a liter of water and spray it onto the leaves of your plants.

For diseases like powdery mildew or wilt, you can use baking soda. Mix a teaspoon of baking soda with a liter of water and spray it onto your plants. Adding a small amount of soap to the solution can help it stick to the plant leaves for better efficacy.

Adding soap to the homemade insecticide or disease treatment solution can help it stick to the plant leaves. Alternatively, you can use molasses instead of soap, which doesn't have pesticidal properties but provides nutrition for beneficial microorganisms and helps with sticking.

If your plants still get troubled by pests or diseases, it is recommended to spray them with beneficial biostimulants and effective microorganisms a day after applying the homemade solutions. These can help boost the plant's health and prevent the recurrence of pests or diseases.