How to: Make A Green Pesticide

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After a long vacation, we were excited to finally come home, but some spider mites had the same idea—and had made themselves at home on our jade. What to do? We whipped up this homemade remedy, so we didn’t have to pull out the pesticide.

Here’s How:

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup of Hot peppers
4 Cloves of Garlic
3 Cups of Water

Directions:

Mix ingredients in a blender.
Strain (use old stockings for extra credit!) and place in sprayer.
Spray directly onto the bugs. It’s best to spray in the morning or evening, when it’s coolest.
Wipe bugs off with a cloth.

If this seems too messy, or smelly, keep it simple and make a sudsy solution from biodegradable dish wash detergent and water. This you can spray on the entire plant. Now we’re hoping we have a happy houseplant!

Photo: Sam Kilbreth