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    Home » Blog » Organic Gardening » Gardening Tips

    August 14, 2014 | By Jami

    The DIY Garden Bug Spray Video & Results Update

    Our popular diy garden bug spray made mainly with garlic and mint gets it own video giving more details, showing how to make and use the spray, and how it worked on other plants.

    DIY Garden Bug Spray That Really Works Video - An Oregon Cottage

    You guys, I was so excited about how great the garlic-mint garden insect spray worked in our garden (and that I actually remembered to take pictures so I could share it with you), but I'm even more excited that you are finding it helpful, too!

    It's been shared thousands of times on social media and has been visited many thousands of times on the blog. I'm so happy that you found the results as amazing as I did and I can't wait to hear about all your own experiments on the bad bugs in your gardens!

    UPDATE: I've created an FAQ article that also includes reader results - you are going to want to see these testimonials, they're amazing!

    DIY Garden Bug Spray Video with Updates

    In light of the popularity of the diy garden bug spray post and wanting to you give a bit more information, Brian and I created a video for you that shows:

    1. How to make it and use it on the plants.
    2. How lush and beautiful our sprayed plants are now, a month after their last spraying.
    3. How it worked on a plant I sprayed in our vegetable garden, but didn't blog about because it wasn't a part of the "official experiment" (as if it was official, lol) - my beloved Emerite pole beans. If you've ever fought with spotted cucumber beetles, you'll want to take a look at this!

    So, we hope you enjoy this and that it helps you to be able to use it in your gardens!

     

    P.S. Liking that facial expression of mine in the lead photo? According to Brian, that was the only one he could pull from the video to make a pinnable graphic with...humm. It made me laugh anyway, so I decided to work with it! 🙂

    About Jami

    Since 2009 Jami Boys has been helping readers live a simple homemade life through whole food recipes, doable gardening, and easy DIY projects on An Oregon Cottage. From baking bread, to creating a floor from paper, to growing and preserving food, Jami shares the easiest ways to get things done. She's been featured in Cottages and Bungalows, Old House Journal, and First for Women magazines as well as numerous sites like Good Housekeeping, Huffington Post, and Apartment Therapy.

    Reader Interactions

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Keena says

      May 16, 2017 at 8:57 pm

      Hi Jami
      Would garlic powder work just as well as garlic cloves and less fiddlier. I have two basils in pots and they have had the life nibbled out of them. I want to try your pest remedy but other organic sites suggest using garlic powder with similar recipee for pest control
      Thank you
      Keena

      Reply
      • Jami says

        May 18, 2017 at 9:18 am

        You can try it, Keena, and see if it works. If it doesn't, then go for the fresh cloves. I haven't tried it since fresh garlic is so much more potent (scent-wise) than powdered and it's the smell that deters the bugs.

        Reply
    2. VIOLENT STORM says

      August 09, 2016 at 2:35 am

      Will this work on crepe mrytle trees as well as shrubs? I live in texas btw.

      Reply
      • Jami says

        August 10, 2016 at 11:22 am

        I don't know - test an area to see!

        Reply
    3. Merrily says

      July 12, 2016 at 10:26 am

      can you use this for every plant in a vegetable garden? i.e. corn, tomatoes, broccoli and cauliflower?

      Reply
      • Jami says

        July 12, 2016 at 12:52 pm

        I haven't found it to hurt any of our vegetables, though I wouldn't spray when it's hot and I'd test before spraying huge areas. That said, it doesn't work on all type of bugs - like I don't think it would work with the cabbage worms, since it's a repelling spray and that usually doesn't work with the butterflies that lay the eggs. I just published a FAQ page on this spray: https://anoregoncottage.com/diy-garlic-mint-garden-insect-spray-testimonials-faqs/
        You may find more answers there!

        Reply
    4. Gina says

      May 22, 2016 at 6:01 pm

      Hi, I just made a batch of this stuff.
      Do I have to respray after every rain fall?
      How often should I spray all my garden plants?

      Thanks

      Reply
      • Jami says

        May 22, 2016 at 6:11 pm

        I didn't, Gina. I sprayed everything and then just check the plants over the next week - if there wasn't improvement after a week, I'd spray again. In my case, that's all I've ever needed!

        Reply
    5. Joe says

      May 13, 2016 at 8:43 am

      I was so tired of jumping through so many hoops to get the 'bug spray' recipe that I lost my interest to find out.
      This site is what I refer to as an "Internet Vampire".
      Sucking all the effort out of you in an effort to get as much information as possible and try to sell you something.

      Reply
      • Jami says

        May 13, 2016 at 5:13 pm

        I'm so sorry you had trouble, Joe! This page is for the video only, but the original spray recipe is linked in the first sentence. I could make that larger for people to find. On the original bug spray page it's only one click to the printable recipe - I'm sorry you find that cumbersome, but I also get people who don't like to scroll so much. 🙂 I'm definitely not trying to sell you something - just share a natural remedy that worked in my garden!

        Reply
        • Mike says

          August 10, 2016 at 12:56 am

          Go away Joe, you are a bloody
          whinger. These good people are trying to give us an organic pest remedy and you complain about the number of keystrokes. Go and buy a can of Baygon or something. I will certainly be giving it a go.

          Reply
    6. vicki says

      May 01, 2016 at 6:35 pm

      could peppermint oil be used in place of fresh mint?

      Reply
      • Jami says

        May 02, 2016 at 3:49 pm

        Probably, Vicki, though I didn't experiment with it, so I don't know the ratios.

        Reply
    7. Donna says

      August 29, 2014 at 1:40 pm

      I made a batch of your bug spray, hoping it will deter the dang budworms that are going crazy on some of my flowers. However, I did find it needs to be strained through a coffee filter because it clogged up my spray bottle making it impossible to spray it. I don't know if it's deterring the worms. They are happily eating but I'm hopeful. And boy, garlicky!

      Reply
      • Jami says

        August 30, 2014 at 8:44 pm

        I do always strain it though a fine-mesh screen, Donna - are you saying it clogged your sprayer after that and you then used the coffee filter? Some bottles might just be more finicky that way. If you find it too garlicky, add more mint next time - it should smell better. I sure hope it works on them, too. 🙂

        Reply
    8. M. says

      August 17, 2014 at 7:16 pm

      Great! Thanks for the quick answer. I know what I'll be doing tomorrow. I'll let you know how it works. Have a great evening.

      Reply
    9. M. says

      August 17, 2014 at 1:01 pm

      Jami, thank you for sharing this. I have a couple of mint plants that I grow for their beauty, but I'm not fond of the flavor of these plants. One is apple mint, the other is grapefruit mint. As they are truly mints, is it likely that these mints will work in this recipe? I'd be happy to use them for such a good purpose. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Jami says

        August 17, 2014 at 7:14 pm

        I think so, but maybe it's the more minty smell that helps repel the bugs? You should certainly try it and see if it works. 🙂

        Reply
    10. Diana says

      August 14, 2014 at 8:49 pm

      Does this smell bad? How long does it smell for?

      Reply
      • Jami says

        August 15, 2014 at 3:23 pm

        I probably didn't emphasize this enough - the mint actually makes it smell good, Diana! The garlic is the main smell, and you could throw a bit more mint in if you had it to smell a bit nicer even.

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Jami and I'm so glad you're here! My desire is to help you live a simple homemade life through delicious whole food recipes, easy organic gardening and preserving your harvest.

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