Natural Insect Spray For Plants (A DIY That Really Works!!)
Tired of pesky pests taking over your plants? Check out this amazing all natural insect spray for plants, made with all-natural ingredients like garlic and mint. Easy to make and use, this homemade garden garden spray was tested on badly attacked basil plants & a flowering vine and worked with only 2 applications! Say goodbye to harmful chemicals and hello to a healthier, greener garden.
“SIX Stars!! Oh my goodness…..this is the BEST insect plant spray I have come across!!! I was so tired of grasshoppers (or something) eating and destroying my dwarf cantas! They were still trying to bloom, but they looked awful! Mixed this and sprayed. THREE days later, my cantas have new, shiny, beautiful leaves again!! This stuff is AMAZING!” -Cheryl B.
Welcome to one of my most popular gardening DIYs: how to make a natural insect spray easily from pantry ingredients like garlic and mint – that actually works! Be sure to check out these other resources for more information on this bug repellent:
- A follow-up video showing how to make it, apply it, and how it worked on green beans, too.
- A Frequently Asked Questions page with answers to most questions I’ve gotten, plus reader testimonials about how this has worked in their gardens – both good and bad.
Okay, I’m SO excited to finally share with you the results of a get-rid-of-nasty-garden-bug experiment I’ve been conducting on my poor, bug-eaten basil plants and trumpet vine. I know I’ve teased you with my testing for long enough – we all deal with bugs, so I know you’ll be as happy to see the results as I was!
The background to this experiment is a tale known to many organic gardeners (and maybe even would-be gardeners who gave up when faced with seemingly destroyed plants?):
- Years of either ignoring the issue (and losing plants or living with damaged plants).
- Trying many different remedies from diatomaceous earth (works on many things though tedious to apply, sometimes hard to find, needs a lot of reapplication, may kill good bugs) to soap and water (this never really did much in my garden).
And for some reason, while I don’t have much of a problem beyond cucumber beetles in our large, main garden (and most years I don’t lose plants to them), our herb garden hosts something(s) that have eaten the basil every year since we added it to our backyard.
Because of this I created a spray (adapted from a Keeper of the Home article) to use on the basil, but didn’t really keep track of it (because I wasn’t sure it would work…), although I do remember that it did, in fact, work.
So the following year when our basil was hit particularly hard, as well as some marigolds I planted among the herbs and a trumpet vine growing up the gazebo nearby, I mixed up a batch, wrote it down this time and documented in pictures so if it really did work, I could share it with you.
And you’re not going to believe how well it worked – in fact, as I was putting this together I was thinking I was going to have to add disclaimers on the photos like “I promise these really are the same plants” or something, so you’ll believe me!
DIY Natural Insect Spray For Plants: The Experiment
1. Bug Eaten Basil
So I’m pinky-swearing or whatever you need from me: the three photos in the collage above really, honestly are the same plant from beginning to four weeks later. I know, can you believe it?
And also honestly: even after 20+ years of growing things, seeing stunted, bug-eaten plants like my poor basil makes me want to throw in the towel sometimes. It’s just…ugh. These were three basil plants that I grew from seed, nurturing them along and to see them look like this in just a few weeks after planting out? It’s hard.
And so I sprayed my homemade garlic-mint spray all over that poor plant, but I didn’t really think it was much for this world. It had only one growing tip left, but seriously, look at it (above left) – who would give that guy a chance?
Well, I started seeing results within days – new growth! After a week I still was a bit skeptical – was that old bug-bitten leaves or new?
But by week 2, I knew we had a winner and I snapped a picture before applying one more light spraying and then waiting another 2 weeks.
Look at this beautiful, healthy basil plant!
There’s a bug-bite here and there, but I can live with that (and we organic gardeners do, often, a-hem), but most of the new growth is blemish-free and I’ve started harvesting and making our not-so-secret-ingredient frugal pesto to freeze.
2. Almost Dead Basil
Now, I had to share this with you as well, even though the photos were not taken in great light. The plant on the left, above, was the worst of the three basils – stunted beyond anything I had seen with every growing tip eaten off and the remaining leaves were hard and leathery.
It was so bad I actually did dig it up and was just about to drop it in the compost (which I probably would’ve done if I hadn’t been planning on sharing this with you all, ha!), but at the last minute I planted it in an empty spot out in the main garden, spraying it with the garlic-mint spray.
And while it took longer to rebound, I took the photo on the right just a few days ago, hardly believing what I was seeing.
Is this stuff a miracle worker, or what? I should probably mention, too, that when I applied it the first time, we got a ton of rain the following week and I was sure it wasn’t going to work.
Garden M-I-R-A-C-L-E.
3. Trump Vine Damage
And, you can probably see where this is going (should I have saved all the afters for the end? I was just too excited to share with you!) but here we have a reminder of the trumpet vine damage.
This insect (I still don’t know what – I’ve never seen anything so it must be nocturnal) ate leaves like other bugs, but seemed to zero in on the new growing tips, which is a sure way to kill a plant.
And now the vine is growing like trumpet vines are supposed to (that would be out-of-control, for those not familiar with trumpet vines, ha!), full of lovely leaves and new growing tips.
I think this thing has grown 3 feet in just a couple weeks, that’s how much the insects had stunted it.
All Natural Insect Spray Video (with even more examples)
How to Make A Natural Insect Spray for Plants
So, are you dying to know what is in the spray and how to make it?
It’s super easy and uses easy-to-find (or grow) ingredients – I created it by combining a couple of sources, none of which had a clear ‘recipe’ (I credited one source above) so I’m writing it out for you so you can make it whenever you need it (see recipe card below for exact measurements).
- Use a food processor or blender to grind up fresh mint and a LOT of garlic.
- Transfer the mixture to a large stockpot with 12 cups of water and some cayenne.
- Boil, remove from heat and let sit overnight.
- STRAIN with a fine-mesh strainer into a couple spray bottles or large gallon garden sprayer – add a couple squirts of biodegradable dish soap.
That’s it! Shake well before using and spray all over and under the plant’s leaves one time. See how the plant responds after a week or two and reapply if needed (I only need a couple applications before the plant is strong enough to withstand the bugs).
I’m so happy to share this with you because I think you’re going to love it as much as I do!
Oh, and the mint? It makes this smell good – no yucky concoction here for you to suffer through (Update: some commenters have said the garlic-pepper part did bother them, so when you’re boiling, use adequate ventilation.)
Testimonials and FAQs
Don’t forget to read the Testimonials & FAQ where you’ll find answers to the most common asked questions as well as results from those who’ve used it!
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Natural Insect Spray for Plants Recipe
Tools
- Food Processor
- Large Stockpot
- Strainer
- Spray Bottles
Materials
- 2 whole HEADS garlic, cloves separated and peeled
- 3 cups mint leaves and stems, too – I just throw it all in now
- 2 teaspoons dry cayenne pepper
- 12 cups water
- 2 small squirts of biodegradable dishwashing liquid
Instructions
- Add the garlic and mint to a food processor and pulse for a few seconds.
- Transfer mixture to a large pot and add the cayenne and 12c. water.
- Bring to a boil; remove from heat and let sit overnight.
- Strain into a couple spray bottles (or gallon garden sprayer) and add the two small squirts of dish soap.
- To Use:
- Shake well before each use.
- Spray all the leaves on affected plants, including the undersides – preferably on a cloudy day so as not to burn the plants.
- Wait a few days to see the effect and then apply more if needed (many times I’ve only needed to do one application)
Video
Notes
Please do not kill the Bees they are very important to our food
This is a repelling spray, Lila! We have bee hives on our acre and they are not harmed – we love our bees. 🙂
Will it work for leafminers? I’ve had horrible trouble with leafminers the last 3 summers. Usually they attack primarily the pepper leaves (although mature onion blossoms seemed to attract the parasitice wasps that get rid of them 🙂 ), but now they are going crazy on my squash plants. Worst part is since we have no frost here, they never really go away, even in the winter. My pepper plants from last year had no leaves (3 of the 5 died) until the onion plants flowered
I don’t think this will work on leafminers, Amber. This is a repelling spray – I think you’d need a neem oil or something like that to kill them or interrupt their life-cycle.
I’ve tried been oil. It worked for cucumber beetles, but it has never had an effect on leafminers
Here goes nothing! My strawberries need a little help. My herb beds, on the other hand, have been pretty much left intact. So, I have done a preemptive strike on all of it, to include a bit of the grassy area around the bed. I’m just hoping that it’s not over kill.
Let us know how it goes!
Do you have a recommended “biodegradeable dishwashing liquid.” There are so many types and want to make sure I get the correct one.
Thanks
I’ve used Seventh Generation, Mrs. Meyers, and Dr. Bronner’s soaps over the years, Amanda, and they’re all good!
Does it matter the kind of mint? I have spearmint available.
I’ve used both spearmint and peppermint, Kim – either works!
Where can you store this?
I store it in our garden shed. It loses it’s potency after 2-4 weeks, so I’m wondering about storing it in the fridge for longer storage, though I haven’t yet.
How long will the spray keep?
It’s starts losing it’s potency after a couple weeks (I just keep it in the garden shed – maybe it would last longer refrigerated?), so I try to use it within that time frame.
No one can argue with photo proof 🙂 I usually do it with boiling hot peppers, but that is kind of dangerous, because it is too strong and you should only apply while it’s shady or night, and that’s just a really small amount because it may burn the plant’s foliage. I think I like your solution more. Will be sure to give it a try. Thank you, Jami 🙂
Thank you for this! I just made a batch last night and the house smells amazing! Can’t wait to spray and keep the spiders off my basil!
I will create this spray. Let’s see what happens. Then I will report back my observation. Thanks!
Great recipe! I like the idea of incorporating mint and cayenne! If I don’t use the whole batch after I make it any idea how long I can store it? Thanks!
The longer it sits, the less potent I’ve found it to be, Matthew. That said, I’ve used some that has sat for 2-3 weeks and seemed to work good.
Can you use spearmint instead of mint? I have spearmint that has taken over my rock wall, grows in between the blackberries, and generally is a nuisance. I pull up lots of it when I get a chance, but it keeps coming back. Reminds me of bamboo, which one of my friends made the mistake of planting.
Yes, you can use any type of strong mint.
Tried this today on everything in my garden, I hope it works! Earwigs and pill bugs are a big problem as well as the bugs I can’t see! I have the beer traps out, but they still are chomping away at the basil, lettuce, beans, cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes. I hope to win this battle!
Let us know how it works for you!
The first time I read this I thought it said bear traps LOL
What kind of biodegradable soap do you usually use?
I use either Seventh Generation or Mrs. Meyers, Brianna.
Does this work on fig trees? I have ants on mine. I read in the comments to place some cinnamon powder around the base of the plant, but wanted to know since no one’s mentioned fruit trees. Thanks.
I haven’t tried that, Jamie – not sure if the smell would repel ants or not. Maybe run a test?
I’m excited to try this. I think it will work to repel the deer that like to eat everything I have planted and spent lots of money on. I know that deer don’t like mint and garlic, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed. I’ll let you know if it works.
That would be fantastic to know, Rhonda – I hope it works!
Oh man, so i just made my first batch of this. I have basil that likes to get eaten, and now i can see my zucchini plants have spots on their leaves, similar to the basil. I just gotta say, making this in an apartment, will stink up the place. So leave a window open, and make sure you don’t look over the pot/get steam in your eyes. I’ll post next week to let you know how it turned out!
Thanks for the recipe!
Jami,
Thank you so much for answering everyone questions. I’m going to try your recipe this year. We are in Northern California, way north, and if there’s a bug well… we have it. Last year we planted broccoli and ended up pulling them out due to Harlin bugs which I have never seen before. In addition we have rats, mice, gophers, cats, bunnies. So this sound like the prefect spray. I really hope it works on grasshoppers too. Happy gardening.
Wow, I hope so, too – it sounds like you’re in a battle! 😉
Jami,
Yes we are! The soil here is not good, too far from the river. Nice rock hard red dirt, so we garden in raised beds. The temperature can get 114 during the summer.
The garden is always a challenge but it’s worth every effort we put into it. For both the produce and the state of mind we get from it. Nothing like getting your hands dirty and sharing it with your grandchildren.
Thank you for this bug recipe, I’m going to try it for aphids. We seem to have so many right now. Why do you bring it to the boil? I’m wondering if I need do that. Might just try it raw. What do you think? Many thanks for your help.
The boiling and letting it sit helps infuse the water with the spices and herbs. You could probably do it raw, but it won’t be as potent.
Can this spray be used on rose bushes? I would love to use my rose petals for soap, but don’t know if it will work on roses.
I’ve used it with good success on roses, Rhonda, spraying mainly the leaves. You only need to spray a couple times for the bugs to leave, so the petals of the flowers shouldn’t have any residue.