Pholks, just a few of the garden remedies I use frequently in the garden.
Fungicides are at the top of the list this time of year, and I prefer the equisedum brew, with Nettles for that.
The equisedum, along with it's fungus fightin' capabilities, contains Silica, which increases your plants ability to absorb sunlight!
Homemade Fungicides
Organic Recipe for Mildew
1 tbspn. Baking Soda
1 tbspn. Olive Oil
1 tbspn. Liquid Coconut oil soap (such as Dr. Bonners Pure Castille Soap)
1 gallon water
Non-Organic Spray Formula: Mix into one gallon of water, in the order listed:
1 tbsp. of mild dishwashing soap (such as Palmolive or Ivory)
2 tbsp. of ultrafine horticultural oil (such as
*Sunspray™ oil)
1 heaping tbsp. of baking soda
1 tbsp. of fish oil/seaweed emulsion
3-5 drops of
*Superthrive®
Apple Cider Vinegar Fungicide: For leafspot, mildew, and scab
Mix 3 tablespoons of cider vinegar (5% acidity) with one gallon water and spray in the morning on infested plants.
Baking Soda Spray: for anthracnose, early tomato blight, leaf blight and spots, powdery mildew, and as a general fungicide Sodium bicarbonate commonly known as baking soda has been found to posses fungicidal properties. It is recommended for plants that already have powdery mildew to hose down all the infected leaves prior to treatment. This helps to dislodge as many of the spores as possibly to help you get better results. Use as a prevention or as treatment at first signs of any of the diseases.
To make: Mix 1 tablespoon baking soda, 2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil with one gallon of water. Shake this up very thoroughly. To this mix add 1/2 teaspoon of pure castille soap and spray. Be sure to agitate your sprayer while you work to keep the ingredients from separating. Cover upper and lower leaf surfaces and spray some on the soil. Repeat every 5-7 days as needed.
Chive Spray: For preventing apple scab and downy mildew on cucumber, pumpkin and zucchini.
To make: Put a bunch of chopped chives in a heat proof glass container, cover with boiling water. Let this sit until cool, strain and spray as often as two to three times a week.
Compost and Manure Teas: Many people have success with manure tea keeping blight and other pathogens away from plant. Soak the area around plants and use as a foliar spray. Do not use on seedlings as it may encourage damping-off disease.
To Make: Fill a 30 gallon trash can with water. Let sit for 24 hours to evaporate the additives (use rain water if you can). Add about 4 shovelfuls of manure to this and cover. Let it sit for 2-3 weeks, stirring once a day. Strain and apply as needed.
Various manures supply nutrients as follows:
Chicken manure: nitrogen rich. Use for heavy feeders such as corn, tomatoes and squash.
Cow Manure: contains potash, use for root crops.
Rabbit manure: promotes strong leaves and stems.
Horse manure: leaf development.
Compost Tea: Make and use just the same as you would the manure tea. This is another terrific reason to compost all those prunings, grass clipping and kitchen wastes.
Corn and Garlic Spray Fungus Preventative: This blend is surprisingly potent preventative spray to protect your plants.
To make: Gather a handful of corn leaves, clematis leaves (any kind) and as much of the paper like outer leaves of garlic as you can. Process thoroughly in a blender. Then mix with sufficient water to make a thin liquid. Let sit for an hour, strain and spray on plants as a preventative.
Garlic Oil Fungicide Spray: For leaf spot and mildews
To make: Combine 3 ounces of minced garlic cloves with 1 ounce of mineral oil. Let soak for 24 hours or longer. Strain. Next mix 1 teaspoon of fish emulsion with 16 ounces of water. Add 1 tablespoon of castille soap to this. Now slowly combine the fish emulsion water with the garlic oil. Kept in a sealed glass container this mixture will stay viable for several months. To use: Mix 2 tablespoons of garlic oil with 1 pint of water and spray.
Horseradish Tea: You can also make a tea from horseradish roots to use as a preventative spray for fungal diseases. This is especially useful against brown rot in apple trees. The white flesh of the horseradish root also contains significant amounts of calcium, magnesium and vitamin C.
To make: Process one cup of roots in food processor till finely chopped. Combine this with 16 ounces of water in a glass container and let soak for 24 hours. Strain liquid, discard the solids. Now mix the liquid with 2 quarts of water and spray.
Milk for Mildew
Milk with its' natural enzymes and simple sugar structures can be used to combat various mildews on cucumber, asters, tomato, squash and zinnia foliage. Use a 50/50 mixture of milk and water. Thoroughly spray plants every 3 to 4 days at first sign of mildews or use as a preventative measure.
Milk can also be mixed at a rate of 2 ounces milk to 18 ounces of water and used as a spray every 7 to 10 days to treat for fungal diseases on cucumber, tomato and lettuce.
Tomato Protective Spray
Antitranspirants protect the plant surface against disease spores and perhaps provides a barrier against insect feeding that may help prevent the spread of disease. The skim milk provides the tomato plant with calcium. A calcium deficiency is common in tomato plants. Antitranspirants can be used to protect many plants against bacterial disease before they attack. They are harmless and will not block the pores of the plant tissue.
To make: Mix 1/2 teaspoon of antitranspirant (like Cloudcover, Wiltpruf etc.) with 8 ounces of skim milk, and 1 gallon of water. Spray plants. Clean out your sprayer when done and flush with fresh water.
NOTE: an equivalent of prepared powdered milk may be substituted for the skim milk.
Removing leaves on the lower portion of the plant may help lessen contact with disease spores and certainly won't hurt the plant.
Chamomile Spray: Chamomile tea is an excellent preventative for damping-off. Use on seed starting soil, seedlings and in any humid planting area. Chamomile is a concentrated source of calcium, potash and sulfur. The sulfur is a fungus fighter. This can also be used as a seed soak prior to planting.
To make: Pour 2 cups boiling water over 1/4 cup chamomile blossoms. Let steep until cool and strain into a spray bottle. Use as needed. This keeps for about a week before going rancid. Spray to prevent damping off and anytime you see any fuzzy white growth on the soil. Chamomile blossoms can be purchased at health food stores and usually grocery stores.
Seaweed Spray: Seaweed spray is rich in nutrients and minerals. It provides protection from many fungal diseases and can be used to prevent damping-off.
To Make: Use 2/3 cup of kelp or seaweed concentrate to 1 gallon of water, spray.
Horsetail Tea (Equisetum arvense)
The common horsetail plant, which is very invasive, is rich in silica and helps plants to resist fungal diseases and can be used to increase plants light absorbing capabilities. Use on most plants to combat powdery fungi, and on vegetables and roses to control mildew. You can use this on seedlings and plants in greenhouses. May prevent damping off.
To make: In a glass or stainless steel pot, mix 1/8 cup of dried leaves in 1 gallon of unchlorinated water. Bring to a boil, then let simmer for at least 1/2 hr. Cool and strain. Store extra concentrate in a glass container. Will keep for a month. Dilute this mix, adding 5-10 parts of unchlorinated water to one part concentrate. Spray plants that show any symptoms of fungal type disease once every 4 days. Spray your seed starting mixtures to prevent damping off.
Elder spray
This kills aphids, small caterpillars and is useful as a fungicide for mildew and blackspot on roses. The toxic agent is hydrocyanic acid, so in preparing the spray use an old saucepan.
Gather 1 lb. leaves and young stems of elder preferably in spring when the sap is rising. Place in the saucepan and add 6 pts. water. Boil for half an hour, topping up as necessary. Strain through old tights and use the liquid cold and undiluted. It will keep for three months if bottled tightly while still hot.
Rhubarb spray
The oxalic acid in rhubarb leaves is a safe control agent for aphids, particularly those on roses. Cut llb rhubarb leaves, place in an old saucepan with 2 pts. water and boil for half an hour, topping up as necessary. When cool, add ldsp soap flakes dissolved in l/2 pt. warm water. This acts as the wetting agent when added to the strained rhubarb liquid. Stir the mixture thoroughly and use undiluted as a spray.
*Not all of these recipes should be considered organic.
