Anise to Citrus Plants for Pest Control

see Making your own Herbal Preps for more info

Most of these you can grow yourself! We are constantly expanding this list with every printing. You can make the preparation suggested or you can obtain from the herbal store. Everything mentioned here has been used by The Invisible Gardener in his services.

Anise
To repel pests make an infusion, allow to sit for an hour add a dash of Tabasco and a natural Peppermint soap to increase effectiveness. Discourages most chewing insects and caterpillars. Decoctions and Tinctures provide most protection to vegetable plants. Extracts should be used with care as it will repel beneficials also. A good synergist. Easier to buy anise oil.

Sugar Apple
Use the seeds, leaves and roots3 to make an extract. Highly toxic to most insects. Dry and grind to a powder. Add « cup to 4 cups boiling water. Allow to sit overnight. Strain.

Azalea
Dried flowers can be used as a dust, or infusion. A contact and stomach poison. Avoid use on vegetables.

Balm
When used will repel aphids, ants, and most insects since balm has few pests which like to eat it. Balm oil and Peppermint oil make a powerful repellent. A good synergist. Balm is easy to get at your drug store , etc.

Basil or Sweet Basil Oil
Is very effective against many insects from mosquito larvae to house flies. An effective synergist to pyrethrum and tobacco. Use 1 oz...5. per gallon for infusion. Experiment. Extracts are very powerful. Add a dash of Tabasco and soap. Also effective as an infusion, decoction. Effective against borers, and most caterpillars. Use with a little Tabasco and soap. Make an infusion. Oil, is also available. Avoid on fruits and vegetables.

Beer
Beer is a fermented process which is produced from the hops plants. Fermented products are treated differently then you might think by the plant kingdom. It is the fermentation process which converts energy to the plants in the form of readily available sugars, and minerals. I would suggest that you experiment with the strength since lawns require a different strength then say roses or your vegetable garden, ie... The main problem I have with most beers is the chemicals which are in most mass produced beers. There are over 72 different chemicals in beer! From pesticides to colors to anti foaming to foaming agents. Nothing organic here! So I would suggest that you make it yourself for your own use and make some extra for your plants!

Beet Juice
When mixed with Tabasco sauce will effectively repel most flying insects. Controls many diseases.

Borage Oil
or infusion will control many leaf eating insects and will repel many.

Cocoa Butter or Coconut Oil
Makes a perfect synergist for many plants. You can also use sun tan oil made from coco butter6. Use only a small amount to start with. Try one tablespoon per gallon. Experiment! These oils will kill many different types of insects both pests and beneficials so be careful when using! Will kill soft-bodied insects.
Make solar tea from dried leaves and flowers (see appendix on preparing solar teas). Add one cup of dried leaves or flowers into the leg of some panty hose., and place into a one-gallon glass container. Add distilled or filtered or spring water, and one tablespoon melted cocoa butter, coconut oil or the tan lotion mentioned, per gallon of solar tea. Add  one cup Agri-Gro or any liquid seaweed like my Superseaweed, per gallon. Add one drop natural soap (such as any natural Peppermint soap or OrangeTKO), depending on the insect that it is to be used against. Add a dash of Tabasco sauce to increase effectiveness. Test first for strength.
You can make solar tea out of Peppermint and Spearmint, and herb teas such as Lemon grass, Citrus and Lipton tea. Start by placing 1 cup dried herb into panty hose. Tie into a ball. Place into 1 gallon glass container. Add 10 drops Superseaweed or « cup seaweed powder per gallon and 1 drop natural soap and a dash of Tabasco sauce or any other of the hot sauces mentioned in this book. Place in sun for two to three hours. Strain. Add to sprayer and use on plants. Experiment with various strengths, length on time in sun, etc. Experiment with different types of herb's and other hot products and keep notes on the effectiveness of your different mixtures. If you find something that works better than anything mentioned here, please send it to me for possible inclusion in the next revision. Wash off all fruits and vegetables before eating!

Cabbage
Leaves can be used to attract aphids to traps. Add a dash of Tabasco( or other hot sauces) soap. Allow leaves to simmer in water.

Canna Family
Tuberous rootstocks, broad leaves and showy flowers. The dried leaves and stems contain an insecticide that is as strong as pyrethrum on most insects we tried it on. A dash of Tabasco (or other hot sauce) soap will increase effectiveness.
Caraway

Creates strong repellent against chewing insects. An infusion with a dash of Tabasco soap will protect most plants. Test for strength.

Castor Oil
The Castor Bean plant. Beans produce Castor Oil, makes a perfect synergist for pyrethrum and other natural insecticides. Make alcohol concentrate from crushed beans or buy concentrated oil. Use 1 oz. per gallon. Do not use on vegetables or fruits! Best to buy Oil. Use as a spray added to soap. Used for gopher/mole control.

Catnip
Prevents insects from establishing on plants. Prevents worms or caterpillars if sprayed regularly.

Cayenne Pepper
see also peppers, hot sauces Will destroy many insects which are either dusted or sprayed. A good source is Tabasco Sauce. Made from cayenne pepper, vinegar and a dash of salt. Really great. Read the ingredients to make sure that there are no additives or preservatives. All parts of the plant can be used. The powder can be sprinkled around plants. The pepper can be made into an extract. Experiment with different types of peppers.

Celeastraceae
The ThunderGod vine has been used as a common insecticidal plant in southern China for many years. The poison comes from the root bark. Alcoholic extracts of the roots are more toxic. Powdered fresh small roots are toxic to first stage larvae of many varieties of moths as well as to cockroaches. About « as toxic as pyrethrum.

Chamomile
An extract will repel beetles and chewing insects. Add a dash of Tabasco soap. Make a tea for yourself then a second batch for the pests! Easy to make as a tea and use that.

Chenopodiaceae Goosefoot Family
Is used as a general insecticide on many different insects through out the world. Avoid using on fruits and vegetables. Easy to buy as an extract.

American Chestnut
.A tannic acid extract made from the nut, bark and leaves. Proven to be effective against a variety of insects. You can add any part to water. I would suggest that you try 1 cup of leaves in a pot of boiling water. Turn off and allow to steep for 24 hours. Strain and spray straight. Add a dash of soap.

Chile
see peppers

Chives
Use with a natural soap to repel insects. Chive tea any one?

Citronella Oil
Used for centuries as a mosquito repellent, can also be used as a synergist for many natural sprays. Avoid use on Oil based trees, etc. as pine trees). Natrapel repellent is made from citronella oil and aloe. Repels many insects.

Citrus Oil
Contains Limonene. An extract made from citrus peels. Makes an excellent synergist to many natural sprays. Will effectively kill many soft body insects and repels many others. Use only on affected areas. Use not more then 10 drops per gallon of the extract, depending on the pest. Use leaves, flowers, grinds. Many companies on the market with citrus products such as soaps. Citrus or Lime juice can be sprayed on most plants and vegetables. Will control fleas, larvae, and most chewing insects. Citrus soap makes an excellent synergist for most extracts. There are many citrus extracts available on the markets today. Try some of the air fresheners made from citrus. Use only a few drops per gallon. Citrus Oils are powerful extracts, use with care as it will kill off beneficials as well. Citra Solve is a citrus concentrate available at most stores. Try also Jungle Rain, a citrus oil and castle soap.

Coconut Oil
Many parts of this palm can be used. From the leaves to its sap. The easiest part to use is what comes from the nut itself. The oil. This oil is found in many suntan lotions. Read the label. Buy only 100% pure. Coconut oil and soap (coconut oil soap is the best) are a great combination. This oil is safe for humans to use but be careful to use only on specific areas as this oil will kill many insects. Can be used as an excellent synergist to be used against hard shelled insects such as snails, beetles, etc. Extracts can be made using a slow heat method.

Give Pests a Coffee Break?
Coffea Arabica L: Caffeine has several strong chemical compounds that are insecticidal. Soap and Tabasco sauce make an excellent synergist for this plant. Add one to 10 drops per gallon7. Use only natural soaps like Dr. Bronners, Citrus Soap, Herbal soaps, etc. DE also makes an excellent synergist for coffee.
Method #1 Save the unused coffee in a glass gallon container. Use as needed. Can also be fed directly to plants.
Method #2 An effective way to control most insects and also help to provide nutrition is to use your coffee grinds and to make a coffee solar `brew'. This is done by dumping the coffee grinds from the past few days into a panty hose. Next, place it inside a one-gallon wide-mouth glass container of water and allow to sit for 24 hours in the sun.
The next day, add one cup of AgriGro or Superseaweed etc, , per gallon. Also add one drop of any of the natural soaps mentioned. Add 10 drops Superseaweed per gallon, and one tablespoonful of any kind of rock dust plus a dash of Tabasco sauce. This mixture will reduce insects and help to control many more. The mixture should be stirred clockwise for five minutes then counterclockwise for another five minutes before it is strained.
Method #3 Instant Coffee Formula. Add one cup strong instant coffee to a gallon of water. Let sit for 24 hours before adding one drop of bio- degradable soap per gallon and a dash of Hot sauce. Make the mixture as strong as needed, but be careful not to put too much soap in as it could burn the plants. A good rule of thumb for spraying is to spray less. Learn how to use soap. See appendix on soap. Add cup seaweed or 10 drops Superseaweed per gallon.

Compositae
Thistle or Aster Family: Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium. is the plants name which produces pyrethrum. The flowers are dried and the powder is used. To this family belongs Dahlia, coreopsis, marigolds, aster, cosmos, and many others. Harmless to mammals.

Coriander Oil
Makes an excellent repellent. stops most chewing insects. Seeds are ground into a powder. Or you can make an infusion from the plant.

Cucumber Oil
Very strong repellent of worms, ants , fleas, beetles. Seeds are the strongest. Grind into a powder or use as an infusion.9

Curry Oil
Made into a paste painted on trunk of plant to protect from insects and can also be made into a liquid and sprayed. Run through blender till liquified. Strain if you need to. Here are some varieties of curry.
Asian curry- green, matsaman, Panama. red, yellow.............very hot
Indian curry- vindaloo as a paste ...........................very hot
Caribbean curry.................................................... Hot
Jamaican curry powder... ...........................................very hot
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1...Avoid using on fruits and vegetables unless you wash off well.
2...Avoid use on fruits and vegetables otherwise wash off well.
3...The roots being the strongest part of this plant. See appendix for prep of roots.
4...Avoid use on vegetables
5... See appendix for making infusions. 1 oz of Basil Oil per gallon is very strong and effective against most flying insects. Experiment with the strength. Use less whenever possible.
6.....Like Hawaiian Tropic which is made from mineral oil, coconut oil, cocoa butter, aloe, lanolin, eucalyptus oil, plumeria oil, mango oil, guava oil, papaya oil, passion fruit oil, taro oil and kukui oil. Wow!
7....The strength you use depends on the type of plants you are spraying
8....Or any natural seaweed product,
9......Place several chopped cucumbers in a pan of water, bring water to boil and allow to simmer for 1 hour at low heat. Strain into container. Use at 1 cup per gallon water. Sprayed directly onto bugs works best. for 1/2 hour