There are tons of gardening concoctions being promoted online these days — including baby shampoo, instant tea, and whiskey — that are said to help you grow the best garden ever. Those claims are pretty far-fetched, but there are a few organic solutions you can make at home that actually work, and not one of them requires that you pour whiskey on your plants.
TOMATO LEAF SPRAY FOR PEST CONTROL: Soak 2 cups of chopped tomato leaves in 2 cups of water overnight. Strain the liquid the next day and discard the leaves. Add 2 more cups of water to the mixture and spray it on your plants.
GARLIC OIL SPRAY FOR INSECTS: Put 3-4 cloves of minced garlic into 2 teaspoons of mineral oil. Let the mixture sit overnight, then strain out the garlic. Add the oil to one pint of water and add one teaspoon of biodegradable dish soap. Dilute the mixture when you use it by adding 2 tablespoons of the garlic oil to one pint of water. Insects will hate it.
CITRUS RINDS AS SLUG TRAPS: Place citrus peels on the ground if you are plagued by slugs. They’ll be gone before you know it.
MILK FOR FUNGUS: Mix a spray of 40% milk and 60% water and spray it on both sides of leaves affected by fungus. The milk works just as well as fungicides at preventing powdery mildew. It does, however, need to be reapplied regularly.
VINEGAR AND SALT FOR WEEDS: Mix 1 gallon of white vinegar with 1 cup of salt. To make sure it sticks to the surface of the weeds, add 1 tablespoon of dishwasher soap to the solution. CAUTION: This will kill any plant it comes in contact with, so keep it away from other plants and your lawn.
