Home brew
25 August 2011
Foolproof fixes
Home brew
Are you sick and tired of your plants being attacked by creepy crawlies? I bet you feel that trying to catch them is like running a race at the Olympics, every time you go out to inspect, they’ve beaten you to the plants.
Instead of spraying them with chemical insecticides, give them a does of my favourite spice. It’s not only great in the cooking, it’s even better at stopping caterpillars and grubs crawling up and down plant stems and tree trunks.
Making garlic Oil
Ingredients
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup water
1 garlic clove
1 paintbrush
1 glass
Method
Pour boiled water into a bowl. Crush the garlic clove and add it to the water. Leave to sit overnight, covering with a plate or lid. The next day, strain out the garlic chunks.
Pour the vegetable oil and garlic water into a small bucket and mix well. Apply the garlic oil using a paintbrush. Stroke the trunk of plants in an up-and-down motion, going as close to the ground as possible.
Apply garlic oil to the plant’s trunk or stem once a week to stop caterpillars and grubs in their tracks.
Tip
If leaf damage is evident, use a spray bottle to apply over the foliage to control caterpillars
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