How to make garlic spray for plants as organic garden pest control

Uses & Benefits of using garlic spray in a tropical organic garden:

• natural anti-fungal agent
• Natural Pesticide
• Natural anti-bacterial agent

Pepper

kang kong



White flies on my kang kong leaves



Watermelon. Note the brown leaf in the top right.

To make garlic spray for the garden, you will need:

• 3-4 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp mineral oil
• 1 pint water
• 1 tsp liquid soap such as dishwashing liquid (to break down bodies of aphids and other soft bodied garden pests. Bleach free)
• Blender
• A strainer
• Storage container with a secure lid
• A spray bottle

Instructions for making garlic spray for an organic garden

1. Mince garlic
2. Combine garlic with oil
3. Allow the garlic and oil mixture to stand for 24 hours before straining. (I usually throw away the pith. BTW, oils are unsuitable for the composting process).
4. Add water and soap
5. Store
6. To use, shake well and combine 2 tbsp of the mixture with 1 pint of water. Spray over the foliage. Whenever possible, apply on the underside of leaves to extend the period during which the spray remains on the leaves in spite of rain.

Beware

• Organic garden garlic spray is a non selective insecticide.
• Did you know that aliums are not good for dogs? Garlic may be toxic for dogs if eaten. (Onions is more toxic and has been related to dog fatality). Although garlic spray is not eaten by dogs, I worry that it may still be absorbed by dogs and would therefore be careful when / if dogs are around. 

Observations and noteworthy points

• My aubergine (aka eggplant) plants were transformed overnight. Literally! The plants became very healthy and highly productive after using garlic spray. I saw a similar transformation with my dwarf lime tree.
• Spraying on the underside of pepper leaves has made a huge transformation to their health and survivability in my personal experience. I do not see all of the horrible white and black mass building up on the underside of the leaves when I keep on top of the spraying. 
• The most drastic distress signs in my garden may be with the cucurbits (zucchinis, cucumbers, pumpkins, watermelons and so on). The otherwise green leaves turned white, ashy or brown and looked like brittle paper. As for fruit production, apart from being fewer, the fruits were oddly shaped. I found that using garlic spray (along with pepper spray for voracious caterpillars and baking soda spray) was the only way that I could extend the life of these plants. Unfortunately, unlike the other plants, I need to keep on top of spraying just to keep the cucurbits alive. So I have lost these plants.
• Tomato plants responded well but not as drastically as did the aubergine / eggplant plants or lime tree.
• I have also used garlic spray on kang kong with good results.

Just on a pretty note, I have planted marigolds in my garden. Apart from their beauty, their strong scent is also a form of natural pest control. I do not think that I have enough of these wonderful plants in my garden currently.


Marigolds are a natural form of pest control for a tropical organic garden

Other homemade sprays for organic gardens

• Pepper spray for the garden
• Baking soda spray for plants
• Epsom salt spray for plants



Salad greens from my tropical organic garden

Sometimes, I walk through the garden just for the heck of it. Doing this brings me immense joy.
So although my organic kitchen garden is quite modest in comparison to those of more seasoned kitchen gardeners, I deem it worthy of a celebration today.

Dill emerging over the cluster of salad bowl greens like fireworks.

Arugula

*** BUY TROPICAL SEEDS ***

Arugula looking up (at the dill flower fireworks?)

Beautiful red veined beet greens, Italian parsley and oregano. Beet greens taste a lot like the root.

Kang kong dancing in the wind

 

Why I grow kang kong

My kang kong seed germination experiment (part 1)

My kang kong seed germination experiment (part 2 - results)

How I grow kang kong from seed

My kang kong one month old seedling update

Kang kong pests & organic pest control

Water cress

Tender Pak Choy leaves

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Kang kong in my tropical organic garden - Seedling update

This is an update on my kang kong seedlings. I am so proud! You will remember that, about a month ago, I planted some kang kong seeds.

I placed this kang kong plant on an East facing patio. It came from batch 2 of my kang kong seed germination experiment. You may remember that I soaked the seeds overnight and then sowed them in a regular seedling plant pot the next morning.
 

My kang kong plant after about 1 month after the seeds were sowed. This particular plant is now on an East-facing patio. The plant pot sits in a saucer that holds quite a lot of water. I ensure that that never goes dry since kang kong loves wet conditions ... and it has been particularly hot and dry lately.

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Since kang kong plants love very wet conditions ... and this is the dry season in my already very hot tropical garden, I chose its pot because its saucer is sufficiently deep to act as a water reservoir. This should work well because my kang kong seedlings can get water whenever they need it. I never allow the planting medium (soil less potting mix) to get dry. Every morning, I make sure that I could see a little water in the saucer.



The saucer of my kang kong acts like a water reservoir. Kang kong plants love very wet conditions and should never be allowed to dry out.

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LINKS ABOUT GROWING KANG KONG IN TROPICAL ORGANIC GARDENS

• Benefits of growing kang kong
• My kang kong seed germination experiment - Part 1 (Sowing seeds) 
• My kang kong seed germination experiment - Part 2 (results)
• How I grew these kang kong seedlings (in the photos above) from seed
• Grow plants like this in a DIY Self Watering Plant Container
• Kang kong pests & organic pest control
• Blog introduction to my tropical organic garden

*** BUY TROPICAL SEEDS ***

Garden update: Difference between kang kong plants in partial tropical sun and kang kong plants in full tropical sun (Pending)

How I grow gotu kola from seed in my tropical organic garden

As you will remember from my experience with germinating kang kong seeds, I tried 2 different methods. For the gotu kola seeds, I did something similar since gotu kola also likes very wet conditions. 

However, I did not soak the seeds overnight and did not put either of them in direct sunlight.

See details below.

NAMES:

Gotu kola; longevity herb; pennywort; centella asitica

HEALTH BENEFITS OF GOTU KOLA INCLUDE:

Anti-inflammatory; antiviral; antibacterial, a mild adaptogen (ie gotu kola is a regulator that may enhance the body's ability to better avert harm by appropriately adapting to variable environmental factors); a cerebral / brain tonic; a circulatory stimulant & may help to better control anxiety and hypertension.

This is what I am hoping to achieve - healthy looking gotu kola leaves.

 

 

HOW I GROW GOTU KOLA

Date I sowed gotu kola seeds: 31 March 2012. I took this photo on 1 April 2012.

Germination container for my gotu kola seeds: This container does not have drainage holes at the bottom. I chose to do this since gotu kola plants like very wet conditions and its soil should never be allowed to dry out.

Date I sowed gotu kola seeds: 31 March 2012

Germination container for my gotu kola seeds: Unlike the photo above, this container has drainage holes at the bottom. However, it is sitting on the ever moist soil of my kang kong planter. (The kang kong planter has a saucer that always has water. That water can be wicked up whenever the plant needs water. Both kang kong and gotu kola like very wet, swamp conditions.) This planter is really a recycled food container that I might have tossed.

How & why I grow kang kong from seed in my tropical organic garden

As my kang kong seed germination experiment showed, there are different ways in which kang kong seeds could be germinated.

However, an abriged version of best germination practices for my tropical organic garden is below.




Kang kong seeds

NAMES

Kang kong; Water spinach; Chinese spinach; Water morning glory; Swamp cabbage; Bamboo leaf; Ipomoea aquatica; River spinach; Pak bong; Phak bung; Water concolvulus

WHY KANG KONG?

kangkong is ideal for raw food diets; Kang kong is great for treating diabetes since it lowers glucose levels and inhibits the absorption rate of glucose; Kang kong is great for encouraging probiotic growth (in the ease out period of a cleanse program); Nutritionally similar to spinach; Kang kong may reduce hypertension; Kang kong may even remove heavy metals from polluted water ways (This suggests to me that kang kong may have a similar healthful effect on heavy metals in my body.) Useful for pregnant women needing an iron boost.

To sow and germinate kang kong seeds:

1. Put a kang kong seed in luke warm water and allow to soak overnight
2. Fully dampen potting mix in a small plant pot
3. Sow a single kang kong seed into a hole that is 1 inch deep. Back fill the hole.
4. Always keep the potting mix moist (because kang kong plants thrive in very wet conditions).
5. Place the germination pot in a sunny location. My kang kong seedling pots were in full bright and hot tropical sun. However, I made sure that the potting mix never got dry. (I sowed my first and second batches of kang kong seeds in mid to late February. The wet season may be a better sowing time).
6. Wait for the seeds to germinate! My kang kong seedlings started out by resembling 2-pronged forks. (This is the nerve wracking part! My thoughts were: "I'm only seeing dirt!" ... then ... "Is that kang kong ... or a weed?" "Hooray! My kang kong seeds have all germinated!" ... "They all germinated but how will I handle all these fast growing kang kong plants!")

See me sow the kang kong seeds. I will be giving updates on how the plants grow. (One month old kang kong seedling update).

Please share your kang kong growing experiences. Subscribe to keep updated with not only my progress but also to see about other (tropical) organic gardeners' experiences with kang kong.

LINKS ABOUT GROWING KANG KONG IN TROPICAL ORGANIC GARDENS

• • My kang kong seed germination experiment - Part 1 (Sowing seeds)
  • My kang kong seed germination experiment - Part 2 (Results)
  • Grow grow seed with a high germination rate. See examples of growing favorites like moringa, mango, citrus fruits and more.
  • How I grow kang kong from seed
  • My kang kong one month old seedling update
  • Kang kong pests & organic pest control
  • Garden update: Difference between kang kong plants in partial tropical sun and kang kong plants in full tropical sun (Pending)
  • Blog introduction to my tropical organic garden

Kang kong seed germination experiment - Part 2 (Results)

This is a 2-video update on my kang kong seed germination experiment. All 4 seeds germinated into healthy seedlings. However, the second set of kang kong seeds germinated sooner after their sowing date. This difference was roughly 1 week sooner. Despite this time difference, all of the seedlings look healthy. I suppose that people in sub-tropical and temporate countries will be more concerned with the difference of 1 week because of their short growing season!

VIDEO: Kang kong batch 2 seeds germinated first. See batch 2 kang kong seedlings (versus ungerminated batch 1 kang kong batch).

VIDEO: All kang kong seeds germinated. Comparing growth among kang kong seedlings.

My next experiment involves putting one plant onto a patio that gets only direct sun light during the morning while the other gets direct sun light all day.

MORE ABOUT MY KANG KONG SEED GERMINATION EXPERIMENT (Moon phases)

I know that this was an imperfect experiment, arguably because of different planting dates and plant container dimensions. It would be interesting to retry this experiment. However, my current reservation is that I will have more plants than garden space to put them. I can not bear watching plants die if there are no 'adoptive parents'. Besides, although I have noticed a huge difference in the plant growth between the 2 sets, they both produced healthy kang kong plants.

Regarding the planting dates, the kang kong seeds in the self-watering plant container were planted 1 week before the other set. (Unfortunately, at the time that I germinated these kang kong / water spinach seeds, I did not keep precise date records except that I can say that the dates were during late February 2012. I was counting the days as opposed to marking the dates. I now recognize that lunar phases might impact on germination rates).

As seen in the video and image above, the plant container dimensions differed. The batch 1 kang kong seeds were sowed in an old yogurt containers while batch 2 seeds were sown in 3-inch plant pots. I do not know whether these differences are noteworthy. Frankly, I do not think so. However, I know that proper garden experimentation should have given the same experience to both batches of kang kong seeds.




 

LINKS FOR MORE ABOUT KANG KONG

• Benefits of growing kang kong
• My kang kong seed germination experiment (part 1)
• My kang kong one month old seedling update
• Kang kong pests & organic pest control


• Blog introduction to my tropical organic garden
• How I grow kang kong from seed
• More tropical organic gardening videos on Youtube

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Kang kong seed germination experiment in my tropical organic garden - Part 1 (sowing seeds)

I did a very rough experiment with 2 sets of kang kong / water spinach seeds to see which of 2 different conditions would have a faster and more successful germination rate. I had bought both sets of kang kong seeds from the same source at the same time, germinated them in soil-less potting mix and placed them in full tropical sun.

Kang kong seeds - Batch 1:

February 21, 2012. Without pre-germination treatment, I placed the kang kong seeds into a makeshift version of my DIY self watering plant container (see video below).

Kang kong seeds - 2:

I soaked the kang kong seeds overnight in luke warm water before placing them into a regular seedling container with drainage holes and a shallow saucer.

Video: Kang kong seed germination in self-watering container

 

Kang kong seeds germinated successfully in a makeshift version of my DIY Self Watering plant Container. Unlike the other set of seeds, these kang kong seeds were not soaked overnight in water To my surprise, these kang kong seeds germinated 1 week slower than the other set.

Video: Kang kong seed germination in potting mix after overnight soaking

Kang kong seeds germinated successfully in this regular seedling container. However, I soaked the kang kong seeds overnight in water at room temperature before putting them in damp soil less potting mix. Although these kang kong were started 1 week after the other set (in the makeshift version of my DIY Self Watering plant Container), these seeds germinated 1 week before the others. I was surprised.

If you like this information and our Youtube videos, please support us

Subscribe



 

LINKS FOR MORE ABOUT KANG KONG

• Benefits of growing kang kong
• My kang kong seed germination experiment (part 2 - results of the experiment on this page)
• How I grow kang kong from seed
• My kang kong one month old seedling update
• Kang kong pests & organic pest control
• How to make a DIY Self Watering Plant Container
• Blog introduction to my tropical organic garden

Subscribe for kang kong updates