This is a very very tricky thing to discuss. Everybody has their own philosophy on what can be used and what cannot. I am still very new to this field. So please don’t take the advice I give without testing it out for yourself.
The gardener gave me a product called
Mikboost – Produced by Milkens Bio, it is said to be an excellent plant grown booster derived from natural substances through fermentation process.(whatever that means)
Mikmine – This one is also produced by Milkens Bio, it is specifically for leaf miner. Leaf miner is this Picasso of a bug that makes pretty designs on leaves. Now I don’t mind designer leaves, but these affected leaves wither and die after a while. That’s not cool. And I wanted to get rid of them. Mikmine seems to help since I haven’t had much trouble with leaf miners after that.
I believe in good faith that these are organic pesticides and fertilizers since their website says so. But if you are very fussy about not using anything artificial, here are some things you can do.
- Neem oil – I use a tablespoon of neem oil in half a liter of water in a spray bottle and spray liberally. Add a little detergent so that the neem oil spreads in the water and does not float on top.
- Marigolds – You should try this. Try growing marigolds near your vegetables and the number of pests come down drastically. I was growing some beans once and the leaves were wilting and diseased very soon. For the next batch, I planted marigolds beside it. The leaves are quite healthy and the yield better. Bugs and bees are attracted to the yellow color. The plant also has a very strong smell that repels insects.
Go ahead and try these little pretty flowers. They make your garden bright, and also keep away pests.
3. Banana peels – I was told by an awesome gardener neighbor that the water from banana peels soaked for a day can be used as pesticides. If you soak them for 3 days, you can dilute the water and use it as fertilizer. I’ve tried it once. They don’t stink. In fact, the vessel smells faintly like wine.
4. Neem cakes – Not tried, though I have a small bag of neem cakes waiting. Will get to it soon and post the results here.
Love for Gardening 