GARDENING: ORGANIC PEST CONTROL TO THE RESCUE
Q. I am 13 years old and have come to know the importance of growing fresh food using organic methods and am now trying to convince my grandparents not to use any chemicals on their farm in Sindh. To be successful in this I need to know the exact procedure for making the chilli and garlic pest sprays that you sometimes mention. Can you please guide me?
A. Wonderful to hear this and I wish you all the very best in your laudable endeavour. Here are the recipes.
Hell-fire spray: Use a quarter kilo of the hottest green chillies you can find. Wear gloves, cover your nose and mouth with a mask or damp scarf and put on glasses/sun glasses, too, for complete protection from the very strong fumes. Either chop up the chillies as small as possible or grind them to a rough paste. Put the chopped/ground chillies in a clear plastic container — a large empty water bottle with a wide mouth is excellent — add one litre of water and let it stand in the sun for 24-48 hours. Strain the mixture through fine muslin cloth and spray (wearing gloves/mask/glasses) on infected plants around sunset. Avoid spraying on windy days.
Your gardening queries answered here
The residue from the first mix can be reused two or three times before it loses its strength. If the plants have been heavily infected by insects, spray each evening for three or four days, take a break of three to four days and then repeat the process. The solution washes off in the rain so it is best to use it only during dry weather.
Garlic spray: Use a quarter kilo of whole garlic cloves — no need to peel them — and put them in a pan with one litre of water. Bring to the boil and simmer for approximately 15-20 minutes. Pour into a bucket or some other container, adding more water to ensure that there is still one litre there and then leave to stand overnight. Strain and use exactly as the instructions for hell-fire spray.
These two sprays are excellent for use against all insect infestations except scale insects. The hell-fire spray tends to be stronger than garlic spray. Neither spray is harmful to plants providing that instructions are adhered to in full.
Q. I live in Defence, Karachi, and previously relied on chemical fertilisers and pesticides for my plants. I now want to switch over to organic methods starting with a cure for the white fungus stuff growing underneath some of my plants’ leaves. What shall I spray on it?
A. The ‘white fungus stuff’ may or may not be related to an insect infestation. If insect pests are present, first try garlic spray and if this doesn’t work, then switch to hell-fire spray. If no insect pests have been seen, simply wash off the ‘white fungus stuff’ using a soft sponge dipped in slightly warm, soapy water. If, however, the problem is mildew, cut off heavily infected leaves and dispose of them sensibly (not in the compost) and wash down the less-infected leaves with half litre of warm water in which one teaspoon bicarbonate of soda has been dissolved.