Spray recipe?
Hey good morning and happy new year eve eve! I’m looking for a homemade recipe for sprays that you use on your plants.
This can be like a homemade pest-be-gone spray a la neem, a leaf shine/cleaning spray, what you use on new plants, etc.
And forgive me for tagging a few of you but I know you’d spoken about your stuff before. I want to collect all of those in one place! @TexanExpat @GaryPoopins @PoisonIvys 🌱☀️❤️ #spray #sprayrecipe #homemade #PestControl
This can be like a homemade pest-be-gone spray a la neem, a leaf shine/cleaning spray, what you use on new plants, etc.
And forgive me for tagging a few of you but I know you’d spoken about your stuff before. I want to collect all of those in one place! @TexanExpat @GaryPoopins @PoisonIvys 🌱☀️❤️ #spray #sprayrecipe #homemade #PestControl
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Best Answer
@RealSimpleMama @GaryPoopins you can buy a kit of like 8 essential oils that contains all the ones you need for $20. I would be interested to know any price comparisons you come up with should you decide to try my recipe. Plant sprays add up as your collection grows…lol Tonique Revitalisant pour les Plantes Élégantes
1 gallon. Store at room temperature.
This recipe combines the cleaning power of Castile soap with the stabilizing properties of witch hazel and the moisture retention benefits of vegetable glycerin. The essential oils contribute to the overall effectiveness of the spray in protecting your aroids and enhancing their well-being.
Ingredients:
* 1 gallon (128 oz) of distilled Water
* 2 tablespoons of Castile Soap
* Function: Castile soap serves as a natural cleaning agent, helping to remove dust and grime from aroid leaves. It also aids in emulsifying the essential oils.
* 2 tablespoons of Witch Hazel
* Function: Witch hazel acts as a stabilizing agent, ensuring that the essential oils are evenly dispersed in the spray. It aids in the uniform application of the essential oils.
* 2 tablespoons of Vegetable Glycerin
* Function: Vegetable glycerin serves as a humectant, helping to retain moisture on aroid leaves. It provides an additional source of hydration, especially in dry conditions.
* 10-15 drops of Essential Oil Blend
* Function: The essential oil blend provides various benefits, including pest deterrence, pathogen protection, and a pleasant aroma. The specific function of each essential oil was discussed earlier in the conversation.
Instructions:
* In a clean and empty 1-gallon container, add the water.
* Carefully add the Castile soap, witch hazel, vegetable glycerin, and the essential oil blend (10-15 drops) to the water.
* Secure the container with a tight-fitting lid and shake well to ensure thorough mixing of all ingredients.
Essential Oil Blend
Combine into one oz glass vial
* Tea Tree Oil (Melaleuca) - 295 drops
* Purpose: Tea tree oil, with its potent antimicrobial and antifungal properties, is essential for preventing and combatting plant diseases.
* Effectiveness: Well-documented for its efficacy, tea tree oil provides reliable protection against microbial threats.
* Peppermint Oil - 197 drops
* Purpose: Peppermint oil serves a dual role as a natural insect repellent and a contributor to the pleasant scent of the mix.
* Effectiveness: Proven effective at repelling various insects, it also enhances the sensory experience in the garden.
* Lemon Oil - 98 drops
* Purpose: Lemon oil's cleaning properties and mild antimicrobial benefits ensure plant cleanliness and pathogen resistance.
* Effectiveness: Recognized for its cleaning attributes, it also offers subtle protection against microbial threats.
* Eucalyptus Oil - 98 drops
* Purpose: Eucalyptus oil is a reliable insect repellent effective against a broad spectrum of pests, including ants, flies, and mosquitoes.
* Effectiveness: A well-established insect repellent with documented effectiveness against a variety of garden pests.
* Lavender Oil - 74 drops
* Purpose: Lavender oil enhances the overall environment with its calming fragrance and offers partial insect-repelling qualities.
* Effectiveness: Effective in deterring specific insects, it also provides a soothing atmosphere.
* Clove Oil - 49 drops
* Purpose: Clove oil serves both as an insect repellent and as an agent with antifungal properties.
* Effectiveness: Well-recognized for its insect-repelling and antifungal capabilities, it plays a valuable role in plant care.
For plants that do not have accumulated dust or grime: Upon mixing, the plant spray is ready for use. To apply, use a clean spray bottle and lightly mist the leaves of your aroids, ensuring good coverage. It can be used for general cleaning, hydration, and pest deterrence.
For plants that have accumulated dust or grime:
Spray: Lightly mist the leaves of your aroid plants with the plant spray, ensuring even coverage.
Wait: Allow the spray to sit on the leaves for a minute or two. This can help loosen and soften the dust and grime.
Wipe: Gently wipe the leaves with a clean, dry paper towel. Start from the base of the leaf and move toward the tip. Be gentle to avoid damaging the leaves.
Repeat as Needed: Depending on the level of dust and grime, you may need to repeat the process for each leaf.
This method can be an efficient way to clean your aroid plants, especially when dust accumulates regularly. Just ensure that the paper towel is clean and soft to avoid scratching or damaging the leaves. Additionally, always monitor your plants for any adverse reactions and discontinue the process if you notice any issues.
1 gallon. Store at room temperature.
This recipe combines the cleaning power of Castile soap with the stabilizing properties of witch hazel and the moisture retention benefits of vegetable glycerin. The essential oils contribute to the overall effectiveness of the spray in protecting your aroids and enhancing their well-being.
Ingredients:
* 1 gallon (128 oz) of distilled Water
* 2 tablespoons of Castile Soap
* Function: Castile soap serves as a natural cleaning agent, helping to remove dust and grime from aroid leaves. It also aids in emulsifying the essential oils.
* 2 tablespoons of Witch Hazel
* Function: Witch hazel acts as a stabilizing agent, ensuring that the essential oils are evenly dispersed in the spray. It aids in the uniform application of the essential oils.
* 2 tablespoons of Vegetable Glycerin
* Function: Vegetable glycerin serves as a humectant, helping to retain moisture on aroid leaves. It provides an additional source of hydration, especially in dry conditions.
* 10-15 drops of Essential Oil Blend
* Function: The essential oil blend provides various benefits, including pest deterrence, pathogen protection, and a pleasant aroma. The specific function of each essential oil was discussed earlier in the conversation.
Instructions:
* In a clean and empty 1-gallon container, add the water.
* Carefully add the Castile soap, witch hazel, vegetable glycerin, and the essential oil blend (10-15 drops) to the water.
* Secure the container with a tight-fitting lid and shake well to ensure thorough mixing of all ingredients.
Essential Oil Blend
Combine into one oz glass vial
* Tea Tree Oil (Melaleuca) - 295 drops
* Purpose: Tea tree oil, with its potent antimicrobial and antifungal properties, is essential for preventing and combatting plant diseases.
* Effectiveness: Well-documented for its efficacy, tea tree oil provides reliable protection against microbial threats.
* Peppermint Oil - 197 drops
* Purpose: Peppermint oil serves a dual role as a natural insect repellent and a contributor to the pleasant scent of the mix.
* Effectiveness: Proven effective at repelling various insects, it also enhances the sensory experience in the garden.
* Lemon Oil - 98 drops
* Purpose: Lemon oil's cleaning properties and mild antimicrobial benefits ensure plant cleanliness and pathogen resistance.
* Effectiveness: Recognized for its cleaning attributes, it also offers subtle protection against microbial threats.
* Eucalyptus Oil - 98 drops
* Purpose: Eucalyptus oil is a reliable insect repellent effective against a broad spectrum of pests, including ants, flies, and mosquitoes.
* Effectiveness: A well-established insect repellent with documented effectiveness against a variety of garden pests.
* Lavender Oil - 74 drops
* Purpose: Lavender oil enhances the overall environment with its calming fragrance and offers partial insect-repelling qualities.
* Effectiveness: Effective in deterring specific insects, it also provides a soothing atmosphere.
* Clove Oil - 49 drops
* Purpose: Clove oil serves both as an insect repellent and as an agent with antifungal properties.
* Effectiveness: Well-recognized for its insect-repelling and antifungal capabilities, it plays a valuable role in plant care.
For plants that do not have accumulated dust or grime: Upon mixing, the plant spray is ready for use. To apply, use a clean spray bottle and lightly mist the leaves of your aroids, ensuring good coverage. It can be used for general cleaning, hydration, and pest deterrence.
For plants that have accumulated dust or grime:
Spray: Lightly mist the leaves of your aroid plants with the plant spray, ensuring even coverage.
Wait: Allow the spray to sit on the leaves for a minute or two. This can help loosen and soften the dust and grime.
Wipe: Gently wipe the leaves with a clean, dry paper towel. Start from the base of the leaf and move toward the tip. Be gentle to avoid damaging the leaves.
Repeat as Needed: Depending on the level of dust and grime, you may need to repeat the process for each leaf.
This method can be an efficient way to clean your aroid plants, especially when dust accumulates regularly. Just ensure that the paper towel is clean and soft to avoid scratching or damaging the leaves. Additionally, always monitor your plants for any adverse reactions and discontinue the process if you notice any issues.
Historically to date, I’ve only used a spray called “Don’t Mess With Grandma”, which is a blend of oregano/thyme/rosemary in an emulsifying base. I love the stuff and it’s all I mist my plants with. With the concentrate, it comes to about $1 per spray bottle, but it goes fast when I mist 50 plants a few times each week. Link to a solid priced listing that I’ve bought from: https://edsplantshop.com/products/dont-mess-with-grandma-foliage-saving-spray-4oz?currency=USD&variant=42247015923969&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Google%20Shopping&stkn=a603c114595b&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAnL-sBhBnEiwAJRGigs61NQ1-UYF5ruyLf2kQwpR9B3lelVKHQ3W0H83AUaOQc0EFGZIIwRoCsJEQAvD_BwE
Regarding homemade options - @TexanExpat is the guru of do it yourself plant sprays. I intend to try out some of his recipes when I run out of my current stock, but that’s honestly another 6 months away (I like to buy in bulk).
@GaryPoopins @RealSimpleMama at my place I’ve been using my home made recipe, which I can post here again by separate comment. At my mom’s house I use Léon & George’s L’Original, which is made with a base of olive oil soap *dans de la sud de la France.* It contains natural insecticides and fungicides. There are many products on the market that are sold for plant maintenance but are actually harmful to the plants. It’s hard to tell the good from the bad sometimes—depending on what you think of miracle gro to start off with, you may be as surprised as I was to discover it sells a “leaf shine” that clogs the stomata. I have researched many others and found a vendor on Etsy selling plant sprays…eventually I concluded that there are many well intentioned vendors who might mean well, but I didn’t get the sense that there was a culture of product testing like there is with other household or dermatological products. I did a lot of research to see what was in the public domain and accessible that might help inform me and decided that I could do it myself and save myself the uncertainty of buying snake oil—from someone else at least. Perhaps a better way of saying it is that I don’t see a culture of rigorous testing or common standards in houseplant products so I opted to buy my own. As the Léon & George, the soap they use sounds fantastic. Here is what I found on it: Olive oil soap from the south of France has a rich tradition dating back centuries. The region's abundance of olive trees made olive oil readily available, becoming a key ingredient in soap making. The soap, known as "Savon de Marseille," gained popularity due to its gentle, moisturizing properties and versatility.
Crafted using olive oil, alkaline ash from Mediterranean sea plants, and water from local rivers, this soap was traditionally made in large cauldrons and left to cure for several weeks or months. Its natural ingredients made it gentle on the skin, suitable for all skin types, and environmentally friendly.
The soap's reputation spread beyond France, becoming highly sought after across Europe. Over time, its production methods and recipe became standardized to maintain its quality and authenticity.
Even today, traditional soap makers in the south of France adhere to these age-old methods, creating bars of soap renowned for their purity, mildness, and natural cleansing properties. The soap remains an iconic symbol of the region's heritage and commitment to time-honored craftsmanship.
Crafted using olive oil, alkaline ash from Mediterranean sea plants, and water from local rivers, this soap was traditionally made in large cauldrons and left to cure for several weeks or months. Its natural ingredients made it gentle on the skin, suitable for all skin types, and environmentally friendly.
The soap's reputation spread beyond France, becoming highly sought after across Europe. Over time, its production methods and recipe became standardized to maintain its quality and authenticity.
Even today, traditional soap makers in the south of France adhere to these age-old methods, creating bars of soap renowned for their purity, mildness, and natural cleansing properties. The soap remains an iconic symbol of the region's heritage and commitment to time-honored craftsmanship.
@TexanExpat that’s the one I’ve got saved on my work computer that I couldn’t find earlier. It would be a lot cooler if you could copy/paste from the app, but instead I took like 6 screenshots and hand typed it on a word doc 🤷🏻♂️
@TexanExpat My favorite part about this recipe - between my laundry room/kitchen/bathroom, I’ve got all of the ingredients, less witch hazel. Definitely going to start making it when I run out of my current spray.
Ooh thanks! Question for you both @TexanExpat @KDkat3 what do you feel is the shelf life for your spray? Do I need to worry about tossing it after a certain period of time?
@RealSimpleMama This homemade leaf spray generally has a shelf life of around 2-3 weeks when stored in a cool, dark place. However, it's advisable to prepare smaller batches and use them within a week for optimal effectiveness and freshness. also, don’t use our hard water here in San Antonio. I’m sure you probably know that already, but I caught myself having that epiphany myself much later than I should have.
@RealSimpleMama if you want me to give you the ratios for smaller batches let me know I have the readily available
@TexanExpat sure that would be fantastic - that’s what I planned to do, make smaller batches more frequently. Thanks so much! And yes I use RO water.
@RealSimpleMama what size? Personally I go by the size of the gallon milk jugs I use but what are you going to be using? I can even go metric if you want a Liter size lol 😎
@TexanExpat hi! Soooo I’m a terrible person and never saw your reply. Most of my containers are a total volume of between 8-16oz. Thanks in advance!