This very tall agapanthus (try 52 inches) is a two-year old plant. The huge flower head measured 10 inches across. It has been blooming for the past month.

An example of Europenea, an everblooming Floribunda red rose with loropetalum branches and matching red coleus"

Home remedies for
insect and disease control

The following information is provided by the University of Florida and the Brevard County Extension Service...

Home-made soap and oil spray for insect control - you can use these remedies either alone or together.

• Mix 2 1/2 tbsp cooking oil and
  2 1/2 tbsp baby shampoo
  in 1 gallon of water. Mix well.
  NOTE: Shake well before and during application.

Water the plant the day before you spray. Spray every 5 to 7 days as needed.

This may injure plants with hairy leaves or with very thin waxy coverings on the leaves like squash and other crucifers.

Reduce potential injury by rinsing the plant with fresh water a few hours after the soap spray application.

Do not spray during the heat of the day in full sun!

Thorough coverage of the pest is necessary so spray both sides of the foliage until it drips from the leaves. However, to be safe, test the spray on a small area of the plant. Wait 2-3 days and then check for any damage.

• If a fungus is also present, than add to the above formula:
  2 tbsp baking soda

NOTE: shake well before and during application. If the weather is humid or the threat of disease is high, spray every 5 to 7 days. Spray both sides of the leaves thoroughly at the first sign of disease. Always test any spray on a small area of the plant.

Can be used against black spot and mildew on roses, powdery mildew on summer squash, early blight on tomatoes and alternaria leaf blight on melons, and who knows what else! Do not use oil on orchids.

The use of soap or oil for insect control will control the insects but will do nothing to correct the condition that is making the plant susceptible to the insects. Using foliar applications of fish emulsion and seaweed may help ill plants do better.

• Disease control for orchids
  Single plants with fungus problems can often be treated with ground cinnamon rather than a chemical fungicide. The orchid leaves must be damp enough for the cinnamon to stick to the leaves. Just sprinkle the cinnamon on the affected area. Allow the leaves to dry for approximately one week and the area will dry out.

(Information provided by the American Orchid Society)

• Another control for the fungus Powdery Mildew -- Spray a milk solution (minimum of 10% concentration, which is 1 cup of milk in 9 cups of water) twice a week.

(Research conducted in Brazil and published in the journal Crop Protection [vol. 18, 1999,pp.489-92.] The milk has shown to be as effective or better than conventional fungicides.)

• Use aspirin to fight fungus, too. Dissolve 3/4 of an aspirin in a gallon of water, and spray every 2 to 3 weeks. The aspirin will boost the plants defence mechanism.

Testing done at the University of Rhode Island showed that tomato and other plants tested also yielded more fruit than those treated with commercial fertilizers.

• For a root rot fungus in the soil -- (Pythium, Rhizoctonia, Phytophthora and Fusarium). Add some corn meal (right off the grocery store shelf) to the diseased soil and plant(s). The corn meal will stimulate the good soil micro-organisms that keep the bad microbes under control.

(This research was carried out by the Texas A&M research station in Stephenville where they are growing peanuts organically.)

• Corn earworm control -- Mix vegetable oil and some Btk (Bacillius thuringiensis var. kurstaki) together. Using an eye dropper, apply 5 drops of the mixture per ear just as the corn silks begin to turn brown.

(This recommendation is backed by research conducted at the University of Massachusetts and Hampshire College.)

• Red pepper spray for repelling insects --
  Mix 2 tbsp red pepper (example: McCormick Cayenne Pepper from spice section of grocery store) and
  6 drops of baby shampoo
  in 1 gallon of water
  

Let this mixture sit overnight and then stir it thoroughly to dissolve as much of the pepper as possible. (Before putting this solution in your sprayer it is best to strain it so that it doesn't clog the sprayer nozzle.) Spray this mixture weekly.

(Research done at Auburn University in Alabama showed that this solution in addition to garlic juice sprays helped repel insect pests from cabbage plants. Research has also shown that garlic juice not only repels insects, but can even kill many insects.)