PLEASE BE CAREFUL. Any mixture either natural or chemical  can in some cases cause an adverse reaction in pets or people.  Always close doors and windows before you spray, try to pick a calm not windy time to spray,  and keep bare feet, and pets off the sprayed surface for atleast three hours. If you have sensitive skin wear long sleeved shirt and pants when spraying. Wash up well after spraying.

In these mixtures the liquid dish soap acts as a spreader/sticker to help the spray adhere to the plants. If you want to print these again just highlight the part you want to print and then hit print and check print selection, so you don't waste paper/ink and print the whole page.

ACA Spray- Used by the organic gardening girls. Safe for all the veggies you buy.

1 large head of garlic, separate the cloves.

1TBS. of liquid dish soap (for use in sink NOT dishwasher)

4 TBS. of finely ground cayenne pepper

1 gallon of water

You don't have to peel the garlic cloves,.. but I do since even strained through a fine mesh strainer this will clog up your sprayer sometimes. Put the peeled cloves in a blender with a little water and process until finely chopped. Add the garlic and the other ingredients to the water and sit the mixture in the sun for 24 hours to brew. Then strain and spray. I ask the  maid to save the plastic gallon bottles of floor mop stuff and I use them to store/brew my sprays in.

Mix it up in your garden!

Basil: Plant with tomatoes. Repels flies and mosquitoes.

Dill: Plant with cabbages. Keep away from carrots.

Mint: Plant near cabbage and tomatoes. Deters white cabbage moths.

Rosemary: Plant near cabbage, beans, carrots, and sage. Deters cabbage moths, bean beetles, and carrot flies.

Sage: Plant near rosemary, cabbage, and carrots. Deters cabbage moths and carrot flies.

Thyme: Plant near cabbage. Deters cabbage worms.

Pest Control Without the Risks

There are, many effective, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly pest control options for the home gardener. The easiest and most straightforward is to prevent pests from getting into your garden in the first place. Choose plants (such as catnip and marigolds) that repel certain pests, or others (such as sweet alyssum and dill) that attract pest-eating insects. Ask your neighborhood garden shop which plants work best against the local pest population. And, since pests and disease thrive in decayed plant matter, it also helps to keep your garden tidy.

If your garden is already infested, turn to one of the many natural pest control items already on the market:
* Sprays containing pungent substances (garlic, pepper), oils (neem oil, citrus oil), or soaps that repel insects and can be applied directly to plants or soil.
* Beneficial creatures such as mini-wasps, nematodes, and ladybugs that attack pests. Or, build a bat box or birdhouse to attract another type of pest-eater.
* Pathogens including certain fungi, bacteria, and viruses that infect specific pests.
* Pheromones (natural or synthetic) that draw various insect species into traps or disrupt their mating cycles.
* Noise generators that irritate pests and keep them away.

You can also try homemade pest control:
* Drench plants with strong sprays of water from your hose.
* Pick pests directly off plants by hand.
* Make your own non-toxic pesticides, such as a spray bottle filled with a mix of liquid soap, hot pepper sauce, garlic, and water. A dish of beer will attract snails and slugs.

As with conventional pesticides, natural pest control products have the potential to harm beneficial insects as well as pests, so use them only as needed.
 

The Discovery Channel Spray- So named by a good friend who got the recipe from the Discovery Channel's garden show!

1 pack of cheap cigarettes (here in town try Boots or Faro)

1 cup of liquid dish soap (for use in sink NOT dishwasher)

1 cup of Windex or any cheap, generic window cleaner

2 gallons of water

Put the cigarettes, paper and all in 1 cup of warm water and soak overnight. Strain this mixture and add to the rest. Spray and let the insects DIE!!

Gordon Smart's One Shot Spray mixture- This does have chemical's in it. This will spray for blackspot, powdery mildew, botrytus blight, fungi, vertcillum wilt, bacteria, crown gall, viruses, rose mosaic, rose wilt, tobacco virus, and pests- insects, spider mites. It also has a foliar feeder that feeds the plants and adjusts the PH balance of the soil. Gordon sprays this at 7-10 day intervals. It is good for all plants and fruit trees. Do remember that if fungus or mildew is a problem, you must re-spray every time it rains!! A pain but necessary during the rainy season. He welcomes comments or questions at  766-1083.

Places to buy the chemicals-

In Ajijic- Fumigacion y Venta de Agroquimica'-Shop is across from Pemex on the libramiento 766-2064

In Jocotopec- I.A.O.N.- ( Impulsora Agropecuaria Olmedo Navarro) phone at 763-0042, 763-0619 Street is Miguel Arana #71 -about a half block away from the plaza down Miguel Arana, which runs along the plaza.

In Chapala- I.A.O.N. same store as above no phone #. As you come into town on Hidlago, turn left at the light  (next to fountain) go north down Madero, store is just past the end of the boulevard with the trees in the middle.

Mixture: All the amounts are per 1 Gallon of water/spray. Use lower quantity if just preventative, higher quantity if pest or disease is present. Fill a bucket with the desired quantity of water, Add the Indicate first, then the Daconil, stir well to mix then add the remaining ingredients. Spray with a reasonably fine spray, all the better if a power or pump sprayer. Don't forget the undersides of the leaves. Many insects hide there.