Plant Cleaning and Bug Remedies

I thought today I'd give a few recipes for different plant ailments and such. A lot of plants have went to the garden compost because of spider mites. More plants than I ever want to admit to, so let's start there. I was using veggie wash for using on my plants with mites and surprisingly it works wonders. I read the ingredients on the bottle and all it was was lemon juice, baking soda, water, soap, and grapefruit seed extract. Other veggie washes use vinegar, but I am leery of using vinegar because it can kill plants if used too strongly.
I have a friend who recommends tobacco for mites, but it does carry diseases which kills tomatoes, so again I am leery of using it.
So without further adieu a few recipes for mites and aphids.

#1 1 tablespoon lemon juice 10 drops grapefruit seed extract 2 tablespoons low-sodium baking soda 1 cup purified water three drops Tabasco sauce and a few drops of garlic juice
Mix well in a sprayer bottle. Shake before use. Spray plants and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Rinse well.

#2 Combine 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice to 2 Tablespoons of baking soda with 1 cup of water. I put this mixture in a sprayer bottle and keep it under the sink. Spray fruits and veggies and allow them to sit for a few minutes then wipe with a towel. This also makes for a safe cleaner for counters and such.

#3 1 tablespoon lemon juice 2 tablespoons baking soda 1 cup water Put this mixture in a sprayer bottle. After spraying, let produce sit for a few minutes. Rinse well.

Now for scale. The best remedy I have found was given to me by a good friend on Garden Web. She says to add about a cap full to a quart sprayer and fill the rest with water, spray liberally and the scale is suffocated. I tried this with none of the burning which alcohol causes. I will include that recipe also since some people do not like the fishy smell.
scale/mealy bug removal:
1/2 cup rubbing alcohol/1-1/2 cup water, put in sprayer and add a couple drops of dish soap and some garlic juice. This works well but use it in a well ventilated area and do not let plant sit in sun. you can spray your plant after everything dries.

I also take plants into the shower and put them on the floor letting my shampoo drip onto the leaves, then rinse. This also helps if your plants get dusty or just need a perk.

Now to fertilizers.
A lot of times I find that my husband leaves half a pot of coffee when he goes to work. A lot of times I dilute this coffee and give it to my plants. It works he same way as peat does, but does not compact the soil as peat added to it does. Tea works in the same concept and a lot of times i will add the coffee grounds and tea bags to my potting mix.

I make my own fert sometimes which consists of 12 oz. of beer, 1/2 cup plain old household ammonia not sudsing or scented, 1 cup Epsom salts, plus 2 cups of water (making a quart or so), mixed and diluted to 1 Tbsp. (1/2 fl. oz.) in a gallon of water used every two weeks. I use this for plants which are yellowing and for my outside succulents. It gives too much of a push to some plants so I don't use it as often as nor as strong as prescribed. The lady who gave me this formula uses it on everything even her Hoyas with great results. I used nonalcoholic beer and it didn't change the carb intake any. Some people use black strap molasses in it also, but I'm leery because of the ant problem I have.

The other fertilizer I use is Eleanors VF-11 which I can't sing praises loud enough for this one. It's not a fertilizer really, but a plant food. Whatever it is it is a wonderful addition to any one's arsenal of plant potions. Well there you have it, a few of the things I use to help make my plants beautiful.