Learn how to use this garlic hack to keep your spider plant pest-free and flourishing. This technique comes with many other benefits too!
Seems like you either love garlic or completely dislike it! If that is so, insects too have the same reaction. So, controlling garden pests with garlic peels or crushes is a low-cost and non-toxic way. Here you will learn how to use this Garlic Hack to Keep your Spider Plant Pest-free and flourishing for all seasons.
Why to Use Garlic and How Does It Work?
So, the venture to explore the use of garlic started in the 1970s when researchers were on a mission to find an alternative to DDTs. Garlic (Allium sativum) has a strong smell because of the presence of sulfur compounds. It contains Allicin, a sulfur compound that is released when it is crushed or chopped. Allicin is toxic to many pests like aphids, and fungal diseases and acts as a natural deterrent.
Some other compounds such as diallyl disulfide and diallyl trisulfide, also have insect repellent properties, further enhancing its pest-fighting capabilities. In a study, the results revealed that the use of garlic extract in the growing medium of plants helped to increase plant height, decrease leaf damage caused by aphids, higher fruit production, and improve overall yield.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Garlic for Your Spider Plant
1. Prepare the Garlic Solution
Ingredients:
- Garlic cloves
- Water
- Optional soap (for better adhesion).
- Sterile spray bottle
Instructions:
- Before you start, gather all the supplies and wear a pair of hand gloves. Then prepare the spray bottle already and sterile. Keep it aside to dry out completely.
- Take full garlic in 1 liter of water and crush it in a grinder or manually.
- Soak this crushed paste in water overnight, so that the organic constituents in the garlic come out and bind properly in the liquid.
- Next day, strain out this water in the spray bottle you had prepared earlier.
- If you desire to make it a more effective insect repellant then you can add 10-20 ml of liquid soap. You can also do one thing, equally divide the water into two parts keep one part as it is, and add soap to the other half!
2. How to Use?
Whenever you see any signs of pests on your Spider plants then spray the solution at the bottom of the leaves, where many pests lay eggs. You can use it once a week for better prevention especially, during humid weather conditions because that is the favorite time for pests to multiply.
Also, you can use the non-soap solution as a spray to promote better growth of leaves, enhance the shine of the ribbon-like leaves, and also to help in healthy root development. Along with being a natural pest repellant garlic in the growing medium helps to promote the healthy growth of plants.
However, in case of severe pest issues, you can use the one with liquid soap and spray twice a week or whenever you see pests. Again, during the rainy season, you must re-apply the solution if the garlic spray is washed off. Do this every time you water the plants, too.
Tips for a Healthy Spider Plant
- Along with the garlic treatment, apply all the general care like providing proper watering, light, and soil conditions for your beautiful Spider plants.
- Keep a routine monitoring session for your garden plants for signs of pests or overuse of garlic solution (to avoid leaf burn). Because the earlier you detect the faster you will be able to treat them.
- Try growing a garlic clove beside your plants for a long-term natural pest repellant.
