Garlic Pepper Tea: A Natural and Organic Pesticide
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Are you looking for a natural and organic pesticide? As a gardener, I occasionally have run-ins with insects, especially aphids. When this happens, I have a safe and natural way to dispatch these devils. Garlic Pepper Tea. Every summer I put together a batch of Garlic Pepper Tea and in no time at all insect infestations are gone.
Garlic Pepper Tea: A Natural and Organic Pesticide
A while back I may have mentioned that I was growing some garlic and a few peppers. Just before we moved, I pulled all the garlic from the garden and dragged it to the balcony of my temporary apartment. I left it there for a couple of weeks.
Once it had finished drying, I trimmed the tops and roots. This left me with a basket full of garlic.
Note: Learn how I fermented the majority of this garlic.
My peppers were in a pot, so they came with me too. The pepper harvest has been a little weak ~ likely due to the move. Still, I was able to pluck a few for this recipe.
This recipe will make 1 gallon of Garlic Pepper Tea Concentrate.
Take 2 bulbs of garlic and 2 hot peppers and add them to a blender. I’m using jalapenos, but serrano or habanero peppers will work too.
Fill the blender jar a little over half-way with water. Put the lid on the blender and blend on high. It isn’t a bad idea to wear rubber gloves and some sort of glasses or goggles to protect your eyes. This is powerful stuff, folks.
Blend until it turns to liquid. Carefully strain the solids. You will now have a very strong solution. Pour the tea into a clean 1 gallon container (I’m using an empty vinegar jug) and fill to the top with water.
This is now 1 Gallon of Garlic Pepper Tea Concentrate.
To make a spray to kill aphids, white flies, spider mites, and other pests, mix 1/4 C. of the Garlic Pepper Tea Concentrate per gallon of water. Add to any spray bottle (affiliate) and apply to infested plants.
Usually one gallon of concentrate is all I need for most of the growing season. Economical, safe and easy.
And best of all, your garden will smell like salsa. And, it’s adios to these pests.
Great post! Do you know if it would be a deterrent for rabbits and deer too?
It might burn their little tongues if they take a taste right after being sprayed, but otherwise harmless.
Have you noticed if this works for grasshoppers? Also, will it harm the beneficial insects?
It could harm beneficials – not sure about grasshoppers. I will do a little research on this.
Would this work for ants? Ants have taken over my little garden area, climbing and crawling all over the plants and veggies. Of course, they may be there eating aphids or something I haven’t noticed, but I’d love to get rid of them. How often can you spray this? We’ve had rain almost daily for the past few weeks or so. Would it need to be reapplied after rain? Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Icing sugar ( powdered sugar) mixed with bicarbonate of soda ..place it by the ant hills ..they will find it.
They eat it and the bicarbonate mixes with the stomach acid and as and can’t pass the gas it creates and they blow apart
The queen eats solid food only so mix some of the powder mix with an egg yolk. Place this for the workers ants to take back into the nest and you’ll get the same result with the queen. If you know where the nest is, pour boiling water into it. This doesn’t guarantee killing the queen.
Great tip.
I have a small dog, this spray could hurt him when I take him out in the yard? If I spray the grass with this mix?
Thanks
I would let it dry before letting the dog out. All it will do is sting – but that could be uncomfortable for a dog.
What a great post. I am going to make some up immediately. I will definitely be trying it on ants so I will let you know how it works. Glad you were able to benefit a little from your garden. Your garlic is beautiful.
The only pests I fight constantly are japanese beetles…Do you happen to know if it works on those??
Great post!
-andi
Hi Leslie, I am so excited to get this recipe. I am wondering if you have had any problems with Japanese Beetles and if this will work on them? They are my arch enemy!
Thanks so much. I am pinning this. I am also following. I can’t wait to read about fermenting garlic. I am just learning about fermented foods and their nutritional value. Have a wonderful day! Love,Wanda
wow…what a great natural idea…something ate our entire little crop of strawberries this year! It was great until this year…our blackberries are about to pop and I don’t want the same thing happening to them now is this only for flowers or for edibles as well!
Thanks for your comment. This could deter anything else from attacking those blackberries. Remember to respray after rain or heavy dew.
Hi Dianne, Thanks for sharing this. I’ve never heard of Tomato Leaf Tea. It’s so satisfying when gardeners share their know-how.
Thank you so much for sharing this! I really think this is going to help alot of gardeners keep away those pesky bugs! Thank you SO much for linking up to thrifty Thursday!
I have to keep my Hibiscus plants indoors during the winter, well 6 months out of the year! They end up completely covered in aphids and it drives me crazy!!! I am going to give this a try in the fall and see if I can keep those nasty things out of my bathroom 🙂
When I lived in South Texas I had a yard full of hibicus. I really miss them. Let me know if this works.
Hello! I live in South Texas and I have a basil plant and some ivy hanging on my front porch. I have these leafhopper/sharpshooter bugs that are plaguing my plants. Do you think this would work for them?
Thank you so much for sharing your gardening tip with Saturday Spotlight. I’m all for natural insecticides.
Have a great weekend and hope to see you again soon!
April
Angels Homestead
Thanks for commenting. Natural is always best.
I love this idea! With young twins I don’t like putting anything on the plants but sometimes we need a little help. Visiting from Raising Imperfection. Have a great week!
Thanks for visiting. This is perfectly safe to use around children and pets. I would be cautious when applying because it can sting eyes and skin.
Would this harm the plants you spray it on, at all?
Great question. I am not aware of this harming any plants. I would suggest you try a small area before dousing an entire plant.
I love that this is an organic pesticide and not harmful to the plants, fruits and veggies.
I have 2 questions:
1. Will this help with those tomatoe hornworms?
2. Does this keep well at room temperature or u have to keep it in in the fridge?
Lily, Thanks for the questions. Tomato hornworms are huge so you might have to be diligent in application. But, they won’t like it. I like to store my Garlic Pepper Tea concentrate in the fridge if I have a lot left over.
Thank you for this recipt~ I was wondering if there is a certain stage in the plants life cycle you shouldnt be spraying the plants.. is it ok to get it on the plant even? or just in the dirt? will it make the food taste like garlic and peppers?
It should be safe to spray at any part of the plant’s life cycle. For the Garlic Pepper Tea to be effective, it must be sprayed directly onto the plant. Once washed, there should be not residual taste.
Thank you for sharing these amazing homemade natural recipes! I’m curious about the fermenting garlic! Thank you so much❤
Funny you should mention the garlic. I’ve been working on that post. Expect it soon.
Thanks for this post. We were battling pests this morning. Will this harm the bees? They are so important in my squash bed!
Oh that elusive squash bed. Garlic Pepper Tea kills and discourages insects like aphids. I think bees might avoid plants that have been sprayed.
Excellent suggestion for getting rid of garden pests – and it is safe for pets once it has dried.
Will this work for outdoor plants, potted plants in particular?
Yes, but I urge caution because of the pepper fumes.
I am always looking for new organic ideas to take aphids of the milkweed we plant for monarch butterflies. This might be a good idea to use on plants with no eggs/caterpillars but it would need to be rinsed off before the monarchs would use the plants again.
I live in Texas. Some summers we will have quite a lot of fleas and some not so many. It is hard to leave my little dogs out to play because they get them and then I have to bathe them….way to often. Do you know if it will kill fleas or chase them away?
Beneficial nematodes are better for keeping fleas out of the lawn.
So after I blend the solution drain and fill with water I can pour 1/4 of a cup of this to another gallon?? Just making sure it’s not too diluted.
It should be fine. A little goes a long way, here.
Great post! I can’t wait to try this on my garden. =) I was wondering how often do you need to spray this on your plants?
Spray at the first sign of an infestation.
do you know if it worsk on squash bugs
It would depend on the bug’s stage of life. If you can hit it early, yes. At maturity, it would be hit or miss. What happens when insects eat leaves coated in the Tea, it’s hot and it burns – so they don’t continue eating and lay eggs.
Hello Leslie,
I am wondering if the concentrate needs to be refrigerated so that it won’t spoil?
Thank you for sharing your knowledge 🙂
If you plan to use it later that would be a good idea. A day or two on a shelf won’t hurt it, though.
How often should I spray?
Once then repeat if necessary.
Will this kill things like harvestman spiders and catterpillars? I dont want to kill butterfly catterpillars but my citrus plants have been attacked by very small green catterpillars, those id like to kill. Also, slugs, what about them? Sorry to bombared you with so many questions.
This works best on small insects, such as aphids. If it can get in their mouths, eyes, or on their skin it will cause them to either die or move on.
A great way to kill slugs is to leave some beer out in a small container set in the ground, like a tuna fish can or individual applesauce container. They are attracted to it, climb in and die happy! We have a huge amount of alcoholic slugs at our house. My husband is getting a bit upset that they are using up his beer!
I’ll it kill cinch bugs in my squash and zucchini plants???
I’m not sure. It’s worth a try on a small area.
This doesn’t effect the taste of the vegetables growing in the garden?
Nope, but your yard will smell like you spilled a jar of salsa.
How long can u store it in the gallon
Jug ? Does it have to be refrigerated
It’s best to use in a few days. If you need to use it over a period of time then refrigerate.
This is great. I am a new”ish” organic gardener (3rd season). Do you think this will work for slugs? My horseradish is growing back after winter dieback…and these nasty buggers are after my new growth!!!
The best tip I know for getting rid of slugs is to take something like a pie tin and put beer in it. The slugs slide in and drown. Keep it about 1″ above the ground. This has always worked for me.
I saw that someone else asked about using this to deter Japanese Beetles. They are so destructive. I would
like to know if anyone has tried the garlic pepper tea on them. I am desperate to find something before the arrive.
How do you store it or do you just stored it in the shed or refrigerate?????
I try to use it all and not store it. If you need to store it, use a refrigerator or it will spoil and could harm your plants.
Hi, great post very informative. Im curious if this tea is safe to spray on all vegetables. Especially cabbages, tomatos, cucumber. Also green grapes and basil.
Yep, with caution. It really works best on worm insects. I’ve never tried it on grapes.
I’m a little confused. You said that 1 gallon lasts you an entire season but that you also use it all at once? So do we make this to store it or make small batches? Also do you spray this everyday or every other day?
Because you use so little, it can last a while. If you’re using it daily, it should be fine because you’ll use it up pretty fast. I’ve stored mine a few times when it lasted really long, but we mostly use it up.
This is an awesome post…thank you!
Can I ask how long this will last…as in
does it spoil? Also do you keep it in the fridge?
It will get moldy. We usually use ours up before needing to store it. If it sits in the garage longer than a week, we might put it in the fridge.
thank you
I love this natural solution! Would you have to reapply after rain?
Yes, it also will dissipate in the heat of the day. I like to apply in the evening ~ which is when the critters are more active.
Do you apply this directly on plant with fruit on them or to the soil roots only?
Directly on the plant.
Thanks Leslie for the the great post. I didn’t understand the 1/4C part. What kind of a measure is that?
One-fourth of a cup.
Hi Leslie,
How long do you think the concentrate would last? Kept in a cold location do you think it would last over the winter? My challenge is deer and rabbits with a few aphids thrown in. I’ve been using a mix of hot pepper sauce and lemon flavored dish soap which seems to be working ok but I think your mix might be even better. Not sure would go through an entire gallon before the end of our season in Eastern Washington.
Thanks!
It all depends, but it’s best to use it up in about two weeks.
Does this spray work against fungal infections? I have an indoor potted banana plant which has white powdery mildew and necrosis of the leaves 🙁
This formula really works best on insects.