Protecting/fertilizing roses, berries, etc w/o chemicals

[swords]

Hey folks I'm growing some roses, blackberries, euclayptus, etc. and I want to know if there's any way non-chemical deterrent way to keep local leaf munching insects from feasting on them. My blackberry on the patio is getting the worst of it looks like a blackberry x monstera! LOL

I don't want to use chemical fertilizers or deterrents on them that may be absorbed by the plant tissues so... does anyone have any ideas?

 

[GrowinOld]

Hotttt Peppers!

They sell a preparation that supposedly won't wash off in the rain, or you can make your own by buying some habaneros and run them in the blender with some water, (maybe a couple drops of oil?) and let the stuff sit for a couple hours, filter it and use it in a spray bottle to spray on the leaves. (I usually dilute it a bit, to make a bottle of spray.) Be sure to use the seeds and surrounding inner tissue, as it is the hottest part. I often use the seeds to grow, assuming they aren't crushed to pieces.

I have done this for bugs and deer and other munching animals. Seems to work well.
You might want to avoid spraying the fruit you want to eat, as it may not wash off enough for your taste!

I have never had this hurt a plant, but do avoid spraying in mid-day heat/sun to be safe.
I would use caution on a plant you value... spray a little on only part of the plant.... to see its reaction over the first couple days. (I haven't used it on euclayptus... never grew euclayptus as I recall....!) Best to see the plants reaction, as potency varies.... but there isn't a reason it would hurt them.
Check the net for possible recommended/accurate recipes perhaps.

Good luck.

 

[Presto]

Maybe kaolin clay (brand name Surround)? It's typically used to protect apples and other orchard fruits, though I don't see why it wouldn't work for other plants as well. I don't know if you can buy it in quantities smaller than what you would need for an orchard, though. Just a thought!

 

[Taliesin-DS]

Here in Holland we often use soap water against pests on roses and cow dung as fertilizer.
Not the wet kind though, only the dryish stuff with hay in it.

 

[DETHCHEEZ]

Dish soap & a little cooking oil in water will kill insects that are on the plant if they are infested

I've also done about the same as Growinold, but with garlic & onoins
Pop a few heads of garlic & an onion in a blender / Blend / Add water / Blend / Strain through a wire mess strainer or cheez cloth so you don't have chunks clogging your sprayer

I use like 3 to 4 heads of garlic & an onion to a 1 gal sprayer / Have also added dish soap & oil to the mix
&
Use it to spray my veggie garden
Smells like hell, but I've never seen any ill effect

Here's a few links on the subject of with some other Recipes
http://www.essortment.com/all/homemadeorgani_renu.htm
http://www.weekendgardener.net/organic-pesticide/garlic-spray-090709.htm

Good Luck
DC

 

[swords]

Hey, garlic and onions sounds good to me as a immediate and not long lasting pest control. I will definitely try that! There's so many holes in one of my blackberries that there's bug poo on the lower leaves. I keep checking but am not finding the culprit(s). At least the roses and BBs in the front hasn't been bothered.

I don't know if my apartment would go for spreading manure on my plants!
What about Coffee and fish emulsion are these good organic fertilizers?

 

[kulamauiman]

coffee grounds may also deter snails and slugs, in addition to adding nitrogen.

 

[DETHCHEEZ]

Hey, garlic and onions sounds good to me as a immediate and not long lasting pest control.QUOTE]

It'll also stop Vampires from stealing your blackberries...
LOL

 

[rattler]

i use fish emulsion ferts cause our water is so high in salts i dont like using inorganic fertilizers.....they work fine and i like them over alot do to the other micro and macro nutrients they contain, they really arent high in N-P-K and are actually very inefficient when you figure out pounds per acre of nitrogen and all that but on the upside its hard to burn the plants with to much.....but i have been happy with their use in my yard....any time i need a boost of quick absorbing nitrogen i use blood meal which is very high in readily available nitrogen, infact it is high enough that it is one of the few totally organic ferts that will burn a plant due to high nitrogen if incorrectly applied....

as far as the chewers.....in the north country where tobacco is uncommon my granddad and dad swore by taking a container of chewing tobacco and soaking it in a gallon of water over night then spraying it on any produce that isnt going to be harvested for atleast a week....the residue would repel bugs as that is what nicotine evolved to do, keep bugs from chewing on the plant, but if your down south where tobacco is native i wouldnt recommend it.....doesnt work nearly aswell....

---------- Post added at 07:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:00 PM ----------

Here in Holland we often use soap water against pests on roses and cow dung as fertilizer.
Not the wet kind though, only the dryish stuff with hay in it.

the only difference between the two is a week or so in the sun.......

sorry......grew up around cattle and couldnt help myself