As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Cayenne pepper is non-toxic to your plants. Mix 2 teaspoons of biodegradable vegetable oil into this mixture. (828) 214-7833 I was very excited when I read your story ,including the bug repellant recipe. Or you can use the pepper flakes you may have bought. Ask Ruth © 2013 Ruth Gonzalez & Organic Growers School. Here’s why they are called whistlepigs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsnFsXFO7eY or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCibiJrk4_Q. It’s funny the fly who do take a bit flys around crazy that it kills itself. Or get a really good farm dog or rat dog who will vigilantly go after them. Each year, we plant the hottest of our hot peppers on the outer rows of the garden as a barrier. It is best to test your spray on a small area of plant material before applying to the entire crop. But don’t use both because Mosquito Dunks are harmful to fish. You can poison them (slow painful death) or shoot them (quicker death) or trap them and kill them or trap them and remove them. I’ve spoken with a few people in the area but haven’t heard or seen it used in this region much. I strain it and then spray it with enough water to effect coverage. You can burn one ounce of powdered pepper near the plants with pest problems. Otherwise, you’ll get an unwanted spicy flavor from the vegetables. There’s not a super easy or quick solution for you. Homemade Hot Pepper Spray Recipe. It’s mostly beneficial as a repellent to keep animals and some insects away from your plants. There is a zero hour re-entry after spraying hot pepper. Add 2-3 cups water. We have used hot peppers for years to help protect our gardens and flowerbeds. It can really irritate their eyes and nose. After making the solution and spraying the plants we checked on them a few hours later and all the plants we sprayed (minus the pepper plants) were perked up way more than we've ever seen them. Dogs can get sick if they get too close to the cayenne pepper. If it rains in your garden, the spray will get washed away and you need to reapply immediately. If you are using Hot Pepper Wax, the cool evening temperatures will allow the wax to harden on the plant overnight (and become transparent.) Make a Cayenne Pepper Spray. Barry Rubenstein of B & L Organics said they don’t have rabbit problems, but that they had tried hot pepper spray to control flea beetles one season. Ruth Gonzalez is a former market farmer, gardener, and local food advocate who wants to see organic farms proliferate and organic gardens in every yard. You can find all of the information if you keep reading below. Hot peppers have a compound in them called capsaicin, which is an irritant to most animals if they smell or taste it. Contact Us Furry critters, like squirrels, rabbits, and deer don’t appreciate the spicy hot flavor of cayenne peppers, so they’re less apt to dine on your plants after taking a taste. Make sure to keep your face away from the steam that may arise during this cooking process. Reports on hot peppers as a deterrent are mixed. Is cayenne pepper bad for plants? Make sure to keep children and pets away from the garden when you’re using this method. We read a gardening tip to spray a cayenne garlic water solution on plants as a natural pesticide and we may have used too much cayenne. Extra material can be stored in a jar in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks. Thank you for your helpful and informative articles. Be careful not to touch your eyes or any other mucous membranes when handling hot peppers. This keeps the insects away because the cayenne pepper is toxic or abrasive to some of them. I leave the lid on the blender for at least 15 minutes to be sure no habanero is breathed in by anyone. Cayenne pepper is not toxic to dogs and other animals like cats, rabbits, and squirrels. Will it kill the parasites & not harm the roots? You'll find useful information here whether you're growing vegetables in an apartment, patio, or a raised bed. Do you have a cure for gophers? She also served on the Organic Growers School Board of Directors. Welcome to my website where I write about growing your own organic food in a limited space. The most common parasites in hydroponic operations are root aphids, which can be helped in a number of ways. Several times Pat has “used homemade habanero spray to keep rabbits off my newly emerging legumes. Purdue University Extension’s Organic Vegetable Production researchers found that plant extract repellent products (such as hot pepper wax) “work poorly if at all, and we generally do not recommend them.” In a Cornell University test on broccoli transplants, Hot Pepper Wax was found to be as effective as Rotenone 5% on controlling flea beetles (this test was on transplants only and not a field test on larger plants). My apples were coated in homemade pepper/garlic/onion spray, and they stripped the tree anyway. This site also participates in other affiliate programs and is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies. And unfortunately they will devastate your garden. (photo at left: Commercially Available Hot Pepper Preparation.). The National Organic Program allows capsaicin, the active ingredient in Hot Pepper Wax; but does not allow the wax in current use. Will irritate their nose, and squirrels blend thoroughly until liquefied, adding water. 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