23 August 2010

Homemade White Oil


With spring just around the corner, thoughts are turning to gardening again. With gardens come pests. Oil based sprays are very effective at controlling a wide range of plant and garden pests such as aphids, scale, smooth skinned caterpillars and even young grasshoppers.

 It is easy, and much cheaper, to make your own white oil from vegetable oil and liquid soap. Prepare the concentrate using the proportions below. Store in a suitable container. Label the container, making sure to include the dilution rate on the label for quick reference.

Ingredients:
500ml vegetable oil (any brand)
1/2 cup Sunlight dish washing liquid

Dilution:  Dilute the above mix by placing 1 tablespoon into a litre of water. Mix well and spray thoroughly over both sides of the foliage and onto the offending pest. The contents of the stored concentrate will separate over time. Simply ensure that the concentrate is well mixed each time before you attempt to dilute it for use. Spray as often as required.

Always follow the dilution rate to avoid burning plants and don't spray in hot weather. Also avoid spraying on plants with hairy foliage and ferns, palms and cycads as they will suffer leaf burn too.

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