Multi-Purpose Joy Max Soap Spray
This is the go-to, all-natural, organic, multi-purpose insecticide spray that I use both to prevent pests and treat and/or prevent powdery mildew. I have seen no ill effects from combining what is a standard soap spray with baking soda other than a lot less time and effort in having to do two separate treatments. Certain plants are especially prone to powdery mildew— peas, zinnias, calendula, and many others. Powdery mildew doesn’t kill your plants, but it’s unsightly and weakens them, making them vulnerable to pests and other afflictions. Once it sets in, it’s difficult to remove, so better to use this as a preventative and avoid the unpleasantness altogether.
This nontoxic soap spray will not affect beneficial pollinators. To be harmed by the spray, the insect has to eat it or be enveloped in it. Just watch out you don’t spray any bees directly. To this end, I avoid spraying the blossoms, just to keep the bees extra safe. I use this spray to control aphids, mites, caterpillars, leaf miners, grasshoppers, and leaf-footed bugs. Sometimes you may need to go to the garden store and buy a specific garden spray solution, like BT (Bacillus thuringiensis) or Neem Oil, for severe infestations, but if you use my spray recipe regularly, your plants will thrive. Once a week is ideal.
The soap you use can be any natural dish soap. I don’t use anything with a strong degreaser. We want it to be gentle. Dr. Bronner’s Soap also works. The oil in the mix is used both to help the spray to cling to the plant and to coat any little soft-bodied insects like aphids or mites on the plant. Any vegetable oil is fine. I usually use Canola as it’s cheap.
Here is the recipe.
Joy Max Multi-Purpose Garden Spray
1 tbsp baking soda
1 tbsp all-natural dish soap
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 gallon of water
Combine ingredients, pour into a spray bottle and apply to plants. Take care to get full coverage, including the undersides of all the leaves and the plant’s stems. Don’t spray in the heat of the day. You don’t want it to scorch the plants by intensifying the sunlight on the leaves. Mornings are best. Because of many disappointments with maintaining functional spray bottles, I finally bit the bullet and bought a garden pressure sprayer, and I love it! You can treat much larger sections of the garden. A huge plus is if you use the full gallon in one application, your hand doesn’t cramp or get sore from continuously pumping a spray bottle.
It’s easy to make a homemade spray that works just as well as anything from the store. And the recipe is easy to remember: 1 tbsp each of these 3 common household ingredients mixed with 1 gal water.
