Many readers want recipes to make homemade garden pesticide and fungicide sprays from natural ingredients found in the home and garden.;

We turned to Mary Perlmutter, author of How Does Your Garden Grow –
Organically? and gardener extraordinaire:;

Gardeners were successfully deterring pests and diseases from their plants long before chemical companies came on the scene. Homemade insecticides, fungicides and tonics for the garden are still as effective to use as they are easy and inexpensive to make.

Here are some recipes for you to try in your organic garden this summer. Always strain these concoctions before putting them in your sprayer.

ALL-PURPOSE INSECT SPRAY: Chop or grind a garlic bulb, a small onion and 15 ml (1 tbsp) cayenne pepper, and mix with 1 liter of water. Let steep one hour, strain, then add 15 ml liquid hand soap. Store in a bottle in the refrigerator up to one week.

GARLIC & HOT PEPPER SPRAY: (use against chewing and sucking insects, mildew, leaf spot, rust, spore diseases) Steep 3 cloves of garlic, 1 medium onion and 5 ml (1 tsp) very hot pepper (such as Jalapeño) in 1 liter of water for 10 minutes, then strain. Can be diluted 1:4 with water before spraying.

MANURE TEA: (use against potato blight, black spot, yellowing of tomato leaves) Put a shovelful of manure in an onion bag, place it in a pail of water and let it sit for two or three days. Keep adding water to the same "teabag" as you use up the tea!

MULLEIN SPRAY: (use against white flies) Steep 1 part mashed mullein leaves in 5 parts water.

PYRETHRUM SPRAY: (use against all chewing and sucking insects) Steep 15 ml (1 tbsp) dry pyrethrum flowers in 2 liters of hot water. Pyrethrum (Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium) is an attractive perennial with marguerite-like flowers.

RHUBARB SPRAY: (use against aphids, Junebugs, black spot, fungus diseases) Steep 5 rhubarb leaves in 2-3 liters of boiling water.

SALT SOLUTION: (use against spider mites, cabbage worms) Dissolve 30 ml (1 oz) table salt in 4 liters of water.

SKIM MILK SPRAY: (use against mosaic disease on tomatoes & peppers) No special preparation needed. Sour milk can be used against cabbage-worms.

STINGING NETTLE SPRAY: (use against aphids and thrips) Cover 1 liter of nettles (wear gloves to gather) with water and steep for 3 weeks. Dilute with 7 parts water.

TOMATO LEAVES: (use against aphids, asparagus larvae, black spot, scales) Steep 10 chopped tomato leaves and 1 chopped onion in 125 ml (1/2 cup) alcohol for a few minutes. Apply with a swab.

And here are some recipes for sprays to use on plants and yard areas where animal pests are a problem.

CATS: Add 2 parts cayenne powder, 3 parts dry mustard and 5 parts flour to sufficient water to make a spray.

DOGS: Add 1 clove of garlic, 1 medium onion and 5 ml (1 tsp) Tabasco sauce to 1 liter of water.

SQUIRRELS: Add 15 ml (1 tbsp) Tabasco sauce, 5 ml (1 tsp) chili powder and a dash of dish soap to 500 ml (1 pint) of water.