Insecticidal Soap – Commercial vs Homemade
Q: I saw in your email garden newsletter that you recommend commercial insecticidal soap, not home-made. Why can’t I make my own stuff?
A: I usually hear of people using dish detergent in their insecticide concoctions, which can burn plant leaves. There is a considerable difference between dish detergent, bar soap and insecticidal soap.
Despite advice from amateur sources, commercial insecticidal soaps are far superior.
What we call “soap” is a substance made by combining fat with an alkali, like sodium hydroxide, which will yield a hard soap, or potassium hydroxide, which yields a liquid soap that can be sprayed. Only a few of the many fats available have the insecticidal properties you want.
Most household soaps and detergents are mildly harmful to leaves. They are herbicides instead of insecticides. Buy brand-named insecticidal soap and be safe.
-
-
-
1
Encore Azaleas – Did Not Bloom Second Time
-
2
Creeping Charlie vs Pennywort (Dollarweed) vs Dichondra – Identification
-
3
Muscadines – Pollination
-
4
Should I Shred Fallen Leaves As Mulch?
-
5
Deer – Rubbing on Trees
-
1
Encore Azaleas – Did Not Bloom Second Time
-
2
Grass – Mixing Fescue and Rye
-
3
Rose – Pruning Climbing Types
-
4
Bronze Beauty Cleyera – Fertilizing
-
5
Okra -Edible with Bumps on Pods
-
