In the Facebook Integrated Farming Botswana, a user has shared how farmers can control pests through the use of homemade natural pesticides.
According to the user iMaDe FARMs, organic pesticides should always be sprayed on crops during the cool part of the day (mornings or late afternoons) to avoid burning of the crops.
”We’re making a difference in the farming arena while empowering farmers locally and internationally!’’ his profile reads.
The farmer shared the crops to use as the pesticide as well as how to use them for the desired results. They include:
- Garlic – Crush and mix with hot water- cool for 2 hours, then spray to control aphids.
- Tithonia (Mexican sunflower) – Crush 2kg of leaves, soak in 4 litres of warm water for 2-3hours or in cold water for 2 days. Spray to control caterpillars.
- Thorn apple (Datura stramonium) – Take 1kg of leaves, fruits and branch stems, – Crush and boil in 4 litres of water for 20 minutes and let it cool. Spray to control scale insects, aphids, and leaf miners (Tuta absoluta).
- Pawpaw leaves – Take 1 kg of green and fresh leaves, – crush and boil in 4 litres of water for 20 minutes. Spray to control scale insects and aphids.
- Wood ash – Get maize combs, burn them, and dry the ash. This should be applied around the plants, especially the transplanted vegetable seedlings, to control cutworms in fields where cutworms are a problem.
- Hot pepper – Crush 500 grams of riped hot pepper fruits, mix with 5 litres of water, boil for 20 minutes.
Sieve and add another 5 litres of water mixed with 50ml of any mild dish wash (non-detergent) soap – Spray to control ants (termites), aphids, flies, and caterpillars.
7. Lantana camara – Get branches and leaves, burn to get the ash- broadcast in the field or affected area to control ants and worms.
