To be honest

the editor-in-chief has been fighting pests on potted plants on the balcony for years...

Over the years, defeated again and again, yet fighting on after every defeat,

and though covered in scars, I have accumulated pest-control secrets that are not to be passed around carelessly.

In this article, the treasured secrets are shared with balcony gardening friends!

Exploring green pesticides for home gardening

One: Onion

Take 20 g of onion, mash it, add 1~1.5 kg of water, soak overnight, then filter, and spray the resulting filtrate onto the plants.

This method has a good control effect on aphids and red spiders.

Two: Garlic

Mash 20~30 g of garlic cloves into a paste, then add 5 kg of water and stir, and take the filtrate.

Use it as a spray to control aphids, red spiders and beetles, with very good results.

Three: Sichuan pepper

Take an appropriate amount of Sichuan pepper, add 3 times its volume of water and boil it down, then add 10 times the amount of water to the cooled decoction and spray.

This method can control snails, lice, scale insects, etc.

Four: Chili pepper

Take 50 g of fresh chili pepper, add 30~35 times its amount of water, heat and boil for half an hour, then take the filtrate and spray it.

This method can effectively control pests such as aphids, cutworms and red spiders.

Five: Mint water

Add 10 drops of mint essential oil to 500 ml of water, then add 10 ml of medicinal alcohol, stir thoroughly and evenly, put it into a spray bottle, and spray evenly on both the front and back of the leaves, once a week.

This method can be used to control aphids.

Six: Fengyoujing (essential balm)

Dilute Fengyoujing 600~800 times to make a spray.

It can control aphids, red spiders, scale insect nymphs and moth and butterfly larvae, etc., with good pest-control results.

The editor-in-chief has tried all of the above methods, and there are three conclusions:

1. They are very easy to obtain, and ordinary households generally have them.

2. Often observe the state of your own potted soil, plant leaves, etc., and immediately isolate any plant once pest or disease problems are found, then find the corresponding method to deal with the affected potted plant.

3. Remember, pest prevention for potted plants is more important and easier than treatment. Do not wait until a pest outbreak has happened before thinking of ways to treat it, because then the effort required is much greater... At home, it is also impossible to spray chemicals or anything like that.

If you really do find pests or diseases, do not panic. At worst, take a photo and send it to the editor-in-chief for help. If a gardening friend asks, the editor-in-chief will definitely answer!

Grown on the balcony

Alright, that is all for today. If gardening friends still have any questions they hope the editor-in-chief will answer, leave a message in the comment section below.

I do not know whether the editor-in-chief explained it clearly and in detail. For gardening friends who did not understand, the editor-in-chief has specially written an acrostic poem for you. It may not be well written, but it can help you find the editor-in-chief.

More wonderful articles are all in an acrostic poem:

A gentle breeze lightly strokes, flowers remain ever present

Walking at ease, the spirit wanders to the south of Nanshan

Searching for wonders and seeking clever finds at Tongque Terrace

Planting red and cultivating green, rising above the blue clouds

--Come and take the challenge: a four-line acrostic-and-tail poem. Connect the first characters plus connect the last characters, and you can get an eight-character motto to summon the editor-in-chief's true self! When you come, remember to say: "Editor-in-chief, your secret has been cracked by me"!

Learning on the balcony has no end.