Tropicals & Tender Perennials: Tropical Gardens and Plants 108, 1 by dyzzypyxxy

dyzzypyxxy wrote:
Don't know about you guys, but a 2gal. pump sprayer with a mild solution of soapy water is always at the ready in my garden. About a tablespoon of dish soap to the 2gal of water. When the veggie garden is going in the spring and fall, I spray that stuff around at least twice a week - and after it rains - to keep the aphids, spider mites and whiteflies at bay. Also use it along the pathways that have the jasmine groundcover next to them, to keep the chiggers from biting my ankles. They love that groundcover!

This time of year, I also keep a 1qt. spray bottle of baking soda and water solution to help ward off fungal infections like black spot and powdery mildew. I don't grow a lot of plants that get these problems, but there are a few! About 1/2 tsp. baking soda to a quart of water seems to keep the leaves of my roses and the two hydrangeas nice and healthy.

I've also started using it on the new little fig tree, as earlier in the summer it had a case of rusty fungus and dropped most of its leaves. It's got a whole new set of nice clean leaves now, and has a little crop of figs coming along, too. See them up top, middle and lower left?