
How to solve the pest problem for your plants?
We all are happy to see our vegetables grow healthy and beautiful – but unfortunately, nature will be taking over with holes on your plant’s leaf. Bugs are capable of burrowing through the soil to eat at roots, climbing the leaves to chew away flowers and buds and, of course, biting holes right through the centre of new green leaves.
The common outdoor bug in Malaysia will be caterpillars – these insects are larvae that will one day hatch into moths, flies, butterflies and other insects, but until then, their sole purpose in life is mostly to eat. Unfortunately for gardeners, their preferred food is usually garden leaves.
The basic answer is yes, it’s possible to reuse potting soil.
How to control caterpillars from Garden?
1 – Ward Off Insects With Garlic And Chilli
This is a true classic and should be part of every gardener’s arsenal. Garlic/chilli-based spray is effective for small sucking insects such as aphids as well as caterpillars. Combine crushed garlic and chilli (powdered chilli will do if you don’t have fresh) with one tablespoon of vegetable oil and a small amount of dishwashing liquid or soap flakes. Leave to soak overnight in a jar, then strain and spray on plants. Avoid contact with your skin and eyes and keep away from kids. Use within two weeks.2 – Handpick with hand
But…. If your old school and prefer to handpick them, this can work as well but this will be our advice to you. If you can see caterpillars crawling around in the veggie patch, it’s almost always a bad sign. If you see them, pick them off by hand – place them to an unwanted area or you can simply drop it into a bucket of water filled with soap. The benefit of manually removing caterpillars when they are seen is that you can stop the damage instantly. This method also happens to be free, and, unlike sprays, will not leave residue on your vegetables.3 – Pest spray for garden bug
If you still having an issue with natural spray (Ez-Care) and picking up by hand, we will suggest going to your nearest Nursery to buy a bacteria spray that will help to kill your problem (caterpillars). Get a pest spray that will not affect your plants and do read the application towards your plants, sometimes too many sprays can cause problem towards your plants or vegetables.