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Insecticidal Soap vs Pepper Plants

11 years ago

I had a mild aphid infestation turn up on my fairly young pepper plants (banana, bell and jalapeno) so tried using insecticidal soap on them (store bought, supposedly organic). I sprayed on both the tops and bottoms of the leaves, giving a good coating. I waited until the plants were in the shade before spraying them to avoid sunlight on droplets burning the leaves.

The Aphids all died but a few hours later the leaves all started to wilt and curl up. I washed all the soap off with regular water and they look a bit healthier a day later but I'm concerned further use will harm the plants.

Has anyone else experienced this? Does it damage the plants?

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Comments (4)

tsheets
11 years ago
When I have used insecticidal soap in the past, I also noticed the plants didn't really like it. But, it was in the Winter (plants were indoors) and I didn't rinse the soap off. After that, I started rinsing them off after an hour or so and they seemed to take it a lot better. Since yours are outside, I could see the same situation happening more quickly.

First off, I would expect your plants will be fine. I would just apply in shade / weak sun as you did before, and rinse them shortly after application. Repeat as necessary every 2-3 days. Since the soap is a contact thing, it doesn't take long to work it's magic on the aphids.
User
11 years ago
What tsheets' said about rinsing them shortly after application and repeating as necessary every 2-3 days.

Soak the plants like you did and then wash / hose them off after 20 minutes.
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As a general rule, the less soap the better. ;) For what it is worth, my recipe has ALWAYS been 1 tablespoon (or less) per gallon and that is the standard recipe that often comes up for discussion here. There is no standard recipe for making it in quarts and that is where much of the confusion comes from - that and the fact that many confuse the abbreviations for teaspoon and tablespoon. Personally, I would never use anything stronger than the 1 tablespoon per gallon as even that mixture, if applied too heavily, can easily kill plants. As to the soap - plain old Ivory, when you can get it, is good, plain blue Dawn dishwashing liquid (the original) also works with no problems. But the best, IMO is Murphy's Oil Soap simply because it also contains some oil and so sticks better. So, I have often used as little as 1/4 tablespoon of Murphy's Oil Soap in 1 gallon of water effectively. If the infestation got severe for some reason I would up it to 1/2 tablespoon but never more than 1 tablespoon per gallon of water. Then just pour it into a quart sprayer if you wish but don't mix it in the quart sprayer. As with all such sprays - never in the heat of the day, never in the direct sun, lightly mist don't drench, and aim for the bugs not the plant as a whole. ;) And, if in doubt go with a commercially prepared spray. Hope this helps. Dave
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Hello everyone, The only oil that I found that worked for me after trying all kinds was minerial oil. A few drops to gallon of water and a few drops of dishsoap. If you have plants inside and see spider webs. Act fast. Remove plants from growing station. Clean and clean and spray Lysol all over and repeat for two days. Mean while wash all plants down and spray wetable garden sulfur all over them. Shower the plants a few times and repeat every few days with garden sulter spray. This will help untill you can get your plants hardened off for the new season. The lysol will kill small bugs that are hiding. You can even fan the lysol spray in the air in the growing area while your plants are not there. Its great to wash your plants but you need to remember where they are growing also. -Elizabeth
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User
11 years ago
Some commercial mixes have horticultural oils in them or use salt "soaps" for their sprays.

I prefer to mix my own water/soap mix, skipping the extras that helps the spray stick to leaves. The initial contact does almost all the job and it doesn't need to hang around forever. I live in a decently humid environment, though...it might be a different story in a dry climate. Either way, I'd mix my own based on cost...and any sprayer you pick for it can be re-used because it's just soap water you're putting in it anyway.
esox07 (4b) Wisconsin
11 years ago
nc-cm: That is what I am going to do. I have an Ortho brand of insecticidal soap now, but when it runs out, I am just going to grab a bar of my wife's home made soap. She makes it on the stove with oils and LYE of all things just like they did 80 years ago. I have a feeling it will work as good or better than store bought stuff.
Bruce

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