Today I visited John Starnes' blog: Rosegasms And I found his link to an article he wrote for the St. Petersburg Times. In his article he provides a formula or recipe for homemade insecticidal soap. Note that the insecticidal soap recipe is the recipe that adds vegetable oil. I haven't tried it; I just found it. Please report if it works as well for you as the commercially available products. My thanks in advance to Mr. Starnes. Direct link to the St. Petersburg Times article below: Here is a link that might be useful: Wash away your garden worries by JOHN A. STARNES JR.

To be honest, I have used whatever kind of liquid dish washing soap/detergent I have on hand. We try to get Ivory dish soap just because hubby is allergic to a lot of other brands, but couldn't find it last time and the cheap stuff from Aldi works just fine. Have always had this solution work on killing bugs, and have never damaged my plants with it at the killing-bugs dilution rate. (If you double the amount of dish soap it does hurt plants, can be used to kill small weeds.) I go with about 1 Tablespoon of dish soap per quart of water in a spray bottle. I also have Murphy's Oil Soap but didn't know that I could use that, besides it is kind of pricey. I used to use this spray on some kind of worms that attacked the pine trees at my previous home almost every year, and on ants and aphids. At my current house I have used them on ants, cucumber beetles, and Mexican bean beetles/bugs in the garden. It works, and you can just spray/soak the area afterwards to get most of the soap out. No aphid problems here since I have so many lady bugs. I also don't see how a $1 bottle of dish soap that makes gazillions of quarts of bug spray (and can also be used for dish soap) doesn't blow away ANY prepared commercial product economically. Yes, I imagine you could hurt some plants if you were careless, but all you have to do is wash the plant off afterward with water anyway, so what is the big deal? I even rescue the worms I find in that area and wash them off with water, too. Marcia

Insect Control: Soaps and Detergents by W.S. Cranshaw 1 Quick Facts... Soaps can be used to control a wide range of plant pests. Small, soft-bodied arthropods such as aphids, mealybugs, psyllids and spider mites are most susceptible to soaps. The ease of use, safety and selective action of soaps appeal to many people. Limitations of soaps include the need to wet the insect during application, absence of any residual effectiveness, and potential to damage some plants. Soaps or detergents used for control of insects are applied as dilute sprays, mixed with water to produce a concentration of about 2 percent. Soaps have been used to control insects for more than 200 years. Recently, there has been increased interest in and use of these products. This change is due to a better understanding of how to use soaps most effectively and a desire to try insecticides that are easier and safer to use than many currently available alternatives. How soaps and detergents kill insects is still poorly understood. In most cases, control results from disruption of the cell membranes of the insect. Soaps and detergents may also remove the protective waxes that cover the insect, causing death through excess loss of water. Soap-Detergent Sprays Soaps and detergents act strictly as contact insecticides, with no residual effect. To be effective, sprays must be applied directly to and thoroughly cover the insect. Several insecticidal soaps are distributed for control of insects and mites. Available under a variety of trade names, the active ingredient of all is potassium salt of fatty acids. Soaps are chemically similar to liquid hand soaps. However, there are many features of commercial insecticidal soap products that distinguish them from the dishwashing liquids or soaps that are sometimes substituted. Insecticidal soaps sold for control of insects: are selected to control insects; are selected to minimize potential plant injury; and are of consistent manufacture. Some household soaps and detergents also make effective insecticides. In particular, certain brands of hand soaps and liquid dishwashing detergents can be effective for this purpose. They are also substantially less expensive. However, there is increased risk of plant injury with these products. They are not designed for use on plants. Dry dish soaps and all clothes-washing detergents are too harsh to be used on plants. Also, many soaps and detergents are poor insecticides. Identifying safe and effective soap-detergent combinations for insect control requires experimentation. Regardless of what product is used, soap-detergent sprays are always applied diluted with water, typically at a concentration of around 2 to 3 percent (Table 1). Susceptible Insects Most research with insecticidal soaps and detergents has involved control of plant pests. In general, these sprays are effective against most small, soft-bodied arthropods, such as aphids, young scales, whiteflies, psyllids, mealybugs, and spider mites. Larger insects, such as caterpillars, sawflies and beetle larvae, generally are immune to soap sprays. However, a few large insects, including boxelder bugs and Japanese beetles, are susceptible. Insecticidal soaps are considered selective insecticides because of their minimal adverse effects on other organisms. Lady beetles, green lacewings, pollinating bees and most other beneficial insects are not very susceptible to soap sprays. Predatory mites, often important in control of spider mites, are an exception: a beneficial group of organisms easily killed by soaps. Application One of the most serious potential drawbacks to the use of soap-detergent sprays is their potential to cause plant injury -- their phytotoxicity. Certain plants are sensitive to these sprays and may be seriously injured. For example, most commercial insecticidal soaps list plants such as hawthorn, sweet pea, cherries and plum as being sensitive to soaps. Portulaca and certain tomato varieties also are sometimes damaged by insecticidal soaps. The risk of plant damage is greater with homemade preparations of household soaps or detergents. When in doubt, test soap-detergent sprays for phytotoxicity problems on a small area a day or two before an extensive area is treated. Plant injury can be reduced by using sprays that are diluted more than the 2 to 3 percent suggested on label instructions. To reduce leaf injury, wash plants within a couple of hours after the application. Limiting the number of soap applications can also be important, as leaf damage can accumulate with repeated exposure. However, because of the short residual action, repeat applications may be needed at relatively short intervals (four to seven days) to control certain pests, such as spider mites and scale crawlers. Also, application must be thorough and completely wet the pest. This usually means spraying undersides of leaves and other protected sites. Insects that cannot be completely wetted, such as aphids within curled leaves, will not be controlled. Environmental factors also can affect use of soaps. In particular, soaps (but not synthetic detergents) are affected by the presence of minerals found in hard water, which results in chemical changes producing insoluble soaps (soap scum). Control decreases if hard-water sources are used. Insecticidal soaps may also be more effective if drying is not overly rapid, such as early or late in the day. Soaps and detergents can offer a relatively safe and easy means to control many insect pests. As with all pesticides, however, there are limitations and hazards associated with their use. Understand these limitations, and carefully follow all label instructions. Table 1: Approximate mix to produce various dilute soap sprays. Percent dilution desired Approximate amount of soap to add to water to produce: Gallon Quart Pint 1 2 1/2 Tbsp (-) 2 tsp (+) 1 tsp (+) 2 5 Tbsp (-) 4 tsp (+) 2 tsp (+) 3 8 Tbsp (+) 2 Tbsp (+) 1 Tbsp (+) 4 10 Tbsp (-) 2 1/2 Tbsp (+) 4 tsp (+) (+) Will produce a solution of slightly higher concentration than indicated. (-) Will produce a solution of slightly lower concentration than indicated. 1Colorado State University Extension entomologist and professor, bioagricultural sciences and pest management. 12/96. Reviewed 3/08. Colorado State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Colorado counties cooperating. CSU Extension programs are available to all without discrimination. No endorsement of products mentioned is intended nor is criticism implied of products not mentioned. Go to top of this page. Updated Friday, August 03, 2012

I just finished reading this entire post and am so glad I did! I've been using bleach ( or should I say, did use) since spring up to about June, when the hosta first emerged. However, I was using this treatment to combat slugs. It works well. i missed an area and it shows...neglect on my part, sadly..but what a difference.....no slug bite holes in treated area, lots of holes in untreated area! Little did I know I was also keeping nematodes at bay. What a relief! However, I do have a problem with my beautiful Whirlwind that started end of last week.. I just didnt know the problem was nematodes until now. I hate unsightly leaves and when they appeared I ripped them off. . .3 so far! I slacked off with the bleach treatment after June and Whirlwind is one casualty...hopefully one only. I will be treating the plant and area today after reading these posts. Thank you, All for the comprehensive information, especially "Kines's report" , Bruce's area of expertise as a chemical engineer, and "Playinmud" for posting such a valuable thread that drew out all this extremely useful information. I've earmarked it for easy reference as well. I'll be trying your recipe, Playinmud! :-) Grateful, Jo.