Plant

Use

Recipe

Brachen Fern (Pteridium esculentum)

Deters aphids and bean fly, shown to kill cockroaches.

Chop and place into a saucepan, just cover with water and bring to the boil.  Simmer for 10 minutes.  Cool and strain.  Use within a few days.

Camphor Laurel (Cinnamomum camphalora)

Braches can be hung in doorways etc to repel flies and mosquitos.  Spray repels aphids, thrips and white fly.

Chop and place into a saucepan, just cover with water and bring to the boil.  Simmer for 10 minutes.  Cool and strain.  Use within a few days.

Chilli

Spray can be used to repel larger pests and kill smaller ones.  Will deter grasshoppers and caterpillars as well as possums and rabbits temporarily.  Also used by police to deter bandits.

Mix 1 part (2 parts with fresh chilli) finely chopped chilli with 3 parts water.  Blend and leave to stand for a few hours.  Strain through a cloth.  Dilute one part of the mixture with two parts water before use.  Will keep for several weeks and must be used with extreme caution to avoid contact with skin and eyes.

Eucalyptus Sp.

Eucalyptus oil is a repellent, insecticidal and a disinfectant.  Dust or leaves will repel cockroaches.  Paper bags sprinkled with the oil and tied around stone fruit will repel possums and bats.  A eucalyptus spray will protect plants from attack from many different insects.

Chop leaves and cover in a bowl with boiling water.  Leave to stand until cool.  Strain and use within a few days and shake well before use.

Lantana

A spray made from the leaves will kill aphids and other sap-sucking insects such as mites and thrips.

Finely chop leaves and cover with water.  Bring to boil and then simmer for 30 minutes.  Cool and strain.  Use within a few days.  A potent spray to be used with caution.

White Cedar (Melia Azaderach)

A poisonous plant, the white cedar is a very effective insecticide.  Spray can be used on aphids, beetles, crickets, grasshoppers, locusts, mites, scale, snails and thrips.  The spray will protect pets from fleas and lice.

Cover chopped leaves and fruit with boiling water and leave to cool before straining.  Use within a few days.

Bay Laurel

Leaves places around cupboards and stuck to the tops of storage jars will repel weevils and cockroaches.

Catmint

Plants used to repel rats and mice and oil can repel head lice.

Camphor Plant (Tanacetum balsamita)

For Cold relief poor boiling water over the chopped leaves and inhale the steam.