Daily gardening tip · Northern hemisphere · Monday 24 August 2026 · late summer
The Truth About Homemade Pest Sprays
Many new gardeners use household dish soap to fight late-summer pests, but this common shortcut can severely damage your plants in the August heat.
10 minuteseasypests
Look closely at the underside of damaged leaves to identify the actual pest before acting.
Skip the DIY dish soap recipes, which contain harsh detergents that strip a plant's protective leaf coating.
Purchase a commercially formulated insecticidal soap instead.
Spray a single leaf as a test patch and wait 24 hours to ensure no burning occurs.
Apply the soap to the pests in the evening when the sun is down and temperatures are cooler.
Why it works
Commercial insecticidal soaps use specific potassium salts of fatty acids that kill soft-bodied pests without breaking down the protective waxy cuticle of the leaf. Applying the mixture in the evening prevents the late-summer sun from heating the wet soap and scorching the plant tissue.
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