Grasshoppers can be a huge nuisance to all gardeners. The jumping little insects love eating the leaves and stems of plants and are more than capable to ruin a backyard in no time if the infestation is at scale.
So, how can you get rid of grasshoppers naturally, without the use of harmful pesticides on your plants? Well, there are numerous methods of organic grasshopper control that you can use yourself and keep these little buggers under control.
Organic grasshopper control refers to homemade solutions you can safely spray your plants with, in order to protect the plants and deter grasshoppers from feeding on them.
There are natural sprays you can make and use that will deter grasshoppers from your plants.
Organic grasshopper repellent spray
Grasshoppers hate the smell of cayenne pepper, garlic, and onion. Mixing both substances with water and making a spray is the greenest solution you can make.
How to make an onion, garlic and pepper spray:
- Blend a clove of garlic, and onion and cayenne spray in a blender. Make sure you blend it well, as you want it to be sprayable.
- Add water to the mix. There is no set quantity of water that you should add. Make sure that the substance is fine enough to be sprayable.
Spray your plants thoroughly and make sure you cover the whole leaf (including the bottom) and the stem. You should re-spray the plant if it rains, as water will wash away the mixture.
Spraying Neem oil on your plants
Apply Neem oil to your plants to repel grasshoppers and prohibit them from laying eggs on your plants. You can buy a premade solution in almost any store where you can buy pesticides.
Keep in mind that Neem oil gives mixed results when it comes to fighting and deterring grasshoppers. Some gardeners report good results, while others don’t see any difference.
Introducing plants that keep the grasshoppers away
The easiest way to get rid of a grasshopper infestation is to prevent it. That’s why the best way to deal with them is to create an environment that grasshoppers don’t like.
Plant flowers like Lilac, Forsythia, Moss rose and Crepe Myrtle. These are all plants that deter grasshoppers and can make a nice addition to your garden.
If you’re trying to stop grasshoppers from feasting on your veggies, then introduce plants like garlic, tomatoes and peas.
But keep in mind that while environmental grasshopper control is an amazing way to keep these pests away, it’s slow and it takes a lot of time. On top of that, you don’t have a 100% proof against them. That’s why we suggest you use plants as a preventative measure and not as your only pest control method.
It’s always best to plan in advance what plants you’d want to introduce in your garden and start growing them from early spring. This would give enough time for the plants to grow and form a way of a protective boundary to your garden.
Do grasshoppers traps work as a pest control method?
Placing grasshopper traps to control them and stop them from feeding on your plants is not a good pest control method. Grasshoppers infestations are usually accompanied by numerous individuals, so catching them one by one may reduce their population but it won’t deal with the infestation.