So, I’ve been having a real headache with bugs in my garden lately. Aphids, mites, you name it, they’re all over my plants. I was looking for something that wouldn’t nuke my whole garden with harsh chemicals, and I stumbled upon this old-school method using chrysanthemum flowers.
Apparently, these flowers have this natural stuff called pyrethrins. It’s like a natural bug killer. I thought, “Why not give it a shot?” It sounded a bit crazy, but also kind of cool, using flowers to fight bugs.
First, I got a bunch of chrysanthemum flowers. They need to be the right kind, though. I found out that the best ones are called “Tanacetum cinerariifolium” – a real mouthful, I know. These are the ones packed with the good stuff. There are also another ones called painted daisies, but I have only Tanacetum cinerariifolium now.
Next, I picked the flowers when they were fully bloomed. Then, I laid them out in a cool, dark place in my garage. The key is good airflow, so they don’t get moldy. I waited for what felt like forever until they were completely dry.
Once they were dried, I grabbed my mortar and pestle – yeah, I felt like a real potion master at this point – and ground those flowers into a fine powder. It was a bit of work, but kind of satisfying, to be honest.
But I want to make a spray. So I boiled 100 grams of the dried flowers I just ground in 1 liter of water for about 20 minutes and then used a strainer to separate any big pieces of flower that were left.
I sprayed this stuff directly onto the bugs that were bugging me the most.
I’ve also heard that some folks just sprinkle the powder around their plants. I might try that next, especially around the plants that seem to be the bugs’ favorite snacks.
- Get the right chrysanthemum flowers (Tanacetum cinerariifolium).
- Pick the flowers when fully bloomed.
- Dry them in a cool, dark place with good airflow.
- Grind the dried flowers into a powder.
- Boil 100g flowers in 1 liter of water for 20 minutes.
- Strain the liquid.
- Spray on the bugs.
Here’s a quick rundown of the steps:
It’s still early days, but I’m hopeful. It feels good to use something natural, and hey, if it works, I’ve got my own homemade bug spray. Plus, my garden smells faintly of flowers now, which is a nice bonus!
I am still testing whether it works well. I will share my results soon!