The simplest insecticidal soap is nothing more than a 2% soap solution. To make this at home, you will need:
- Sprayer: Any clean spray bottle or garden sprayer will work fine for spraying insecticidal soap. Make sure the sprayer or bottle hasn’t been used for herbicides.
- Pure Soap: Use a pure liquid soap, such as Castile, or all-natural soap. The active ingredient in insecticidal soap comes from the fatty acids in animal fat or vegetable oil, so it’s important to use the real thing. Don’t use detergents (which aren’t actually soaps), dish soaps, or any products with degreasers, skin moisturizers, or synthetic chemicals.
- Pure Water: Tap water is fine for making insecticidal soap. If you have hard water, you may want to use bottled water to prevent soap scum from building up on your plants.
To make homemade 2% insecticidal soap, mix together:
- 5 tablespoons soap to 1 gallon of water
OR
- 1 heavy tablespoon soap to 1 quart of water
