Okay, so, I’ve been having some bug problems in my garden lately. It’s frustrating, you know? You spend all this time planting and watering, and then these little critters come along and start munching on your hard work. I needed to find a solution, and that’s when I remembered something about chrysanthemums.
I read somewhere that some types of these flowers have this natural chemical that bugs really hate. So, I started by looking up which kinds of chrysanthemums are best for this. Turns out, there’s one called Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium that’s like the superhero of bug-repelling flowers. I looked around, but I couldn’t find that specific kind at the local stores. But I figured any chrysanthemum might help, at least a bit.
So, I picked up a few pots of regular chrysanthemums from the nearest nursery. The flowers were already blooming, so I decided to use those first. I remembered reading that you need to dry them out, so I picked a bunch of the flowers when they looked really full and healthy. I laid them out in a cool, dark spot in my garage where there’s good airflow. I waited for a few days, checking on them now and then, until they felt completely dry and crispy.
Next, I needed to turn these dried flowers into a powder. I just used a regular old mortar and pestle that I have in the kitchen, the kind you use for grinding spices. It took a little bit of elbow grease, but I ground them up until they were a fine powder, kind of like coarse flour.
After that, I took my homemade chrysanthemum powder and sprinkled it around the plants that were getting attacked by bugs. I made sure to get it around the base of the plants and on the leaves too.
- Step 1: Find some chrysanthemum.
- Step 2: Pick the flowers when they’re at their fullest.
- Step 3: Dry them out in a cool, dark place.
- Step 4: Grind them into a powder.
- Step 5: Sprinkle the powder around your plants.
I also mixed some of the powder with water in a spray bottle, adding a little bit of dish soap to help it stick. I sprayed this mixture directly onto the plants, especially on the areas where I saw the most bugs. I did this a few times a week, and I started to notice a difference.
Now, I’m not saying it’s a miracle cure. I still see a few bugs here and there, but it’s definitely way less than before. It seems like the chrysanthemum powder is at least deterring them, and some of the bugs that did come into contact with it seemed to die off pretty quickly. It might not be as strong as those chemical pesticides you buy at the store, but I feel better knowing I’m using something natural. Plus, it’s kind of cool to make your own insecticide from flowers, right?
Anyway, I’m going to keep using this method and see how it goes in the long run. Maybe I’ll even try to find some seeds of that Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium and grow my own super bug-repelling flowers next year!
Note
It’s important to be careful when handling any kind of insecticide, even natural ones. Always test it on a small area first to make sure it doesn’t harm your plants, and don’t go overboard with it. And, of course, if you have a serious pest problem, you might need to use something stronger or consult with a professional.
