How To Make Hot Pepper Spray

If you are looking for a safe, inexpensive way to keep hungry animals and destructive insects away from your plants – one of the most effective natural solutions is a simple homemade hot pepper spray that helps protect everything from flowers and shrubs to vegetables plants and more – all without relying on harsh chemicals!

The spicy mixture creates a powerful deterrent that discourages rabbits, deer, squirrels, chipmunks and many common garden insects from feeding on your plants. Whether you’re trying to stop aphids from damaging your roses or keep wildlife from nibbling your vegetable garden, this all-natural spray can make a big difference.

Even better, it’s incredibly easy to make with just a few simple ingredients. If you grow your own hot peppers and garlic, you may already have everything you need to mix up a batch in just a few minutes and start protecting your plants naturally.

A Natural Way To Keep Garden Pests Away

While fencing can do a great job of keeping larger animals out of the garden, it isn’t always practical or affordable. And even the best fence won’t stop insects from finding their way to your flowers, shrubs, and vegetable plants.

That’s where homemade hot pepper and garlic spray really shines. The strong scent of garlic combined with the intense heat of hot peppers creates a natural deterrent that many insects and browsing animals simply prefer to avoid.

We’ve relied on hot peppers for years to help protect both our vegetable garden and flowerbeds. In fact, we don’t just turn them into spray – we also grow them as part of our natural pest-control plan.

Every spring, we plant rows of hot peppers around the edges of our vegetable garden and tuck ornamental hot pepper plants throughout our landscape beds. Besides adding bright color and interest, they serve as a natural line of defense for the plants growing nearby.

That same natural heat becomes just as effective when infused into a homemade spray and applied to plant foliage. Add garlic to the mixture, and the spray becomes even more powerful, creating a long-lasting natural barrier that helps discourage everything from hungry deer and rabbits to aphids and other troublesome garden insects.

hot pepper and garlic — *Both garlic and hot peppers have natural repelling powers. When soaked in water, the combination of the two can stop many pests.*

The Simple Process Of Making Homemade Hot Pepper Spray

We have always found it easiest to mix up our spray one gallon at a time. Old milk jugs make for the perfect holding vessel. They can be easily capped and stored safely out of the way when not in use.

Remember that once made, the solution is quite hot, and can burn the skin and eyes if it comes in contact with them. Wearing gloves and eye protection is always recommended. For this reason, always keep stored safely from children and pets. Once mixed, the solution will stay potent for up to two to three months without worry.

The recipe below creates a single gallon of spray mix. It can, however, be easily adjusted to make more or less by adjusting the amount of peppers and garlic. Simply adjust the ingredients in equal proportions as you go.

Selecting The Hot Peppers

When it comes to what variety of hot pepper to use, the sky really is the limit. We have had success using everything from cayenne peppers, to jalapeno, seranno and even our 5 Color Chinese hot peppers. One thing is for sure, the hotter the better when it comes to deterring pests!

We are often asked if it is better to use fresh or dried peppers for the mix. The answer is that both seem to work equally well at soaking into the water to create a potent mix.

We prefer using fresh when we have them on hand simply because they are usually quite plentiful – and free. The ratios are a bit different for using pepper flakes to whole peppers. We have included the amounts needed below for whichever you choose.

gloves to make red pepper flakes — *It’s important to protect your skin when handling cayenne or any hot peppers- so always wear gloves!*

As for the garlic, it is best to stick with fresh garlic in clove form. Although you can purchase garlic powder, we have never found it to be as potent or effective.

Hot Pepper / Garlic Spray Recipe

Ingredients

1 gallon of water
10 to 12 hot peppers chopped fine or 5 tablespoons of hot pepper flakes (cayenne works well for dry)
10 individual cloves of garlic, chopped fine
1 teaspoon of olive oil

Begin by adding the peppers, garlic and water into a large pan and bring up to a simmer. Simmer for about 15 minutes, occasionally stirring the mixture. If you are using hot pepper flakes, you can heat them lightly in a pan to help release the oil before adding to the water mix.

Heating the liquid helps to release and infuse the oils from the hot peppers and the garlic into the water. Let the mixture cool and allow to sit and marinate at room temperature for 24 hours. Again, simmering and low temps are the key to keep any hot pepper fumes down.

Next, strain the peppers and garlic out from the mix and place the liquid into a gallon jug or a container that can be sealed. Add in the teaspoon of olive oil and stir or shake to help disperse the oil through the mixture.

This olive oil helps the mixture stick to the plants when sprayed. You can also use a few drops of mild dish detergent or vegetable oil in place of the olive oil if you prefer.

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Applying The Mixture

You are now ready to use your hot pepper / garlic spray! The best way to cover the foliage of plants for protection is with a fine mist from a sprayer.

You can use a hand held spray bottle for small areas, or a larger pump-style sprayer when covering bigger areas. We love using a hand pump pressure sprayer because it produces a super-fine mist that coats leaves using far less solution. Product Link : Hand Pump Pressure Sprayer

It is best to apply the solution in the early morning or late evening when the sun is not beating down on the plants. Applying the liquid during the heat of the day can burn foliage with the moisture and sun’s rays.

With hot pepper and garlic spray, it is important to reapply after any rain or watering of the plants. Once the solution has been washed off the foliage, it will lose its effectiveness. It’s best to reapply every 3 to 5 days even without rain to keep the potency high.

Protect Your Eyes & Skin

Just as when making the solution, gloves and proper protective gear should be worn to protect skin and eyes from the spray. One final note, if using are using the spray to protect vegetables that will be picked within a day or two, be sure to rinse off any of the hot pepper residue before consuming.

Here’s to adding a little spice to your landscape, and to keeping pests away with an all natural approach! Happy Gardening – Jim & Mary.

The Farm @ Old World Garden

Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. The two are frequent speakers on all things gardening and love to travel in their spare time.

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