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The Kitchen Scrap That Can Naturally Repel Pests From Your Garden
By AMIRA GUNDEL
When garden pests attack your plants, the last thing you want to do is spray your crops with chemicals. Rice water can naturally repel pests while also providing other benefits.
Unlike pesticides, the starch in rice water helps feed beneficial bacteria, fungi, and microbes that increase soil health. There are several effective ways to make rice water.
When rice is washed before cooking, the nutrient-rich water gets wasted. Instead, soak organic rice in water for 30 to 45 minutes, strain, and add the water to a spray bottle.
Alternatively, boil your rice for about 45 minutes in more water than you typically would. Strain the rice and let the water cool down before watering your plants with it.
To make fermented rice water, add rice and water to a jar and let it sit for four days. This process breeds higher levels of disease-fighting lactic acid bacteria.
Mist the rice water directly onto the plant’s leaves and soil. Another option is to either drench the soil of your garden with it, or soak a potted plant in rice water for an hour.