This Pantry Staple Deters Grasshoppers From Your Garden For Good
There are plenty of ingredients sitting in your pantry right now that can be useful in your yard, from vinegar which can help repel biting insects to baking soda which can kill crabgrass. However, when it comes to protecting your garden plants from pests, it can be a little more difficult to find a natural remedy that is chemical-free and actually works. While you can help repel certain some pests by adding specific plants to your garden, some insects — like grasshoppers — are so determined to munch on your beautiful flowers and veggies that they seem not to care at all about what kind of aromatic herbs you've planted nearby.
So, how can you keep hungry grasshoppers off of your plants? There's one simple solution that is likely sitting in your pantry right now: all-purpose flour. In fact, coating your plants with flour can help keep grasshoppers away from your garden for good because, when a pesky grasshopper goes to take a bite of a flour-coated leaf, the powder creates a sticky substance inside their mouth causing them to be unable to eat any more. This method is great because it's not only easy and effective but also chemical-free and affordable. So, how do you do it?
How to banish grasshoppers with flour
The first step in using flour to keep grasshoppers away from your garden is to choose the correct type of flour. For your plants, you will need to use all-purpose flour because other types of flour (especially the self-rising kind) may include salt which is detrimental to plant health.
Once you have your all-purpose flour, simply take a cup full of it and use a sifter to lightly dust the powder over any affected plants. If you have a lot of large plants being eaten by grasshoppers, then don't worry about needing to buy a lot of flour because it's not necessary to cover every leaf. Just a light layer of flour on top of each plant will do the trick. Also, it is important to make sure to dust your plants with flour only when they are completely dry because adding flour to wet leaves can clog up the pores of your plants, harming your garden instead of the grasshoppers.
The best thing about this method is that it is not only effective for grasshoppers, but also works for other pesky leaf munchers — like aphids.