Results of using homemade insecticidal soap and price comparison

I mixed up some Fels-Naptha insecticidal soap last night and sprayed the pea plants with it.

This morning, there was nary an aphid to be found. Yee Haw!

In other words, the stuff worked.

I will admit that I thought the solution was too weak because it didn't form any suds when I mixed the concentrate with the water. But I could still smell the soap, so I went ahead.

This is a very economical insecticidal soap. Allow me to show you just HOW frugal it is.

1 bar of Fels-Naptha soap = about $2
Water = free
Spray bottle = free (I already had some on hand. You can reuse any old, CLEAN spray bottles you have, or you can go out and buy a new spray bottle for a dollar or two)

1/4 bar will yield 1 quart of soap concentrate, per the recipe. 1 teaspoon of concentrate will yield 1 quart of insecticidal soap.

There are 192 teaspoons in one quart, so one quart of concentrate will make 192 quarts of insecticidal soap. The entire bar of soap will make 4 quarts of concentrate, or 768 (4 times 192) quarts of insecticidal soap.

That's 768 quarts of ready to use insecticidal soap for $2.

There are commercially available ready to use insecticidal soaps out there. You can find them in your local garden centers, home improvement stores, and big box stores (like Walmart). The average size is a 24 oz. spray bottle (which is 3 cups, or 3/4 of a quart) and the average price is $5 for 24 oz., which would be $6.67 for a full 32 oz. quart.

Let's see... $6.67 for ONE quart or $2 for 768 quarts. Which would you rather pay?