Using KNF for overal pest management.
I am looking to see if there is a foliar spray application that van be used to treat overall pests. I have a few holes in my leaves and am looking to rid myself of the pests.
I understand about using BRV, but that takes time to brew which I will start today. However in a week who knows how far along the pests would go.
Also, if I use said solution, should I spray beneficials back not the plant after?
Top answer
In terms of a spray that can be used preemptively to discourage pests without damaging your plant and at the same time staying organic, yes, what you are looking for is to mix ULC KNF Pest Solutions.
There is a way to make Ultra Low Cost liquid soap at home, or a bottle of Dr. Bronners will also work, then this is blended with a concentrated herb solution.
To make the concentrated herb solution, you want to look for a plant that grows in your area that no bugs eat. In my case I use wadelia, but other recommended plants are ginkgo or jarusalem artichoke leaves. Gather a bunch of material and stuff it into a pressure cooker, then fill it half way with water and turn it on for a couple hours until the water reduces down to about a 1/4 and becomes very dark in color.
The key then is to blend these herbs with the soap and apply all over the leaves surface making the plant very unpalatable to insects.
The ratios to combine with water are
1:100 for the concentrated herbs and
1:170 for the soap.
or in other words, if I have 1 liter of water, put in 10mL of concentrated herbs and 6mL of soap.
From the KNF library
From the KNF library
Drafted by Claude from Office Hours and the books
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Sep 2026
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5 sources
Drake adds a few points to the soap and herb spray already described.
- OHN mixes with water at 1:1000. (Student's Manual, Basic Course, p. 27) Apply it as a foliar spray to repel insects, in late afternoon or early morning. (Student's Manual, Basic Course, p. 27)
- On a rice hopper question, Drake said to capture some pests, test mixes on them, and see what kills the pest without harming the plant. Then spray. (Office Hours Ep. 90, 54:29)
- For tomatoes, Drake said to identify the pest and make a soap spray from the Recipe Book if problems persist. (Office Hours Ep. 25, 24:14)
- Mist the underside of the leaves lightly. (Office Hours Ep. 7, 37:35)
Holes in leaves can point to the plant. The library says a sudden flood of pests usually has another cause, such as a weak plant immune system, unbalanced nutrition, or other stress. (KNF Demystified, p. 11) It also says natural farming tries to give beneficial bugs a place to live and work. Trapping comes last. (KNF Demystified, p. 11)
The library does not say whether to spray beneficials back onto the plant after a pest spray.
Sources
- 54:29 Office Hours Ep. 90 (Aug 2023) — Certificate to Teach KNF, JMS Smell Test, FPJ vs FPE · “capture some hoppers, test mixes on them, see what kills the pest without harming the plant, then spray”
- 37:35 Office Hours Ep. 7 (Nov 2021) — Fermented Seawater, Brown Rice Vinegar, Fish Amino Acid · “Mist the underside of the leaves lightly”
- 24:14 Office Hours Ep. 25 (Apr 2022) — IMO4 for Trees, Worm Bin LAB, Goat Pellets · “if problems persist, identify the pest and make a soap spray from the Recipe Book.”
- p. 27 Student's Manual, Basic Course · “OHN is mixed with water at a ratio of 1:1000.”
- p. 11 KNF Demystified · “If a huge number of pests arrive suddenly, there is usually some other reason for their appearance, such as a weak plant immune system, unbalanced plant nutrition, or some other stress present.”
