Recipes for Flour/ Starch Preparations

Flour preparation I: 

A spray made from 2 cups of fine white flour well stirred into 5-10 litres of water is said to be very effective against aphids and spider mites. 

Flour Preparation II: 

Stir together vigorously 1 cup of buttermilk with 8 cups of fine white flour and 50 litres of water. Spray this onto the affected crop taking care to treat the underside of the leaves. This mixture destroys eggs, larvae and adult mites. Four applications have been shown to kill 95 % of red spider mite infestation (Stoll 1988).

Flour and Soap III: 

- Add 2 - 4 tablespoons of wheat or potato or any baking flour into 4 cups of warm water. 
- Stir well. 
- Add 1 teaspoon of soap as sticker. 
- Stir the filtrate again prior to application. 
 

Recipe for potato starch remedy

Commercial potato flour is not on the market in Kenya, but it is very easy to produce at home. 
Finely shred a few Irish potatoes and mix in a bowl of water. Leave to stand for some hours, then stir the mixture and sieve out the potato flesh. Remaining in the bottom of the bowl will be a white layer of potato starch. If not to be used right away, the water can be decanted, and the starch dried for later use.

Potato starch spray: mix 2-4 tablespoons of potato starch in 1 litre of water and add 2-3 drops of liquid dish soap. Shake the mixture and spray to cover the leaves well. Very close to recipe for flour and soap III.