You may have come across neem oil as a natural remedy to treat various skin conditions, including cuts, burns and acne. But, did you know that it can also be very useful in the garden? This article will explain all the facts on how to use neem oil on plants.
If you’re serious about maintaining a beautiful and thriving garden, you cannot do it without some form of pest control. Whilst commercial pesticides may cause harm to both you and your plants, you cannot simply do nothing and expect everything to work out for the best. You may finish up with no fruit and vegetables that you can consume, due to the fact that they have been infested by pests.
Thankfully, there are a number of natural methods and organic pesticides that you can use for preventing a proliferation of harmful pests in the garden. Take note though, there are several helpful insects that can spread pollen or enrich your garden soil – not all of them are bad. Don’t make the mistake of wiping out the good bugs. However, you can always learn how to use neem oil on plants to eliminate the bad ones from the garden.
So, What Is Neem Oil?
The seeds obtained from Azadirachta Indica trees are used for producing neem oil. It is a natural pesticide but it is useful for a variety of different purposes. It can work as an acne wash, a dry skin moisturizer and is effective in fighting eczema. However, be sure not to use the very same variant of oil for both your skin and your plants – cosmetic, hair, and skin products utilize a more dilute concentration.
How Does it Work and What are the Benefits of Neem Oil?
Plants absorb the neem oil via their roots and from there it enters into their vascular system. This transports the oil to the different parts of the plant. Insects that eat or feed on the plants wind up ingesting the oil, which results in their death.
Neem oil can protect your plants against small, biting bugs such as mites, which can cause immense damage to the garden. You can also use it as a fungicide to prevent mildew and root rot from destroying your plants. Since neem oil doesn’t leave a lasting residue, when it is directly applied to a plant, you don’t need to be worried about your plants harming bees.
What is the Correct Way to Apply It?
You can apply the neem oil on plants in 2 ways – either use a neem oil spray to mist directly onto the foliage or apply it to the bottom of the plant. The latter will ensure that the application stays potent for longer. Neem oil’s effectiveness has been proven to last for as long as 22 days when absorbed via the soil, but only lasts for 45 minutes when you apply it directly to your plants. What is more, applying excess oil may scorch the plant, so soaking the soil can be the best solution.
Test it out before you apply oil throughout the garden. Apply some on a small patch on each plant and wait for 24 hours before evaluating it again. If you see signs of damage, that means you should stop using it right away. While most plants tend to display no adverse reactions, it is better to be safe than sorry.
Which Neem Oil is Best to Use?
Fortunately, there is a large selection of different brands that you can choose from. We recommend going for products that don’t contain any other ingredients apart from pure Azadirachta extract. Certain companies tend to mix neem oil with harmful chemicals – be wary of such products. Make sure you check the label and list of ingredients before you buy.
One good choice is Plantonix Organic Neem Bliss, which has been made using 100% cold-pressed neem oil. You can mix this product with water and apply it to your plants or the soil. This concentrate can be used for other purposes as well – whilst it is considered to be a powerful natural pesticide, that should not be applied direct to the skin, you can add a few drops to your shampoo or lotion for achieving shinier hair and silkier skin.
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Alternatively, you can opt for Verdana Cold-Pressed Neem Oil, which is made from unrefined and filtered cold-pressed neem oil, with zero added ingredients. It is safe to use on pets and can be added to lotions or shampoos as well.
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In Conclusion
After you’ve poured hours of hard work into your very own garden, it would be disheartening if harmful insects wound up destroying it all. Mastering how to use neem oil on plants, will provide you with a proven and potent, natural pest control method.
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