It’s not always easy to garden organically, but did you know that many gardeners use essential oils to manage pests, control weeds, and keep fungus at bay? Yes, more and more gardeners are turning to natural products when it comes to their gardening and landscaping needs. Chemicals found in weed killers, fertilizers and even potting soil can cause health problems. Many people are limiting their exposure to these chemicals by finding more natural alternatives like essential oils.
Gardens require a lot of maintenance and care to truly thrive. This means that there are some naturally occurring obstacles that we will have to face to make our gardens a success. Some of the most common things we face while trying to keep our plants happy and growing are fungus, weeds, and insects. Fungus can attack the leaves of plants, killing the plant tissues. Widespread fungal infections can lead to a variety of other diseases in plants that ruin entire gardens. Weeds are a well-known nuisance in any garden. They can crowd our plants' roots and suck up the needed nutrients from the soil. Unwanted garden pests are another common issue we may face. Seemingly tiny bugs can wreak havoc on our plants and make it difficult to keep them healthy and get a good harvest. While we want to keep harmful pests away from our gardens, some insects are beneficial to have around. Pollinators, such as bees and butterflies, are very important to garden health and yielding a good crop.
The most readily available answer to these garden issues seems to be harsh chemical treatments and pesticides. But, plants and soil soak up everything which means they are soaking up those toxins and unknown ingredients. If we want to keep our gardens growing and thriving without the use of chemicals and pesticides, essential oils can be a great tool. Many oils contain different properties that can help to naturally care for and maintain our gardens.
Here are some of the best essential oils to use in the garden:
- Clove Essential Oil is the perfect multipurpose oil for use in the garden. It can be used to kill unwanted weeds, repel harmful insects, and help control mold and fungus on the soil and plants.
- Rosemary Essential Oil works to repel pest insects such as ants, aphids, bean beetles, and cabbage moths and can even repel the insect larvae as well. Rosemary can also help to attract pollinating butterflies to the garden.
- Cinnamon Essential Oil is a great natural way to get rid of weeds while also deterring common garden pests like ants, gnats, and snails.
- Peppermint Essential Oil has a scent that repels garden pests like aphids as well as many types of flies and beetles. Peppermint also tends to repel spiders, which is helpful for family gardens where we may have little helpers.
- Orange Essential Oil has a sweet aroma that can draw both bees and butterflies to the garden for natural pollination.
- Tea Tree Essential Oil is great for getting rid of fungus on plants and fungal diseases such as blight in tomato plants and powdery mildew on squash and cucumber leaves. Tea tree oil can make plants more sensitive to the sun and burning so be sure to treat in the morning or evenings and spray plants lightly.
- Lavender Essential Oil works well to attract important pollinators such as butterflies and bees to the garden.
- Oregano Essential Oil is well known for anti-fungal uses for our body and those benefits apply to the garden as well. It can combat fungus on plants while also repelling pests such as carrot flies, greenflies, and mosquitos.
Here are different techniques for using essential oils in the garden.
1) Essential Oil Tea
Ever heard of compost tea for the garden? Well, this is similar to that. Compost is a liquid fertilizer used in the garden without using a shovel to dig the soil. You can make tea with essential oil and use that to water the garden.
2) Cotton Balls
Cotton balls are used for large-sized pests that are at ground level. Place infused cotton balls near the burros and rodent nests. Replace as needed. Due to the nature of some of the essential oils, infused cotton balls can also attract pollinators.
3) Strips and Strings
Soak a string or a strip of cotton or cloth in essential oil-infused water and hang it in your garden. Hang it over the tree branch for the scent to travel far and wide. You will no longer have a problem dealing with insects and pests in the area.
This spray does a great job of killing the stubborn weeds that can make your yard look untidy. But beware, it works so well that it will kill most anything, so don’t spray it on or near plants you’re wanting to keep!
Essential oils can also be used to attract insects that help your plants and garden—think bees and butterflies—which will encourage and speed up pollination.
Fungal infections can lead to a wide variety of plant diseases that can ruin your garden. Many fungi work by attacking the leaves and softer parts of the plant, making dead spots and killing the plant tissues.
#2 Mildew and Fungus Plant Protection
1 Teaspoon vodka or high proof alcohol
7 drops of each Tea Tree, Oregano, Thyme oils
1 Oz water spray bottle
Spray when there is no fear of sun burning. This is usually towards the evening.
Pests and insects are common problems that gardeners face. From tiny ants and aphids to slimy slugs and snails, insects can wreak havoc on your lush garden and make it difficult for you to get the harvest you want. But, plants and soil soak up everything. If you use chemical-filled bug repellents, odds are your plants are soaking up those toxins as well as the bugs. And on one wants that. As an alternative, use these essential oils to create natural, safe, and effective insect repellents in your garden!
PESTICIDE Recipe #2
20 drops of Abundance
20 drops Oregano
16 ounces of water
1 drop non toxic dish soap
(mist the plants)
#3 Essential Oils Pesticide using Thieves Cleaner
In a standard size spray bottle, fill almost full of water and then add enough Thieves Cleaner to colour the water.
The red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), can be a serious problem for anyone planting and caring for a garden. Fire ants are attracted to the abundant moisture, rich organic soil, and the wide variety of foods available to them in gardens.
Most commercial dormant oils contain kerosene or petroleum based oil that, when applied to trees, will smother overwintering insects like aphids, scales, mites, and their eggs or will dissolve their protective waxing coating. It is applied in the winter months when fruit trees are in their inactive period.
I thought it’d be wise to include a couple of recipes to care for your hard working gardener hand too!
Gardeners hand balm soothes dryness, heals cracks and generally helps my tired hand (and flaky elbows). If you garden or work outside you know how hard the dirt, sun, sweat, etc can be on your hands. This is a great balm to put on after you get inside. But you’ll find it hard to keep everyone out of the jar because it just feels so good on the skin.
Wishing you a magical and abundant growing season!
If you'd like to place an order for any of the products mentioned in this email, feel free to reach out and I will hook you up! Just email me at connect@anastasiaakashakaur.com
I am always available to answer any questions you have about living a healthy lifestyle so please reach out anytime!
Bye for now,
Ana
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