Neem oil is a natural insecticide that may be used to protect your organic gardening, plants against insects, mites, and fungus. It is used medicinally and as an organic pesticide spray in the cosmetics sector.
Organic gardeners appreciate the oil’s safety: it will not affect humans or animals, and it is even harmless for most wildlife because its insecticidal abilities target specific pests that destroy garden plants.
What Is Neem Oil?
Neem oil is a naturally occurring insecticide found in the seeds of the neem tree that has been used to control pests and illnesses for over a century. The oil’s active component is azadirachtin, which repels and kills pests.
How to use neem oil for organic gardening
When helpful bugs are hibernating and not eating or pollinating, spray neem oil on foliage in the morning or evening. Avoid applying the spray in the middle of the day, when the sun and heat may cause the sprayed foliage to burn.
Many pesticides can only be used at particular seasons of the year, whereas neem oil may be used all year. Because it inhibits insects at all stages of development, neem oil is useful at any time of year.
Neem oil is not harmful to the environment. Apply the neem oil solution to the stems, leaves (especially the undersides), and soil if you have a severe infestation. Microbes and sunshine rapidly degrade pesticides in soil, water, and leaves.
What effect does neem oil have on bugs?
The EPA claims that neem oil disrupts the regular life cycle of insects, including eating, molting, mating, and egg-laying.
Hundreds of pests are controlled with neem oil, including whitefly, aphids (seen below), Japanese beetles, moth larvae, scale, and spider mites.
Because it kills mites, which are not insects but are linked to spiders and ticks, neem oil is also classified as a miticide.
Fungicides containing clarified hydrophobic neem oil extract are also used to control rust, black spot, mildew, leaf spot, scab, anthracnose, blight, and botrytis.
Birds, beneficial insects, and soil-loving species such as bees, butterflies, lady beetles, and earthworms are not harmed by neem oil.
How should neem oil be applied?
Neem oil works by smothering insects or interfering with their feeding habits. To be effective, the pest must be present when the oil is sprayed on the plant.
Cover all sections of the plant with neem oil. Spray the undersides of the leaves, where pests may hide and lay eggs.
How is neem oil used in plant soil?
Apply as a soil drench: Pour the solution around the plant to fully saturate the soil to avoid root rot. Repeat in 2 weeks. Use to keep your plants healthy: Spray the Neem Oil solution on all plants in your garden once a month. This will help repel pests and maintain healthy health.
Is neem oil a natural fertilizer?
However, there are several more advantages of using neem oil. And we all know how tough it can be to locate a high-quality organic fertilizer that is safe to use on both plants and soil. Neem oil is an excellent organic fertilizer.
Conclusion
Neem has a proven function as a fertilizer, with the organic and inorganic components found in the plant material improving soil quality and increasing crop quality and quantity.
