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 6 Ways Neem oil helps your plants and garden

Neem oil should be in every organic gardener's toolbox. It has many uses and is always good to have on hand.

Benefits of using neem oil

Neem oil does not create a 'death zone around plants and the areas where it is used. It is harmless to humans, pets, mammals, birds, earthworms, and much other wildlife. It is fully biodegradable and breaks down quickly during rain and sunlight, so it usually does not produce any harmful levels. Neem oil is completely organic and the EPA has found that it has ‘no unreasonable adverse effects. So while it is completely harmless, it is completely better than the wide range of synthetic materials used in non-natural gardens. It does not pollute the soil, groundwater, or nearby streams or aquifers and certainly does not last long.

How to use neem oil in your garden

Neem oil can be used to combat common problems in your garden. You can use this:

1. As an Insecticide - To kill a range of insect pests

If you are a nature lover, you may not want to know what neem oil really does for insects. It can:

Disrupts or inhibits the growth of the egg, larval stages, or pupae.

Disturbed mating and sexual intercourse. Repel both larvae and adult insects. Prevent females from laying eggs or sterilize adults of different species. Poisonous larvae and adult insects. Prevent feeding or swallowing of insects. Different stages of growth and transformation worsen and stop the formation of cytidine (the primary ingredient in the exoskeletons of arthropods).

2. Deal with fungal infections of plants

Neem oil is an effective fungicide against a wide variety of insecticides, and it helps control fungal infections such as blight, powdery mildew, verticillium wilt, rust, dandruff, and blackheads. Allows you to completely avoid fungal problems, which can be effective in preventing the spread of serious fungal infections to other nearby plants. To avoid leaf burn, be sure to use the mixture on a cold and cloudy day. Just like sprays used as pesticides, keep in mind that they should be reused after rain.

3. To deal with the range of bacterial infections

Neem oil can help control and prevent the spread of many bacterial diseases. For example, neem can be used in the organic treatment of burns. It is a bacterial problem that affects apple trees, other fruit trees, and rose bushes.

The bacterium that causes burns, the leaves wither and look like they have been charred by fire, wintering on the branches and trunks of trees. So winter washing neem oil for trees can help to overcome this problem.

However, as we will discuss below, it may not be a good idea to wash fruit trees in the winter. Even if you use organic products like neem oil.

4. Deal with some harmful soil nematodes

Neem oil is also effective in combating some harmful soil nematodes (such as root nodule nematodes) when soaked in soil.

The nematodes are small worm-like creatures that can help and hinder your gardening efforts. Neem oil can help control nematodes in your garden soil.

5. Reduce the denitrification rate in the soil

Neem cake, as mentioned earlier, can be used as a fertilizer and soil corrector. This contributes to the efficiency of other fertilizers by reducing the rate of denitrification (nitrogen loss) from the soil. It does this by blocking the bacteria from releasing nitrogen.

It is believed that soaking in a neem oil will reduce the release of nitrogen - so there is more nitrogen in the soil to absorb the plants grown nearby.

6. Increase the number of microorganisms in the soil

Recent studies have shown that soaking neem oil in the soil can increase the number of organisms in the soil and rhizosphere.

This would be a big deal in an organic garden, where we need rich soil to get the garden to function as efficiently as possible.