Neem Oil – A Safe, Organic (and Amazing)
Product for Gardeners
If you are an experienced gardener, odds are good you’ve heard of neem oil. That’s for good reason. Neem Oil is one of a handful of products that belongs in every successful gardener’s tool shed.
Natural History
Neem oil is derived from the fruits and seeds of the neem tree (Azadirachta indica) which is native to India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. This fast-growing relative of the mahogany tree produces fruits which look like olives. These fruits contain seed kernels with very high oil levels of 25-45%, which is extracted through pressing. Like olive oil, neem oil is then filtered and used for a wide array of products.
Health Benefits for People
In India, the leaves of the neem tree are steeped in boiling water; the liquid is cooled and used to treat children’s’ skin ailments and adults’ high blood pressure. Dried neem leaves are burned to drive away mosquitoes and are placed in clothes closets and food cupboards as natural insecticides. Young shoots and flowers are eaten as vegetables and used to make a traditional thin soup. Blossoms are a key ingredient in a type of curry popular in this part of the world.
Neem oil is also used worldwide in a broad array of cosmetics, soaps, shampoos, creams, and toothpastes, as well as pet soaps and shampoos.
Neem Oil Garden Use: Insecticide
Neem oil sprays are effective garden insecticides and work differently from poison-based products. Acting like an insect hormone, neem oil enters the system of chewing and sucking bugs, disrupting their feeding and reproductive cycles. The adults stop eating and hormonal action causes the next generation not to develop. Populations are first reduced and then eliminated.
Many experts recommend initially using neem oil early in the season to eliminate destructive insects before they have time to establish. Then, use neem oil sprays as the growing season progresses to control any new outbreaks.
In the garden, neem oil controls aphids, caterpillars, mites, mealybugs, scale, Japanese beetles, webworms, billbugs, army worms, white grubs, leaf miners and many other insects that feed on plant sap or chew leaves and roots.
Neem Oil Garden Use: Disease Prevention
The anti-fungal and antibacterial properties of neem oil were first documented in the 1940s. Since then, huge amounts of research projects have been undertaken to learn more. In the garden, neem oil is used to control fungus-based diseases such as botrytis, powdery mildew, rust, black spot, scab and blight. This collection of studies thoroughly explains how the characteristics and properties of neem oil make it effective at fighting bacterial and fungal infections.
Neem Oil Garden Use: Organic and Safe
The primary active ingredient in neem oil is Azadirachtin. This component breaks down quickly in soil, water and on plants through the action of microbes and light. Applied according to package directions, garden use of neem oil is safe for the earthworms, beneficial insects, bees, songbirds and small mammals that frequent backyard spaces. You can trust this excerpt from “Hayes Handbook of Pesticide Toxicology” to verify this claim.
Take a tip from seasoned gardeners and make this the year you discover the wonders of neem oil. Better yet, trust the extensive research that verifies the efficacy and safety of this wonder tree. Save yourself the time, money, and effort, and go with neem oil.
