Why Use Neem Oil For Gardening

Learn what you need to know about Neem and how it is used as a insecticide and fungus for plants.

We’ve spent a lot of time focusing on all the benefits of neem for your health over the last few years but have neglected another very beneficial use of Neem. Using Neem for gardening and using neem for your lawn.  For over 40 years, we have had a vegetable garden where we have battled a myriad of insects, pests, diseases and fungus.  We discovered neem when finding a cure for our health problems and then came to realize that neem can help our plants too!  Introducing neem into our gardening routine has allowed us to continue to grow our own food and do it in a more natural, toxic free environment.

Extracts from the neem tree (Azadirachta indica), which is native to India, have been used for centuries for everything from cleaning teeth to killing aphids. As pollution rises and algae bloom explodes in our lakes, rivers and ponds, gardeners and homeowners are seeking a natural way to kill pests in their yards and gardens. The one product becoming more popular and more well known, is Neem Oil and Neem leaves, as they can be used safely on your plants and garden.

What does Neem Oil Smell like?

Neem has a bit of an odd smell (that goes away after a few hours) but does a pretty good job. Neem Oil has a very strong smell that you can’t quite pinpoint, some have thought it was rancid when opening a bottle of neem oil for the first time. Check out ‘Have you smelled Neem Oil’ for more details on what neem smells like.

Why Use Neem for Gardening?

Gardeners have used neem oil for many years to control or prevent many common plant diseases and pests. Neem oil is a versatile pesticide used as a fungicide, miticide and insecticide that is considered organic and won’t harm beneficial insects, animals or humans. It is made from the oil extracted from the seeds of the neem tree which thrive in a tropical to subtropical climate and positively thrives in hot weather. U.S. Department of Agriculture identifies a neem tree can grow in hardiness zones 10 through 12. According to one brand of neem oil, mixing 1 fluid ounce of the fungicide with 1 gallon of water and sprayed over the area will control various fungal diseases that affect lawns. This solution is applied at 7 to 14 day intervals and can be used as a treatment or preventive measure.

What is the active ingredient in neem spray?

In the garden, neem oil boasts a powerful insecticidal ingredient, azadirachtin, which makes it a great organic choice for controlling a variety of problems. Azadirachtin, consists of compounds called liminoids, which act somewhat like steroids. When insects eat neem-coated plants, the liminoids disrupt normal hormone production and processing, causing a loss of appetite in some insects and interfering with normal reproduction, maturation, and molting patterns in others. Applied as a spray, neem will smother certain pests on contact and will also prevent eggs from hatching.

Is Neem Oil Safe to use on plants?

From our experience and what we have found elsewhere, it is safe to use neem oil on both ornamental and edible crops 

and can be sprayed on herbs and vegetables up to the day of harvest. The only health cautions for neem oil relate to actual consumption of the oil, and garden use does not appear to pose any known health hazards. As with any chemical—organic or synthetic—use neem oil only in moderation when needed, and wash all veggies and plants thoroughly before eating.

When to use Neem Oil Spray on plants?

One issue with Neem oil, and some other foliar sprays, is you need to spray them early in the morning to give the spray time to dry before the sun comes up or it can burn the plant leaves. Applying neem oil to a drought-stressed plant can burn the foliage, so water plants thoroughly before using it.

As we prepare for our gardens for the next season of planting, we will be prepping our soil with our natural compost, tilling neem into the soil and will have our neem oil spray on hand for when our new vegetable babies start popping up.  If you have any questions about using Neem with your crops or your pest problems, ask the Neem Queen, we love to hear from you!

Want to make your own Neem Oil Spray and learn the top ways to use neem in your garden?  Read more here.

Want to learn about how you can use Neem naturally in your garden and lawn?  

Check out the Neem Team and how they use their Neem tea tub to fertilize their lawn.