How to use Neem naturally in your garden and make your own Neem Oil Spray.

If you are new to gardening or an old pro, you will probably know that with plants and foliage, comes bugs, pests and disease. 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 foliage. The one product becoming more popular and more well known, is Neem Oil and Neem leaves, which can be used safely on your plants and garden. We have gotten a lot of questions asking how to use neem for lawns, how to use neem to kill bugs and is there a way to make your own neem oil spray for your vegetable garden. We previously covered, Why Use Neem Oil For Gardening and today we want to share with you some tricks we have come up with and some provided by our customers on ways to use Neem safely for your plants.

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.

Here are our top 4 ways to save money and use neem to naturally get rid of bugs in your garden!

Homemade Neem Oil Spray for Pests and Fungus. You can buy over the counter Neem Oil sprays and other organic gardening sprays but you can also make it your own Neem Oil Bug Spray. This allows you to save some money and know exactly what you are spraying on your plants. Here is a Neem Oil Spray recipe for you to try.

For 1 liter or 1 quart of a 0.5 % dilution of neem plant spray you need:

• 5 ml (1 tsp) neem oil (use pure, cold pressed oil)
• 1-2 ml (1/3 tsp) insecticidal soap or other detergent
• 1 liter (1 quart) warm water
• Essential Oils- There are a plethora of essential oils that you can add that also drive away pests. These can add value to your neem spray and make it smell a little nicer as well.

Just multiply these amounts if you want to make a bigger batch.

If you want to make a more concentrated batch multiply both the amount of neem oil and the amount of soap used. Remember, applying neem oil to a drought-stressed plant can burn the foliage, so water plants thoroughly before using it.

Brew Neem Leaves and use as insecticide- The easiest way to use Neem as an insecticide would be to make a tea. Take either whole or crushed(dried) neem leaves and let steep for a long time. Let cool and then filter the leaves and store the liquid in a spray bottle. Don’t throw out those neem leaves though! You can compost the leftovers so there is no waste or even sprinkle them around your plants or area where bugs frequent.

Grind Neem Leaves or use Neem Leaf Powder to repel bugs. One person suggested grinding the dried leaves into a powder, or purchasing Neem Leaf Powder, and use it directly on a plant as well.  

Take a Neem bath!  What?  Yes, take a bath.  Did you know that Neem leaves help soothe all sorts of skin ailments including dry and itchy skin, excema, poison ivy, rosacea, fungus and more!  So use your Neem leaves or Neem Tea Tub bath bags and draw a nice hot bath, relax and soothe your tired skin and muscles.  When you are done, don't drain the water.  Use the neem tea water and use as a plant spray or water your plants or problem grass.  

If you have any other ways that you have used Neem for gardening or in your natural lawn care, please share with us and others.  And if you have any questions about gardening naturally with neem,  Ask The Neem Queen, we love to hear from you!

Want to learn more about the benefits of Neem for your garden and how neem benefits your skin?  Look no further!

Top three ways to use Neem for Skin

Using Neem Oil for Gardening and Pests

Watch below on How to use Neem for your Lawn- with The Neem Team