10 Best Ways to Use Essential Oils in the Garden

If you want to learn how to use essential oils in the garden, this article is for you.

Organic gardening can be challenging, especially when it comes to pest control. However, some essential oils can help naturally keep insects and related pests away from plants, among other benefits.

Essential Oil Uses in the Garden

Here’s how to use essential oils for gardening—to help prevent the growth of fungus, keep bugs off plants, and more.

1. Repel Garden Pests

Garden pests are some of a gardener’s greatest enemies. However, you can use some essential oils for garden pest control [1].

Oils like rosemary, peppermint, and lemongrass can help repel plant pests. Other effective oils include clove, lavender, cedarwood, thyme, sage, tea tree, and citronella.

To make a homemade essential oil pesticide, combine peppermint, tea tree, cedarwood, and thyme oils in a spray bottle.

Using a dropper, 15 drops of each oil per 4 ounces of water is enough. Shake well, then spray your plants.

This essential oil spray recipe helps to get rid of bugs on indoor and outdoor plants.

2. Fight Fungus

Some essential oils also fight fungus. Oils such as orange and lemongrass are useful for controlling fungal infections [2].

Tea tree oil also has a dual action, killing and preventing fungal problems. Clove, cinnamon, thyme, peppermint, and oregano are also useful in this way.

To use essential oils to fight fungus on plants, mix about 20 drops with 8 ounces of water in a spray bottle.

Whichever one you choose, be careful to avoid the hot sun, as it can react with the oil and burn the plant’s leaves.

Spray your DIY essential oil fungicide on plants and soil early in the morning or in the evening.

Apply once a week.

3. Attract Pollinators

Some oils, such as lavender, orange, and sage, attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.

Neroli and helichrysum could help. You might also try aromatic oils like rosemary, basil, lemongrass, hyssop, and marjoram.

Therefore, use any of these oils to make an essential oil plant spray to attract pollinators to your garden.

The recipe is 6 drops of essential oil mixed with 4 oz. of water, sprayed onto flowers and buds. The floral scent will attract these useful insects.

4. Kill Weeds

Cinnamon oil and clove oil both help suppress weeds. Peppermint oil is also helpful in this way.

To make a simple, essential-oil herbicide, combine 1 tablespoon of organic liquid soap with 15 to 20 drops of each of the three mentioned oils. Then, add some white vinegar (about 6 cups) to the mixture.

Next, shake well and spray the weeds. Shake the solution intermittently to keep the oil well distributed.

5. Keep Rodents Away

Cotton balls soaked in peppermint oil fit this purpose. Place them near squirrel nests, mouse holes, and other places where rodents hang out.

Peppermint oil is especially disliked by rodents. Thus, it is useful in repelling them but needs topping up as the smell wears off.

Additionally, you can hang strips of rags soaked in peppermint oil near crops to deter vermin.

6. Keep Pets Away

As much as we love our pets, they can sometimes be a nuisance around plants. Next door’s cat can also be an uninvited guest, using the flowerbed as a litter tray.

Try repelling them by spraying your plants and mulch with essential oils.

Peppermint and orange oils are great home remedies for repelling cats. They detest the smell of these oils.

Additionally, dogs do not like the scent of black pepper essential oil near their sensitive noses.

7. Treat Insect Bites and Stings

This is one of the perils of the garden in spring and summer, but one that certain essential oils can help to alleviate.

To make a DIY remedy for insect bites and stings, mix 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. Add 2 drops each of lavender, basil, and chamomile essential oils.

Apply to affected areas with a cotton ball to help prevent itching from bites.

Keep this solution handy when weeding or working in the garden. Use it to swab any bites or stings immediately.

8. Repel Mosquitoes

Most people are familiar with using citronella to combat mosquitoes and gnats at the beach and in the garden.

Candles, sprays, and other citronella repellents are familiar items in the summer months, but there are others worth trying.

Combine 10 drops of a strong-smelling oil, such as eucalyptus, citronella, lemongrass, peppermint, jojoba, or garlic oil, with 2 ounces of water in a small spray bottle. Shake well before use.

Additionally, add 1 ounce of witch hazel to the mixture. Moreover, you can use any of these oils or a combination.

Shake well and spray around your home. You can also use it on your clothes.

9. Disinfecting Spray

Some plants produce oils with disinfectant properties. Tea tree oil is one of the best known for this purpose.

Lavender oil also has natural disinfecting properties, as do citrus oils like oranges and lemons.

For a disinfecting spray, combine 10 to 15 drops of your chosen oil with 1 cup of water. Next, add 1/4 cup of white vinegar.

Shake well, then spray on surfaces to reduce germs and bacteria.

10. Set the Mood

Some essential oils can also create a good mood in the garden. A lovely evening can be enhanced by adding aromatic oils to a burner.

The choice is wide with essential oils that enhance mood, shift your emotions, bring peace, and relieve stress.

Neroli, lavender, orange, lemongrass, and bergamot oils all have calming effects.

The Best Essential Oils for Gardening

Many essential oils are multifunctional and particularly useful in the garden.

Strong oils repel flying insects. These include lavender, peppermint, rosemary, lemongrass, and cinnamon. They are especially good against gnats and mosquitoes.

Plus, cedarwood, pine, and hyssop essential oils work against slugs and snails.

Tea tree oil, lavender, and orange attract pollinators. They also have disinfectant and antifungal benefits.

Peppermint, cinnamon, and clove oils are also great for killing weeds.

Takeaway

All of these essential oils can benefit the garden in one way or another. And when used correctly, they are safe and beneficial for your indoor and outdoor plants.