If you have a garden, farm, or even just a few plants in your backyard, you’ve probably heard of the term companion planting — a gardening strategy that allows your plants to grow better by drawing in extra nutrients from nearby plants. While the rewards may be plenty, it is undoubtedly a daunting task. However, what if you can get the benefits of companion planting by just spraying the right essential oil formulas on your garden? Read on and learn about utilizing essential oils to maximize your plant growth.
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What You Need to Know
Companion planting has become a common practice among garden owners who want to maximize the fruits of their labor. It is strategically placing particular plants next to each other to increase or ensure plants’ growth. Take for example basils and tomatoes. Tomatoes taste better when a basil plant is near it. The scientific reason behind it is basils release certain nutrients that allow tomatoes to grow better.
Essential oils, on the other hand, have been recognized in the field of beauty, therapy, and of course, gardening. These aromatic compounds provide almost the same level of nutrients as actual plants do. So instead of planting oregano, you can only use oregano oils on your plants. By using essential oils on your plants, you can get almost the same results companion planting gives, without having to plant actual plants!
So how do we combine the two to create the perfect garden? Simply mix a few drops of your desired oil into two gallons of warm water. Afterwards, fill your watering can half full with the mixture then add cold water. Listed below are some of the plant and essential oil combinations you can try!
1. Rosemary and Thyme on Beets
Beets growth is affected when exposed to pests and viruses. As such, they need extra care. What does Rosemary have to do with your precious little beets’ growth? Everything! Rosemary is known as a natural deterrent against many flying insects. To create the perfect anti-pest formula, mix rosemary with some thyme and spray it on your beets.
2. Oregano on Pumpkins
Have you noticed how almost every pumpkin in the grocery store has some white fungus growing around them? Well, they’re precisely what they look like, fungus. If you don’t want your pumpkins to look like some large ball of sand, then you need the help of oregano. It is a natural agent against fungus since it has compounds of fungicide. Spray some oregano-infused formula on your pumpkins and watch as they glow.
3. Spearmint and Peppermint on Onions
Onions serve as the perfect ingredient for the additional flavor in stews, brisket, and other dishes. However, while onions may seem like the tough little vegetable that can make one cry, these plants are prone to bug attacks. Luckily, spearmint and peppermint both contain significant amounts of limonene. Limonene is one of the most effective deterrents against scaly insects and mealybugs.
4. Peppermint, Spearmint, and Thyme on Eggplants
We’d like to have our eggplants fresh, vibrant, and juicy. Unfortunately, eggplants are prone to whiteflies that often suck the juices out of these vegetables. Prevent whiteflies from attacking your eggplants with a concentration of peppermint, spearmint, and thyme. Peppermint and spearmint are perfect to keep insects away, while thyme acts as a natural fungicide to kill fungus in your plants. Mix the three to create the perfect formula to aid you in growing your eggplants.
5. Cilantro and Thyme on Lettuce
If you were to describe the perfect lettuce, it would undoubtedly have to be crunchy, green, and blooming. Grasshoppers are your number one enemy when growing lettuces as they will indiscriminately attack your precious plants. To keep them away, create a formula with cilantro and thyme as the main ingredients. Cilantro helps repel the grasshoppers away while thyme keeps your greens fresh by disinfecting them.
6. Marjoram and Melissa on Fruit Trees
Fruit bearing trees commonly attract ants and other similar pests. To keep these unwanted insects away from your delicious fruits, use a concentration of melissa and marjoram. By spraying your fruit trees with this mixture, you will see a more vibrant and juicier fruit every harvest season.
7. Rosemary and Cedarwood on Carrots
Do you grow the juiciest carrots every season? Then try using rosemary and cedarwood on your carrots. Snails and slugs often feed on your carrot’s leaves and leave you with the task of picking them off one by one every night. Cedarwood keeps these away. Rosemary, on the other hand, helps keep pets and animals away as many are irritated by its smell.
Companion planting doesn’t have to be hard. You just need to have the right tools. Essential oils not only keep pests away, but they also disinfect and give your plants the nutrients they need naturally. The key to having a more beautiful and livelier harvest every season is using the right essential oil formula!
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