Green Gardening with Young Living

Hi friends!!  I am going to tell you a secret… I do NOT have a green thumb.  But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to help out my family in the garden and be a plant mom!! I have been able to do some pretty cool stuff with my oils, now it’s time to be GREEN in the garden.  I’ll show you guys ways that you can use your oils for pests, mold, weeds, attracting pollinators and even tell you how to use pesticides in this contact form ???? This blog post was adapted from the book Essentially Grown, by Jackie Tarlton.  If you’d like your own copy of the book, you can go to www.growinghealthyhomes.com

This one is simple.  Because you want the best for yourself and your family right?

????When you use herbicides, you’re not just killing weeds, but they’ve shown that they can be toxic to animals and plants!  There are studies, that link herbicide treated yards to cancer in dogs, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma to humans and can be found in human embryonic, placental and umbilical cells in vitro.

????When you use pesticides, you don’t just kill garden pests, you kill all things that crawl, fly, slither or squirm. You wouldn’t want that beautiful teak garden furniture to be destitute of any creepers or crawlers. Think ????of those pollinators and other helpful insects!   Pesticides also harm the soil, groundwater, surface streams and the air.  Try to make sure that your pests are eliminated in an organic way Bed Bug Specialist in New York City are the experts at this. They say that the common pesticides have been have been partially responsible for health concerns such as asthma, fertility issues, neurological disorders, Parkinson’s, bronchitis, neuroblastoma, and leukemia.

So, why Young Living?  Well.  If you’re trying to avoid herbicides, pesticides and inorganic fertilizers, wouldn’t it be smart to use oils that come from plants that were grown without herbicides, pesticides and inorganic fertilizers?!?!?  Young Living is the only company that has these strict standards for growing and ditstilling set for their own farms and their partner farms.  They know our families are important and they want the best.

Like Gary said, “Know your soil, know your oil!”

????Young Living recycles their plant material after distillation by adding it to compost piles along with animal manure, leaves, grass and any clippings from the farms.

????They also have worm houses at many farms, where they not only reproduce beneficial earthworms, but also have a system for collecting worm castings.  Even the liquid byproduct from this process is utilized as a nutrient-rich spray for plants at the farms.

????Commercial sprays are not used on Young Living oil crops.  Instead, farm workers painstakingly hand pull and use oils blends to spray individual weeds by hand.

There are so many more ways that Young Living creates a healthy environment where plants thrive and where pests and weeds are controlled naturally.  To learn more, go to www.seedtoseal.com/en/3-pillars

When using oils in the garden, there are a few things that can make a difference in your gardening success!  Here are a few tips!

????Do not apply oils to plants when the temps are over 100 degrees, try to stick to the morning time when applying oils.

????Do not apply oils to wet plants or if it is going to rain.

????Some plants and moving large trees, such as Douglas Fir, spruce trees, and Black Walnut can be sensitive to essential oils, so it is best to avoid direct application.

????Do not spray oils while pets are nearby as they can be sensitive to certain oils

????If oils get into your eye, flush with a mild carrier oil like olive, coconut or almond oil.  Rinsing with water will only make it worse.

????Store your oils in a cool dark place.  Light, air exposure and heat can cause oxidation and destruction of some active constituents in essential oils.

There are actually quite a few simple ways to use oils in the garden!

????Hanging Strips of Cloth:  Great for dissuading cats, dogs, and other animals from entering the garden, and you can use this method to attract pollinators! ????????All you have to do is spray a solution of water and oils on cloth strips and hang from steaks, dowels or other structures.

????Essential Oil Spray – Best to deter insects, treat for disease and to encourage plant growth!  All you have to do is add 8-10 drops of essential oil to a gallon of water and spray directly on plants or the soil around them!  I like to use a continuing mist spray for a lot of my oils.  I grab mine, like the one in the picture, from amazon.

????Cotton Balls –  Best to deter ground insects, mice, squirrels, cats and dogs.  All you have to do is add 4-5 drops of essential oil to cotton balls and scatter them around the area or place in burrows or nests.  You can also place the cotton balls in small containers and bury the contain in the ground, keeping the top level with the soil.

????String – Best for deterring flying insects.  All you have to do is soak a string in a solution of water and essential oils and string between rows of plants.

Oils to deter pests

The beauty of using oils is that you can make a spray that will cover a ton of different pests or you can custom your spray. Here is a quick list of oils that are best for deterring specific pests.

????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

~ Ants – Peppermint, spearmint, citronella, orange, cedarwood

~ Aphids – peppermint, spearmint, tea tree, eucalyptus, hyssop, cedarwood, orange, balsam fir

~ Beetles – peppermint, thyme, lemongrass, cedarwood

~ Cabbage loopers – rosemary

~ Caterpillars – peppermint, spearmint

~ Cutworms – Thyme, Sage

~ Mice – peppermint

~ Plant Lice – peppermint, spearmint

~ Slugs – balsam fir, pine, cedarwood, hyssop, purification

~ Snails – Patchouli, balsam fir, pine, cedarwood

~ Spider mites – peppermint, spearmint

~ Squash bugs – peppermint

~ Weevils – patchouli, cedarwood

~ White flies – peppermint, tea tree

In case you don’t want to custom your own spray, here is a couple recipes to get you started with a few common garden pests.

????????Deer and Rabbit Repellent –

20 drops Clove essential oil

1 cup sour cream or buttermilk

2 raw eggs – beaten

1 tsp cooking oil

1 tsp Castile Soap or Thieves Dish Soap

1 cup water

Combine ingredients in a mixer or blender. Add to a 1 gallon sprayer and top off with water.Spray plants or around the garden area you want to protect.Apply every 2 weeks or after a heavy rain.

????????Squirrel and Chipmunk Repellent –

Add peppermint oil to cotton balls and place around the garden every 3 weeks

Oils to Fight Disease

????????Oils are a great way to fight things like fungus and bacteria in plants.Because of so many of them have antibacterial, antifungal and antiseptic properties, essential oils are invaluable.There are a lot of different recipes in the book, but I wanted to include these 2 general recipes because they’d cover more than just blight, club root or grey mold.

????General Fungi Treatment ????

Tea Tree (first choice), Citronella, Rosemary, Peppermint or Thieves

1 quart of water

1 Tbsp of baking soda

1 drop castile soap or Thieves Dish Soap

Combine 8-10 drops of essential oils, baking soda and dishwashing liquid.Shake thoroughly before applying to affected plants.Apply once or twice a week as needed.

????Bacterial Wilt Treatment ????

Purification, Rosemary, Oregano, Thyme, or Tea Tree

1 quart of water

First remove any affected leaves or steams.Add 8-10 drops of essential oils to one quart of water and spray liberally over affected plants.

Oils to Kill Weeds

Many weeds are naturally discouraged by a garden that is healthy and thriving, but the occasional weed is inevitable with any type of garden.A layer of mulch can help prevent weeds from taking root.But below is a recipe you can use to combat stubborn weeds or a more wide spread problem.I used this during our last gardening season and it worked well!!Make sure you spray it when its dry and if you spray during the heat of the day, it works quicker.BUT make sure you don’t spray the plants you want to keep!!

????Basic weed killer ????

Essential oils: Cinnamin Bark, Palo Santo, Basil, Pine or Oregano.

20 oz of white vinegar

1 drop of Castile soap or Thieves dish soap

Combine 8-10 drops of selected essential oils, vinegar, and soap.Shake well before applying to weeds.Use caution to avoid spraying the soil or surrounding plants.

Oils to Attract Pollinators –

Just as you can use oils to repel pests in the garden they can also be used to attract natural pollinators.Choose one or more essential oils from the lists below and use the cotton ball, hanging cloth strips or string method of applications.

????Bees

Orange, coriander, lemongrass, lavender, hyssop, marjoram, helichrysum, basil, sage, Roman Chamomile, Rosemary, Dill

????Butterflies

Lavender, Mint, Fennel, Sage, Helichrysum

????Other Beneficial Insects (such as ladybugs, hoverflies, lacewings, parasitic wasps)

Corander, Dill, Fennel, Roman Chamomile

????Pollinator’s Favorite Blend Recipe ????

????12 drops Lavender essential oil

????8 drops Rosemary essential oil

????5 drops Orange essential oil

Combine oils and add to cotton balls, string or cloth strips and scatter in the garden around plants.

Companion Gardening with Essential Oils –

Ok, this idea of companion gardening is based on the idea that certain crops planted together have a beneficial partnership!They help each other attract beneficial insects, repellent pests and provide nutrients and conserve space!.While helps us gain healthy plants and better yield!Sounds pretty great to me!

The ideas that oils will help with this is based in the knowledge that the parts of the plant that do the above things are available in the oil when properly distilled!So essential oils and plants become a very efficient and low maintenance solution for companion gardening!

Here are a few ways you can use your oils for companion gardening.

????Soil Enhancer ????

Amend the soil with Lavender essential oil to hep with growing conditions.Just sprinkle a few drops of the oil on the soil around the plants or mix it with the compost before spreading it in the garden.You could also just add 2-3 drops of lavender to the watering can for regular watering.

????Basic Companion Solution ????

6-8 drops of essential oils (google companion gardening or buy the book suggested to find the right oil for your plants)

2 gallons of water

Combine oils and water and apply solution liberally to plants and the surrounding oils.Do not apply during the heat of the day.Do this 1-2 time weekly for best results.

Oils for Common Gardener Ailments –

There are all sorts of things that we need to be prepared for in the garden; cuts, scrapes, things that bite, accidents like blisters and bruising, itchy stuff and rough, sore dry hands and feet. Oils are an amazing natural go to for all of the above in this household. I bet you’re the same! I have included a couple recipes, but you for sure need to grab the book I mentioned at the begging of this class!

????‍???? Gardener’s Hand Scrub ????‍????
1 oz avocado oil
1 oz pink Himalayan salt, or any medium-grain salt
7 drops rosemary
10 drops basil

Young Living Products For All Your Needs –

Hey, I’m all for DIY and I used to have a ton of time to make all the things.But these days, if I want time to spend in my garden, I’m going to have to give time up making things with my oils and just buy the premade stuff if I can.I will say, I have found that the scientists at Young Living do a MUCH better job with their oils than I do in my kitchen ????

????Insect Repellent – make sure you put this one in a roller bottle so its easy to use.  Item# 20701 // $38.75

☀️Sun Screen – Item#24137 // $29.75

????LavaDerm- this is great for burns and bites – Item#20673 // $24.75

????????Thieves Fruit and Veggie Soak – Item# 5352 // $19.75

Become a Member – Essential Rewards

Start your journey today!!

Oooohhhh Goody here comes the best part!!

How do you get your hands on your very own bottles of oils?? So glad you asked!

Young Living is a referral based company.So when you’re ready to start, then make sure you go back to the person who invited you & ask for their personal link or go to www.faithfuldroppers.com/getting-started

So RUN!! Grab yours right now then come back and shout it out so we can get you added into our private members only club and help you get started with your oils!!

Already a member? Are you using the benefit of Essential Rewards?This is our amazing monthly box subscription that allows us to get some amazing free products just for being loyal Young Living users AND they give us points back to than turn around and spend on FREE product!It’s like Kohl’s cash but even better because you get a whole year to spend those points! 😉

  I sure hope this helps you guys take care of your plants!! ???? I know I have been inspired to get into my garden with some new tools! I hope you have too!