There is something magical in watching a plant go from a tiny seed into a beautiful plant. It just brings me joy.

With all of the work that I put into growing my herbs and plants, I hate to see them looking distressed or to get any bugs on them.

I love organic gardening and don't want to use chemicals that could harm my family in any way. My husband has worked as a landscaper for years, so I had a lot of experience with chemicals that are used on plants, and how they affect humans.

Many of you know that I have had stomach issues for years and years.  It took quite a bit of testing, but I found that if I ate traditional produce what was sprayed with strong chemicals, my stomach aches got worse. I also found that if my husband walked through the house with shoes and clothes that he wore when he sprayed chemicals, my stomach would hurt. Because of this, I am very cautious of the chemicals that I allow in my home.

From 15 years of experience as an organic gardener, I have found that the natural products work just as well or better than the strong chemicals. I also feel so much better when I am taking care of my plants with all the love I can give.  I know that my plants are taking care of me by giving me fresh oxygen and lots of powerful nutrition.

Here are some of the recipes I love to use when gardening-

Organic Fertilizer

Organic Insecticide Recipe

Clove oil is more powerful than neem oil, so a simple mixture of just clove essential and filtered water will work here.

• 8-10 drops of clove essential oil
• filtered water
• 16 oz. glass spray bottle
• spray the plant from about 6 inches away (test an area of the plant first before spraying the whole thing)

Organic Pesticide Recipe

All the ingredients in this recipe are general repellents and cinnamon oil is the most proven to be effective of the repellents. Garlic oil will help terminate any existing pests that are hiding under plant leaves or at the roots, like spider mites, mealybugs, scale, or larvae of any kind. 

This is a powerful insect repellent, so use cautiously. Do not spray directly onto plant leaves. Spray from 6 inches away and let the mist lightly coat the plant leaves.

• 2 drops of cinnamon essential oil
• 2 drops of garlic essential oil (or garlic juice)
• 2 drops of clove essential oil
• 2 drops of oregano essential oil
• 2 drops of citronella essential oil
• filtered water
• 16 oz. glass spray bottle (glass is important)

Organic Aphid Spray

A study combined four essential oils together and found that the combination was 20 percent more effective as treatment for aphids than each of the essential oils could do on their own. The synergistic effect of the essential oils makes this spray so powerful.

• 2 drops of black pepper essential oil
• 2 drops of eucalyptus essential oil
• 2 drops of rosemary essential oil
• 2 drops of tea tree essential oil
• filtered water
• 16 oz. glass spray bottle

Remember, herbs are powerful. Use them cautiously by testing small areas of each plant you spray before you spray the whole plant.

You can also sprinkle cinnamon powder in the soil for fungus. Once again, test first.

Happy gardening!

XO

Shell