Essential oils and IPM

I seen it tons of times now. People keep saying they use essential oils for their IPM sprays. I have searched Essential oils here and I'm not really getting any good info.
So can people please tell me what essential oils to use (recipes) and how they use it. Foliar spray? Soil drench?
And what it's for. Powdery mildew, gnats, aphids, etc.

I looked other places and all I could find was deterrents. Like spray around your tent and the bugs will be deterred from you tent.

Anyone out there making their own essential oil ipm sprays?

Copied from @ChevySwish
Hey everyone, just wanted to share with all my fellow growers a nice little trick to kill those pesky Spider Mites instantly. I have a Hulkberry 5 weeks into flower and noticed a few white spots popping up on lower leaves and sure enough after thorough inspection with a 100x microscope there a few were. So let me help you out.

Simple shit.

1tsp Pure Rosemary Essential Oil
8 oz R/O or Distilled water

That's it. Shake generously and apply. You can also add a few drops of Eucalyptus Essential Oil also, the thinner properties of the Eucalyptus oil allow for a smoother coating of the leaves without having to add a carrier oil or soap, as well as contains an antisceptic property. You can even go as far as to add 3 drops of melaleuca (tea tree) and 3 drops of lemon essential oils as they contain antifungal and germicidal properties. Powder mold, botrytis, most mites etc.

If you don't believe me, take an infested leaf and shake some onto a white piece of paper or if you can see them with naked eyes or microscope, then finely mist them once and watch them all stop dead in their tracks. Used Rosemary for years, doesn't effect the taste of the buds if you stop 1-2 weeks before harvest, and you don't need more than a super fine mist, instant contact of the Rosemary will kill them, you'll see them walk into spots of it and stop moving instantly. Try it out.

Copied from @xtsho

Years ago I had extreme infestations of spider mites growing in a basement. I made my own rosemary based miticide. It worked for awhile but they always came back and then eventually seemed to adapt to it. I would never spray eucalyptus oil on a flowering plant.

Citric acid kills them as well without leaving an oily residue.

You're recipe is fine for veg but it can impart a flavor to the buds if sprayed during flower. But as long as the plants are vegging spray away until it's running off the leaves.

I've found that just a weekly spraying of neem during veg as a preventative has kept me bug and mildew free for years. I spray the top of the grow medium as well.

Soil growers can use neem seed meal as a top dressing or part of the soil blend to help keep the nasties away. It's also a good source of nitrogen and smaller amounts of P & K. It has an NPK around 6-1-2.

Thanks @xtsho
I ordered some neem oil today and 50 million more nematodes. Amazon.ca
I'm still trying to locate some need meal.
I've heard of reindeer something. On the Canadian suppliers thread.

Another Oil that works well is 10 drops of Lemon Essential oil and 32oz of R/O water. Add a drop of dish soap (wetting agent) and apply after lights out or sundown in case of Aphid infestation. Dead on contact. Use super caution to not fry your plants.

Thanks @ChevySwish
I'd like to add that dish soap a a wetting agent or surfactant can be swapped out with yucca. There are also other natural surfactants.
And if you use dish soap don't use anti-bacterial or extra concentrated.

Rosemary
Cinnamon
Eucalyptus Oil ( works great for white flies , gnats and mites )

Simple insecticide made from a spray bottle with 2 tablespoons of chosen oil , add a few drops of soap ( unscented ) and shake , mist on bugs ..... aromatic is a detterent and soap aspect coats and suffocates bugs. Easy to use on leaf matter , right before lights out.

You can diffuse Melaleuca Oil in a diffuser in your flower room and prevent botrytis. The Melaleuca (tea tree) combines itself with the mold bacteria in the air and kills it.

Tea tree oil can be used to kill mold in bathrooms, it's also used for foot fungus issues. So I'm guessing we would have to be careful to not over do it, cause I'm guessing it would be detramental to the fungal part of the soil food web

bearded.beaver said:

I tea tree oil can be used to kill mold in bathrooms, it's also used for foot fungus issues. So I'm guessing we would have to be careful to not over do it, cause I'm guessing it would be detramental to the fungal part of the soil food web

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Correct, that's why a diffuser works best. It will only be a problem if your RH is 65% and up, and if your humidity is that high in flower then someone has other issues to address first haha. A diffuser is very different from a humidifier I'm sure you know.

I've never though about a diffuser. That is a great idea I have a few kicking around. I'm going to try and dig one up tonight. I can't believe I didn't think about that. That would be great to deter bugs from showing up in the first place.

bearded.beaver said:

I've never though about a diffuser. That is a great idea I have a few kicking around. I'm going to try and dig one up tonight. I can't believe I didn't think about that. That would be great to deter bugs from showing up in the first place.

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It really gets fun when you have your own short path distiller and can make your own essential oil combos

I use oils as an acute foliar application.

I use a one pint Ball jar with a screw cap. I add equal parts Neem oil, Karanja, essential oils, K Sil (potassium silicate) to about 1.5C of water at room temperature.

I screw the cap on and just shake the bottle like mad for a few mins.

If oil droplets are still floating around, I add a bit more KSil and repeat the process. When it's a nice even liquid of yellow milky consistency, I pour into sprayer top water off to 1 Gallon, add a form of saponin (I use Dr. Bronner’s Soap) and go to town. Once in a while I add 1-2oz of Pyganic.

Outdoors I do this weekly as a preventative IPM. I spray very rarely indoors.

Essentials is my arsenal include, cinnamon, clove, eucalyptus, calendula, citonella, rosemary, thyme, etc. I rotate and the aromas are always pleasing.

Garden Insect Deterrent

Add 10 drops of the following essential oils to a 4-ounce glass spray bottle: Rosemary oil, peppermint oil, clove oil and thyme oil.
Fill the rest of the bottle with water and shake to mix.
Apply anywhere you would like to get rid of insects.

Plant Fungus Suppressant

In a 4-ounce glass spray bottle, combine water with 25 drops melaleuca essential oil.
Spray on plants and soil to help keep away the fungal growth.

Pollinator Attractor Spray

In a 4-ounce glass spray bottle, add 6 to 8 drops orange oil and top off with water.
Shake to blend and spray on flower and buds to attract bees for pollination.

List of Best Essential Oils to Use for Pest Repellents

You can repel these specific bugs and pests with these essential oils – using a drop or two on a cotton ball or spraying on stems of plants, depending on the case. I get most of my essential oils from Plant Therapy.

Ants – peppermint or spearmint
Aphids – cedarwood, peppermint, spearmint
Beetles – peppermint or thyme
Caterpillars – spearmint or peppermint
Chiggers – lavender, lemongrass, sage, thyme
Fleas – peppermint, lemongrass, spearmint, lavender
Flies – peppermint, lavender, rosemary, sage
Gnats – patchouli or spearmint
Lice – cedarwood, peppermint, spearmint
Mosquitoes – lavender, lemongrass, arborvitae
Moths – cedarwood, lavender, peppermint, spearmint
Plant Lice – peppermint or spearmint
Slugs – cedarwood
Spiders – peppermint or spearmint
Ticks – lavender, lemongrass, sage or thyme
Weevils – cedarwood, patchouli, sandalwood

Peppermint Oil

Peppermint oil is fresh and crisp, and that is exactly what ants do not like. The smell of peppermint oil is enough to turn a line of marching ants right around, and it is one of the safest essential oils to use for do it yourself pest control in your home.

Before you even notice an ant problem, place cotton balls that have a drop or two off peppermint essential oil added to them into corners, near doors and around the counters of your kitchen.

Clove Oil

Clove oil is not an essential oil that most people commonly have or use, but if you have a fruit fly or common fly problem during the summer, clove oil will be your best friend. The smell of cloves that we enjoy when baking is exactly what flies hate.

Add a few drops of clove essential oil to a bottle of water and spray around doors and windows, and anywhere else flies enter your home. The scent will deter flies from entering and have the ones that are already in the home looking for a way out.

Citronella Oil

Citronella Oil has been added to our favorite outdoor mosquito repelling products for years, because it is one of the best and fast acting ingredients out there. Citronella is an essential oil distilled from plants and all natural, so you can use it outdoors and around the home during the summer months when mosquitoes are at their worst.

Diffuse the oil, or soak easily hung items in the oil and place around dining or recreational areas where you will be spending time for an easy do it yourself pest control technique.

You can also use an essential oil blend containing Citronella like NatureShield or Shield Me.

Tea Tree Oil

Tea Tree Oil (aka melaleuca) is an essential oil that a lot of us keep on hand because of the many uses and benefits it provides. In addition to its many health uses, it is also a great way to deter fleas, ticks and other small pests that find their way into our homes, bedding and carpets during the summer months.

Sprayed onto surfaces, tea tree oil will prevent the growth and lifespan of these pests so they die before having the chance to create an infestation.