Do you know that you can use Olive Oil for plants? Learn more about Using Olive Oil in the Garden and how it can be beneficial in many ways!
Who knows, olive oil could be great for many things in the garden and at home. In this post, you will discover 18 advantages of Using Olive Oil in a Garden and various ways to use it!
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Using Olive Oil in Garden
Olive oil could be helpful for your plants as it protects them from stubborn pests and provides essential vitamins like Vitamin E, which increases the plant’s survival in cold weather.
1. Clean Plant Leaves
Take 3-4 wee bit drops of olive oil on a damp cotton cloth and wipe the leaves—it will gently lift off the dirt and debris while leaving a layer of shine! Ensure you are not leaving the plants in the sun after doing this. Otherwise, it will burn the foliage. Also, you may need to wipe off the leaves again with just a clean cloth to remove the layer of oil (if it sticks).
Cleaning the leaves with olive oil also helps eliminate scale insects. You can do this once or twice a month.
2. Eliminates Leaf Miner
The leaf miner eats the tissue of the foliage and leaves ugly white marks behind. If unattended, it can cause severe damage to the leaves. Olive oil is a natural leaf miner killer.
Make your own leaf miner killer at home by mixing two teaspoons of olive oil and one teaspoon of mild dishwashing liquid in a liter of water. Transfer it into a spray bottle, shake well, and mist on the affected areas of the plant. Before spraying it on your plant, do a patch test on several leaves to see the reaction the next day, and also avoid spraying it when the sun is intense.
3. Pest Control
Mix half a teaspoon each of olive oil and dishwashing liquid. Add the solution in 600 ml of water, put it in a mister bottle, shake well, and spray it on pest-affected areas of plants.
Avoid doing it in direct sun, and do not expose the plants to sunlight after spraying them with this solution.
4. Keep Garden Tools Rust Free
Garden tools take a lot of beating and get exposed to dirt, water, and grime on a daily basis, which makes them prone to rusting. Olive oil can come to the rescue, keeping them rust-free.
All you have to do is to coat them with a layer of olive oil with a cotton ball, and you are done! The oil will also help them to work smoothly.
Read our article on 11 Repurposed Garden Tools Ideas here
5. Moisturize Hands
Use olive oil to keep your hands moisturized after a hard day of work in the garden. Too much exposure to mud and sun can make your skin rough. Applying a healthy dose of olive oil as a moisturizer will make your skin soft and supple.
6. Polish Wooden Furniture
Pour some olive oil onto a dry paper towel and then rub it into the wooden furniture. It will start looking super clean and shiny in no time! This will also add durability to the wood.
7. Make a Fly Repellent
Make a fly repellant using olive oil to keep flies away from your home and garden. Mix 1-2 cups of white vinegar in half or one cup of water. Add one teaspoon of eucalyptus oil and one teaspoon of olive oil to prepare your own fly repellant.
Pour all these ingredients into a sprayer and spray on the fly-infested area.
8. Trap Gnats
Gnats can affect the health of your plants. Keep 1/2 a cup of olive oil near their infested area. They will get attracted to it and will get drowned in the oil.
9. Keep Moles Away
Soak a piece of cloth or rag in olive oil and stuff it into any mole holes that you can spot all around your garden. It will keep them away as they cannot stand the smell of olive oil.
10. Make a Bird and Squirrel Repellent
Drive away squirrels and birds from the garden using garlic and olive oil. It is 100 percent natural and would not cause any harm to your plants or animals, or birds.
Crush 8-10 cloves of garlic and put it in 2 cups of olive oil. Let it sit for 2-3 days and then shake well and apply it to the area where invasive birds, rodents, and squirrels frequent the most. Its smell will drive them away in no time!
11. Prevents Tarnish
If you have stainless steel and brass pots or vases in the garden, then olive oil is your friend! Simply rub a thin layer of oil onto them to get rid of the tarnish. It also helps in preventing streaks.
12. Eliminate Squeaks from the Garden Gate and Swing
If you have a squeaking garden gate or swing, then simply put a few drops of olive oil on the hinges. It will eliminate the noise instantly!
13. Protect your Cuticles
Prolonged exposure to soil and dust in the garden dries out nails and cuticles, making them prone to breakage. Massage your cuticles with two drops of olive oil before handling soil to protect them from peeling off.
14. Remove Water Rings
Add a tablespoon of olive oil to ½ a cup of baking soda and ¼ of a cup of vinegar, and use this paste to clean off hard water rings from garden taps, tabletops, and other wooden furniture.
15. Keep Away Mosquitoes
Keep your garden free from mosquitoes by pouring a few drops of olive oil into water barrels. It will float on top and stop mosquitoes from breeding.
16. Clean Stains and Mineral Deposits from Old Terracotta Pots
Are untidy stains and mineral deposits spoiling the beauty of your terracotta pots? You can use olive oil to make them new again. First of all, scrub and remove the deposits carefully! Once done, pour a few drops on your hands or a cloth and gently rub on the pot to clear off the stains.
17. Preserve Herbs After Harvesting
Olive oil can be used to preserve freshly harvested herbs for a long time. Add herbs to an ice tray, fill it with olive oil, and refrigerate. You can use these ‘herb cubes’ later!
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18. Make an Earwig Trap
If you have too many earwigs in your garden, then you can catch them by making an olive oil trap. Add equal parts soy sauce and olive oil in a pan or tray and place it at some strategic spot to trap earwigs easily!
