Castor oil for the garden: Tips for treating pests with castor oil

Trying to be a good steward of the land means minimizing its impact on the natural order of life. We do this in many ways, from driving a low-emission car to choosing local food in our supermarket. Another way to limit any negative influence on the earth is smart gardening. Use safe, non-toxic herbicides, sustainable gardening practices and natural pesticides. Using castor oil in your garden can be part of good garden management without the potential side effects of commercial formulas. Read on to learn more.

What is castor oil?

For many of us, older gardeners, castor oil represents a taste of childhood. Long ago, mothers used to give their children castor oil to regulate their digestive health. It was thought to be good for the digestive system, and spoons of this disgusting substance were put in the mouths of children who didn’t want it. This disgusting practice has become old-fashioned in favor of other tastier and more convenient remedies, but that doesn’t mean that we have to remove the oil. There are many beneficial uses for castor oil, such as using the oil as a pesticide.
Castor oil for the garden can repel moles, voles, and other pests.
and possibly other animals that dig and tunnel, such as armadillos. Treating pests with castor oil is a natural and non-toxic way to repel these unwanted insects in your garden without injuring them or causing the accumulation of toxic chemicals in the garden and in the ground water. In addition, the use of castor oil as a pest control agent is non-toxic and safe for children and pets.
So where does castor oil come from? Castor oil is sometimes grown in gardens as an ornamental plant – BUT its grains are toxic and should not be grown where pets or young children are present. The oil itself, however, is safe and available at most retailers.

Castor oil for the garden

Wild animals can be a problem in the home garden. Moles appear at night, skunks dig up valuable plants looking for larvae, and squirrels dig up their bulbs and make them unusable for the flowering season. One way to minimize the damage that occurs naturally when animals feed is to use castor oil as a means of pest control.
It may sound silly, but this old-fashioned drug is a common component of commercial natural pesticides. How does castor oil repel pests? It seems that the bitter taste and unpleasant odor are the key. Just as children had to hold their noses to take the product during the day, our animal friends get sick from the ripe smell and bitter taste.

Using castor oil in the garden as a pesticide

Castor oil does not kill pests, but it repels them. To enjoy the effect, it is necessary to apply castor oil directly on the ground. The formula will work for about a week, even during the rainy season. Weekly applications are most effective in controlling animal damage in the garden.