Garden & Greenhouse August 2018 Issue | Page 18

With a rosemary-based insecticide, growers can safely get rid of pest insects without causing any harm to other living creatures. Cinnamon Oil Cinnamon oil is becoming more popular as an additive in organic insecticides and fungicides. As an insecticide, cinnamon oil extract works by disrupt- ing a pest insect’s neurotransmitter. Because these neurotransmitters are specific to insects, it makes this type of insecticide extremely safe for people, pets and other vertebrates. The compound cinnamic alde- hyde is a plant extract of cinnamon which has been revered for its antimicrobial properties. This isolated compound shows great potential as an organic fungi- cide. Spearmint Extracts Spearmint extracts have been shown to work as a deterrent to a variety of pest insects. Few plant spe- cies are sensitive to spearmint which makes spear- mint-based insecticides great for small or sensitive plants. Spearmint extracts can be mixed into a solu- tion and young plants or seedlings can be submerged for complete coverage. Thyme Oil Thyme oil is another common plant extract used in organic insecticides. Thyme oil has an insect deter- rent property and has been shown to repel a wide variety of pest insect species. As more is discovered about the properties of individual compounds found in plants, additional specific compounds that are beneficial to horticul- turists will be isolated. Plant extracts are slated to be the most environmentally friendly option when it comes to pest insect and pathogen control. They also show great promise as high quality fertilizers and soil amendments. There are literally hundreds of thousands of different plant species that have been discovered and identified. The large number of plant species and the fact that each species contains its own unique compounds illustrate how vast the world of plant extracts really is. Only time will tell which plant extracts will affect the future of horticulture. As exciting as that may be, there are already many plant extracts and plant-based products that provide a great many benefits to our gardens. GG Eric Hopper resides in Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula where he enjoys gardening and pursuing sustainability. He is a Garden & Greenhouse senior editor and can be contacted at [email protected]. Sunmaster_AugPMG_HalfPage_ad_v2:Half Pg ad - Horizontal 6/1/18 11:00 AM Page 1 T A I L O R E D S P E C T R U M HPS SUNMASTER ® FULL NOVA lamps are chemically engineered to deliver the highest µmol per watt while enhancing key plant-response regions of the spectrum. © 2018 Venture Lighting International, Inc. 18 More Vibrant, More Nutritious, Full Spectrum Light SunmasterGrowLamps.com www.GardenandGreenhouse.net August 2018