Poultry

Essential Oils in Our Products

At Southland Organics, we believe that nature offers us solutions to the problems it presents. This is the basis for the inclusion of essential oils in several of our products used by homeowners and farmers alike.

Isabella Dobbins — Content Manager (Former)
3 min read

Our products that include essential oils as “secret ingredients” are Torched Weed Killer, Defender Natural Insecticide, SO Essentials Bug Spray, and Desecticide Poultry Insecticide. In this video, Alyssa briefly explains the science behind essential oils and how they work in our products.

What are essential oils?

Essential oils are concentrated plant extracts obtained via mechanical pressing or steam distillation of plant material. Each oil has unique physical and chemical properties that make them useful in a variety of products for human, animal and plant health. These properties can be anything from scent and color to solubility and polarity.

For example, if you or I were to have a headache, rosemary or spearmint essential oil can provide some relief due to their anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. Citronella is another example of a well-known and commonly utilized essential oil. Rather than curing headaches, citronella is a strong deterrent for flying insects such as mosquitos.

How We Use Essential Oils

Several Southland Organics products contain proprietary blends of essential oils suited for their specific purpose. Torched Weed Killer contains several oils selected due to their ability to damage the exterior of plant foliage. We call this initial damage the “burn” that lights the torch. The burn makes it possible for the remaining soaps and salts to then kill the plant by attacking the root systems.

In the case of both Desecticide Darkling Beetle Insecticide and Defender Natural Insecticide, oils that are toxic to insects are combined to create two highly effective insecticides that are safe for the user and the environment. Whether in a chicken house, your garden or the front porch, these oils eliminate even the most pesky pests.

While the oils are not neurotoxins, they can have the same impact on insects by mimicking certain neurotransmitters. These oils give you the pest-killing benefits of neurotoxins without the harmful long-term impacts!

As an added benefit, some of these oils double as an insect repellent. SO Essentials is a personal favorite of mine! Much like Desect and Defender, SO Essentials’ key ingredient is essential oils that deter flying insects like mosquitoes and gnats. This formula, however, is much milder so that it can be directly applied to the skin without drying it out or leaving harsh films.

Nature’s Perfect Solutions

Essential oils are a powerful tool offered by nature to alleviate some common problems faced by home and farm owners alike. Here at Southland Organics, we choose to use those tools to our advantage to provide you with safe, natural, and effective solutions to the problems you face.

Contact Us

For more information on our products plus tips from soil health to raising chickens, be sure to like, subscribe, and follow us on our YouTube channel and social media accounts. If you have any questions, please email us at support@southlandorganics.com or give us a call at 800-608-3755. Thanks for watching!

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Written by

Isabella Dobbins

Content Manager (Former)

Agricultural content specialist • Poultry industry researcher

Isabella served as Content Manager at Southland Organics, creating educational resources that help farmers understand and implement organic solutions for poultry, turf, and agriculture.

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Reviewed by

Mike Usry
Mike Usry

Founder & CEO

20+ years in organic agriculture • Humate & soil biology specialist

With years of experience in humate deposits and soil biology, Mike brings practical knowledge from the field to every conversation. He founded Southland Organics to create sustainable solutions that work with nature, not against it.

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