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soon_loo

neem oil

Soon_Loo
18 years ago

I decided to try spraying all my roses and other plants with neem oil and see what kind of results I get. Well...all the aphids are dead; I am not getting any powdery mildew; black spots are under controlled somewhat meaning they are not spreading like mad. Best of all, the foliage are just gorgeous...shiny, robust, green. If I don't get any blooms (highly unlikely) at all, I would be equally happy.

The ratio I use is 7ml neem oil, 1 ml detergent to 1 litre of warm water. For large batches, I mix the required amt of neem/detergent in 1 liter of warm/hottish water...shake it up like mad and then fill up with rest of water. I spread about once every other day for about 2 weeks and then cut back to once a week.

You should see the foliage on my apple espalier.

I don't think my plants have be happier!

Comments (6)

  • sboku74
    18 years ago

    I was told that neem oil should be applied when it is dry. We are still getting rains in Seattle, so I have not tried it yet, but your results sound great. Do you need to spray every other day to get these results? That sounds like a lot of work.

  • Soon_Loo
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    I live in Vancouver,BC which gets more rain than Seattle. I sprayed when the weather is clear. I avoid spraying when the days are hot (yes they are getting hotter here). I have also sprayed after a light rain.
    I sprayed every other day at the beginning just to break the aphid breeding cycle...apparently they breed worse than rabbits. Some where on the rose forum, people sprayed everyday for 5 days with safer's soap to break the suckers down. I thought I would do only every other days with neem as it is expensive.
    If you have problem finding neem oil, check out your local hypdrponic suppy stores. I did a google search and found it associates with most hydroponic site and seems like they use it a lot to spray "indoor tomato farming"....get the drift. Neem is used to control insects on indoor plants because it is non-toxic. good luck. Neem is a good thing. It costs me $50canadian for a litre (perhaps less in US). It is worthed every penny of it.

  • User
    18 years ago

    It's also overkill for aphids and kills beneficials as well. It doesn't do much for black spot at all and will fry your foliage above about 86°. Plain old inexpensive horticultural oil will do all of the above and a heck of a lot cheaper.

  • cyberblue
    18 years ago

    Is there a difference between neem oil and neem oil extract? I couldn´t get the oil so I bought the extract and it works well. I think that only the whole oil works against fungus...is that right? Where can I order neem oil online?
    Cyberblue

  • michaelg
    18 years ago

    Azadirachtin, which is the insecticidal fraction, is often separated and sold separately. Non-oily neem products show this as the active ingredient in the label. It works by disrupting the transformation between insect stages. Most neem oils sold in the US are without azadirachtin, but they can still kill small insects by smothering, as would any oil. There are some fungicidal compounds in whole neem oil, but I don't know whether they end up with the azadirachtin or with the separated oil in the typical products. Triact is one brand of whole neem oil that could be googled.

  • Field
    18 years ago

    What MichaelG said: double ditto.

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