Tell me about Neem Oil

[catjac1975]

I use it for two spotted and spider mite mostly on rare Viola species and my cacti that suffer from mites seasonally. I've used it for other things a swell, I find it good because they have to ingest it and it is systemic to so it really messes up anything chewing or sap sucking.
The only time I suffered any issue was out of my batch of Swainsona formosa seedlings one plant got burnt badly by it, the rest had no issue.
I used to sell it and I had a list of plants at risk but I cannot find it to save my life.

Hal- Is it systemic when they eat it or systemic into the tissue of the plant? I always thought because it was an oil it was a contact spay that rather suffocated the insect.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I used it indoors in my greenhouse when I had a white fly infestation. It was effective but the whitely were out of control. I found it knocked insects back but did not wipe them out. When I visited Logee's some years back that was all they used in their vast greenhouses. I have not used it outdoors. I use pyrethrum outdoors and rotenone. I have not been able to find rotenone of late-I don't know why. My best insecticide is keeping my chickens in the garden all winter. I theorize they eat the insect larvae. You should not fear every insect in the garden. Just because they are there does not mean they will do much damage to your crops. The worst for most people are squash bugs and vine borers. Those you need to control.

While Rotenone is "natural" and all that, it is considered really hazardous to use. It is especially deadly to fish if it gets washed into the stream/river water system. Most organic operations now consider it too dangerous to use so it is not approved by them to be organic though it used to be high on their lists.

It's possible the government may have even outlawed it for use as a pesticide, I don't know about that. But I'm pretty sure it is still used to kill fish, say trash fish in a body of water if you are going to restock it with a preferred species of fish.

 

[AMKuska]

I don't know how it is as far as plants, but its great for dogs who have skin problems, and gets rid of fleas pretty good.

 

[catjac1975]

While Rotenone is "natural" and all that, it is considered really hazardous to use. It is especially deadly to fish if it gets washed into the stream/river water system. Most organic operations now consider it too dangerous to use so it is not approved by them to be organic though it used to be high on their lists.

It's possible the government may have even outlawed it for use as a pesticide, I don't know about that. But I'm pretty sure it is still used to kill fish, say trash fish in a body of water if you are going to restock it with a preferred species of fish.

Maybe that's why I can't seem to find it.

 

[Hal]

Hal- Is it systemic when they eat it or systemic into the tissue of the plant? I always thought because it was an oil it was a contact spay that rather suffocated the insect.

Systemic within the plant. Pests have to ingest it for it to work, the mites I spray for drink it directly from the plants sap stream.

 

[journey11]

What I liked about it is that it is safe for earthworms, birds, amphibians, pollinators (once dry) and beneficial bugs. I have nearly a dozen toads living in my garden and I don't want to kill or hurt my little helpers. DD7 raised them up from tadpoles.

What I read about Neem said that in order for it to be effective, you have to use it preemptively, before bugs or fungus get out of hand or settled in. It won't kill them immediately, but it will slow them down from eating and will definitely impact them reproductively and eliminate or reduce their offspring. I did read something about how it works on fungi, but I forget now the mechanism.

They also said to keep on spraying it every 7 to 14 days throughout the growing season.