neem oil

[upper]

can neem oil be used for all the normal pests? such as mealy bugs, mites and such? does it have any effect on sphagnum? on nepenthes, drosera, sarracenia, dionaea? anything else i should know about?

would this be good?

 

[CPlantaholic]

they actually sell neem oil at Wal-Mart if I remember correctly. a quart bottle is about $10-14 but you only use a tablespoon to a gallon, so it basically lasts forever.
On the cover, it says "Insecticide, Fungicide, and Miticide" So far, it hasn't effected my plants (sundews, nepenthes, pitchers) negatively in any way. Sphagnum always remains healthy. It's taken care of most pest problems I've ever had. However, I've only had to use it on mites once. It worked very well.
WildBill (I think) told me he uses it on his cephs weekly.

 

[nightsky]

I've had good results with neem oil also.

 

[herenorthere]

I've used it to knock out a few different infestations (not of spider mites, however). Spray once per week for 4 weeks so you can catch the later hatchings. It can cause phytotoxicity so, if you use it outdoors, don't use it on warm, sunny days. By the way, it has a strange oniony smell, so don't be surprised and, if you need to use it at work or some similarly public space, plan to spray at the end of the day after everyone leaves.

 

[upper]

is this good/worth the price?
http://cgi.ebay.com/8oz-Neem-Oil-Dy...ryZ20540QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[CPlantaholic]

it's a good price, but I can't verify if it's good quality. I use Green Light neem extract.

 

[upper]

arent all the 100% extract the same?

 

[CPlantaholic]

should be fine... go for it.

 

[Not a Number]

You can get the Schultz Garden Safe stuff anywhere (Home Depot, OSH, Lowes, WalMart etc.). The concnetrate makes like a gallon from a tablespoon or teaspoon (I forget which). Just buy a spray bottle from the 99 cent store and you're set.

Any local hydroponics store will have the brand that you're looking at.

http://www.gardensafe.com/ProductCategories/indoorinsecticide/Fungicide3/

 

[Nepfreak]

I have a bottle of this stuff (in liquid form) and some dews and a ceph with aphids. It's the green light neem extract. Do I dilute the contents of the bottle or just spray the plants directly with the pure contents of the bottle?
Thanks!

 

[herenorthere]

Follow the directions (hopefully it has directions). If it doesn't, check the manufacturer/distributor's website for directions.

 

[nightsky]

I've also had good results with pyrethrin based products if you cannot find neem oil.

 

[EdaxFlamma]

I used neem oil on my collection the other day. I used the 100% concentrate. I mixed in 4mL of pure neem then added a liter of water and enough drops of Dawn dish soap to make the neem not stick to the sides. Worked well on my Neps, dews, pings and orchids. Took care of my spider mite problem in a flash. I'm going to do a weekly treatment seeing as I have a ton of this stuff.

 

[Fryster]

I use the Schultz Garden Safe brand concentrate found at Home Depot.

Works great!

Neem Oil info

 

[cp-connection]

I was researching neem and thought I would share:

100% neem oil must be mixed with soap to spray. It is a very effective contact insecticide, fungicide, miticide and nematicide. It is a very chemically complex and not fully understood.

"Clarified hydrophobic extract of neem" is neem oil that has been stripped of one of its most effective insecticides, azadirachtin. Its often sold pre-mixed with petroleum distillates to aid in application.

There are also a number of products that contain azadirachtin as its active ingredient. It often contains very high levels of "other ingredients" which are often harmful to CP's. It is a contact insecticide (does not need to be consumed to be effective) labeled as a insect repellent, antifeedent and growth regulator.

 

[jimscott]

I use the Schultz Garden Safe brand concentrate found at Home Depot.

Works great!

Neem Oil info

I like that link. It explains how Neem Oil works. The unfortunate thing is that it doesn't wotk on aphids, which is what I see from time to time.

 

[Not a Number]

I like that link. It explains how Neem Oil works. The unfortunate thing is that it doesn't wotk on aphids, which is what I see from time to time.

Garden Safe

Insects

Whiteflies, mealy bugs, armyworms, hornworms, leafhoppers, bagworms, leafminers, psyllids, fruit flies, loopers, budworms, beetles (including Japanese beetles), aphids, scales, caterpillars, midges, budworms and mites (including spider mites).

 

[justjack]

Apparently jimscott's experience isn't the same,
though I realize it's printed on the bottle.

 

[Not a Number]

Neem oil is a low or short persistence oil - it evaporates in about 3 days - which is why it is relatively safe to use on CPs. For insects that rapidly reproduce like aphids spray twice a week.

The instructions must also be followed in order for it to be effective, e.g. spray all surfaces (top and bottom) until runoff. This can be a problem with decumbent or ground hugging leaves as often found on Dionaea.

 

[jimscott]

This isn't from experience. I've never used it. I have only drowned aphids and once used the Bayer product for roses. Where I am deriving the info about aphids is directly from the link provided by Fryster. Here's a copy and paste"

However, this does not work for all insect species. The neem ingredients accumulate in the tissues deeper inside the plant. The phloem, the outermost layer, contains hardly any. A tiny aphid feeds from the phloem, it can not penetrate deep enough to get a dose of neem. But any leaf hoppers, grass hoppers or similar chomping insects will be incapacitated quickly.

People eat neem leaves to cleanse the blood, stimulate the liver, and boost the immune system. So we certainly don't need to worry about a bit of neem inside our lettuce leaves. To me this is a much more attractive option than having poisonous foulicides build up in my garden.
Neem oil suffocates insects

Many gardeners use white oil (plain mineral oil) or even olive oil to combat soft bodied insects like aphids, thrips or whitefly. The oil coats the bugs and they suffocate. Neem oil insecticide does that as well. But it's more like a little bonus on top of everything else it does.

---------- Post added 09-16-2009 at 10:21 AM ---------- Previous post was 09-11-2009 at 10:06 AM ----------

I just bought Schultz's Garden Safe.. from Lowes. My Home Depot doesn't carry it. I'm looking at the label for instructions for the use / application. There are none.