Contributed by:
ZBQ
Submitted: July 5th, 2004
Neem oil is a
highly effective and 100% natural pesticide, extracted
from the seeds of the Neem tree in India. Neem oil is
non-toxic to animals or people. Neem is systemic.
Neem oil is most effective when used as a
preventive, meaning that you spray every crop regardless
of whether or not you see a pest.
Many growers
seem to be put off by its oiliness, finding sprayers
clogged and plants left coated in oil. The solution is
to get the oil broken down and suspended in the water,
then we can get it onto the plants.
Mix:
1 litre warm water
8ml cold-pressed Neem oil
5ml liquid soap
Note: If your Neem oil
appears solid and/or cloudy it is most likely too cold.
Run the bottle under warm water for a few minutes until
the Neem oil is easier to work with. Shake it well.
8ml of Neem oil + 1 litre of warm
water
you can see that the oil and water are
completely separated..
8ml of Neem oil + 5ml of liquid
soap in 1 litre of water.
NOTE - you may have to
add more or less soap, depending on the strength of your
soap. When you can see soap bubbles youve got it right.
Shake this in your sprayer, it should
make a milky-white liquid, with no oil floating on top.
Leave it to settle for a few seconds. If there are any
oil droplets floating on the top, add a little more
soap, drop by drop, (keep shaking) until the oil is
gone. Dont be surprised if you have to add more soap
than I did. Now you are ready to spray.
Spray
everywhere, especially under the leaves where critters
hang around. Get those plants dripping wet. Keep shaking
while you spray.
IMPORTANT - you must
repeat this application every 3 days for at least 2
weeks (3 weeks if you want to be 110% sure)
This
is important because Neem oil doesnt directly kill bugs
(amongst other things it stops them from reproducing,
feeding and molting their skins). So in effect, it
breaks their life cycle.
This means you need to
spray for at least the length of one life cycle, which
for spider mites in ideal conditions (like most
growrooms) is around 2 weeks, sometimes a little longer.
I use this method for the first 2 weeks of
12/12. It was taught to me by a professional grower of
20 years experience. He also uses this recipe as a soil
drench (Neem is systemic and therefore there is no need
to spray if soil drenching)
I have used it as a
foliar spray for about a year now and have had no
problems with mites or any other vermin, large or small.
Skeptical friends have also been won over to this
system.
Emergencies If you are
facing an infestation emergency, you can add
Pyrethrum to the above mix. I challenge any
nuclear-proof insect in the world to survive the twin
pain of Neem and Pyrethrum.
Notes on
Ingredients: Cold-pressed Neem oil
has much higher levels of active ingredients and is well
worth the money. A good place to find this stuff is from
a Pharmacy that stocks herbal remedies. (It is used as a
treatment for head lice.)
If your Neem oil
appears solid and/or cloudy it is most likely too cold.
Run the bottle under warm water for a few minutes until
the Neem oil is easier to work with. Shake it well.
Liquid Soap - plain unperformed, boring
liquid soap. Personally I don't let that stuff anywhere
near my plants, but many do, and if you're one of them
you may find you need less than if using liquid soap.
Experiment a little when you shake the mixture. Plain
liquid soap is much more gentle than washing-up
detergent.
Pyrethrum is extracted from
Chrysanthemum flowers. It is a highly effective and 100%
natural insecticide. It is also one of the safest,
bearing little threat to mammals. Pyrethrum degrades
quickly once sprayed.
Editors note: Liquid soap
is similar to Safers soap (a fat based liquid soap
mixture). Safers suffocates and dessicates (dries out)
insects. Works good, but can also clog leaf stomata, so
a follow-up spray of water is required.
