What is neem oil?
Neem oil is a vegetable oil pressed from the fruits and seeds of the neem tree (Azadirachta indica). The oil has many uses, including skin care, pest control and Ayurvedic medicine.
Pest control
Neem oil is widely used in organic farming due to its effect on many pests such as lice, scale lice, aquatic aphids, large and small cabbage flies, spider mites, whiteflies, various beetles and larvae, miner flies, thrips, midges and many others.
Neem oil is not known to be harmful to mammals, birds, earthworms and other beneficial animals such as bees, ladybugs, butterflies and the like.
The oil is also effective against fungi such as powdery mildew and rust fungi.
How is neem oil used?
You mix 1 teaspoon of oil and 2 teaspoons of green soap or Zalo for 1 liter of lukewarm water and shake well. It can be used in combination with fertiliser.
The neem oil solution should be used immediately. You cannot store leftovers or use it the next day because it will lose its effect.
In the case of observed pests, it is recommended to spray 2-3 times with approx. 5-7 days apart so that larvae that have possibly hatched in the meantime are also affected.
As a preventive measure, you can spray the plants well with the same solution approx. every 3 weeks or more often if desired.
You can use a handheld shower bottle, but it can be demanding on your hands if you have more than 10 plants. Personally, I use a pressure syringe.
I spray the plants either in the shower, on the terrace (in summer) or in a quarantine tent.
You can also make the solution in a bucket or in the sink and dip the whole plant/cutting into it or wash large leaves on both sides with a cloth dipped in the solution. The plants should not be rinsed after spraying!
The positive thing about using neem oil is that pests cannot develop resistance to the agent as they do with other pesticides.
Some precautions for using neem oil:
- Do not spray with neem oil (or other agents) when there is a lot of sun because it will burn the leaves.
- Feel free to use it in the afternoon/evening or on a cloudy day. This is to avoid damage and to avoid hitting bees if you spray outdoor plants.
- Remember that neem oil is solid at room temperature! It should be heated in a water bath or on heating cables to become liquid! For the same reason, you should be careful when using it in the shower because it can clog pipes.
- After spraying, rinse the equipment thoroughly with very hot water and soap.
- Use body temperature water when mixing neem. First pour some water and then neem and soap, shake well and then the rest of the water.
- Store the neem oil frost-free and preferably not above +24 C, in a dark and tight container.
- Do you have leftover neem oil after spraying that you need to use up? You can use it on hair and skin against dry skin, dandruff, eczema and psoriasis, unclean skin, on pets (places they cannot lick) against ticks, mites and other parasites, on production animals against parasites, ticks, lice, mites etc .