Neem oil uses

[Zoey]

Can you help with the use of Neem Oil in controlling mealy bugs? Is the oil just a leaf polish or does it have insect killing uses also? I mixed one quart water with 1 and 1/2 tsp. oil and 1/2 tsp. liquid soap. Sprayed over and under leaves. Don't have a big infestation but it is annoying. My collection is little of this, little of that. Thanks.

[Bud]

before you resort to the big guns...try cheap home remedies first:

10 drops dish soap
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon extract
2 cups tepid water

spray the plant until soaking wet
make some more to soak the pot for 5 min to kill bug eggs

repeat for the next week then rest it for 2 weeks and repeat again

Neem oil a good bug killer and scares away bugs for as long as theres the stench that smells really awful that wont go away for days if you get it in your hands
a highly industrial chemical oil...so...
Neem oil can burn leaves if you put the plant outdoors
even if its just a shaded sun
it also attract fungus

[Zoey]

It does smell, that's for sure. I will try the recipe you suggested. It's hard to get the oil to mix with water and soap. Thanks, will let you know how it works. Zoey

[Bud]

what oil is mixing with water and soap??!!
cinnamon extract is not an oil

[ingse]

I use Neem oil.
Last summer i had the sliding doors in my "greenhouse" open and normally there should have been a lot of insects in there as well. A few bees and a bumbelbee flew in, turned around and left after a short time. There was no signes of any other insects there at all, and no damage to the orchids. I have had problems with scales, spidermites and mealy bugs before, but not after i started to use Neem oil.
Neemoil/dish soap/water is easy to mix if you shake the watercan and use tepid water and i spray all my plants about every 14 day from april to september, when insects are active here.
The smell is a bit strong, but i can live with that and i move the plants outside when i use it and never use it inside my appartment.
It is also important not to pour the oilmixture down the drains, because they can get clogged.
A bit OT but i bought a shampoo with neemoil for my dogs and none of my dogs had any ticks last summer
There is a lot of info. on the web about Neemoil and its positive (and negative) effects and the climate where you live might also give different results from what i have experienced.

[BruceP]

Neem Oil is both effective and extremely safe (it's used in medicines and cosmetics), though it does have an odd smell which is reminiscent of french onion soup (not in a good way). I use it outside, so it's not that big of an issue for me.
The active insecticidal agent in Neem is azadirachtin, an insect growth regulator (essentially prevents insects from fully developing). It also has anti-fungal properties.
Cautions about exposure to sun/heat is applicable to the use of ALL horticultural oils.
Here's a link to the AOS article on Neem.

BTW, it's labeled as a "leaf polish" to avoid the cost of registering it as a pesticide. I was speaking to the head of a well-known plant nutrient company at the Tropical Plant Industry Expo in Ft. Lauderdale on Saturday who said that they had calculated the cost at aprox $4 million. (I did walk away with a free bottle of Neem!).

[Starla]

I want to know about cinnamon extract because you cant get it over here. Is it leaf or bark extract and is there a company you think would ship it to britain?!

[BruceP]

You could probably find it in a health food store, but I wouldn't waste the money as you can easily make it yourself. Ray has the info on his website

[DavidCampen]

Originally Posted by BruceP

Neem Oil is both effective and extremely safe (it's used in medicines and cosmetics), though it does have an odd smell which is reminiscent of french onion soup (not in a good way). I use it outside, so it's not that big of an issue for me.
The active insecticidal agent in Neem is azadirachtin, ...

Yes, I have azadirachtin but don't like to use it because of the stink that lasts for several days.

[Bud]

Starla: you can find the cinnamon extract in a supermarket aisle together with the almond and vanilla extract for desert making and baking...chances are you can fint it also in a baker's store or a cake making store...
I have the McKormick brand...