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greenfreak
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Member since 9/06 11483 total posts
Name:
greenfreak
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Big fan, HUGE fan of...
Neem oil. Been using it for years on all manner of plants. Every time I look up treatments for problems I encounter (today's problem is powdery mildew on my rose bush), I find out that Neem is an effective, organic tool to safely combat it.
This is from Wikipedia, on the wonder that is Neem:
"Formulations made of Neem oil also find wide usage as a bio-pesticide for organic farming, as it repels a wide variety of pests including the mealy bug, beet armyworm, aphids, the cabbage worm, thrips, whiteflies, mites, fungus gnats, beetles, moth larvae, mushroom flies, leafminers, caterpillers, locust, nematodes and the Japanese beetle.
Neem Oil is not known to be harmful to mammals, birds or some beneficial insects such as earthworms, butterflies, honeybees and ladybugs. It can be used as a household pesticide for ant, bedbug, cockroach, housefly, sand fly, snail, termite and mosquitoes both as repellent and larvicide (Puri 1999). Neem oil also controls black spot, powdery mildew, anthracnose and rust (fungus).
For use as a bio-pesticide, pure Neem oil should be diluted at the rate of 1 teaspoon per quart, or 4 teaspoons per gallon of water (metric: 5.2 millilitres per litre) and used as a foliar spray or used as a soil drench at the rate of 1 liter per square meter of soil (3 ounces per square foot).
Adding a surfactant greatly enhances its effectiveness. Ordinary liquid dishwashing soap may be used as a surfactant, added at the rate of 1 tablespoon per gallon."
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Posted 6/1/09 6:42 PM  |
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MommaG
Yay Spring!
Member since 5/05 5133 total posts
Name:
Gloria
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Re: Big fan, HUGE fan of...
Where do you buy Neem oil?
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| Posted 6/2/09 1:04 PM |
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greenfreak
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Member since 9/06 11483 total posts
Name:
greenfreak
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Re: Big fan, HUGE fan of...
I got mine at a garden nursery years ago (Atlantic Nursery in Freeport). I'm actually running low so I'm going to see if Lowes has it. Some products have Neem IN them but are not actually 100% Neem. You have to read the label to find out.
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| Posted 6/2/09 1:48 PM |
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GoldenRod
10 years on LIF!
Member since 11/06 26792 total posts
Name:
Shawn
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Re: Big fan, HUGE fan of...
Sounds like cool stuff!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neem
http://www.neemking.org/
I saw a posting on Yahoo! Answers that someone got it from HomeDepot, but I can't find any reference to it on their site...
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| Posted 6/2/09 1:54 PM |
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JldDolphin
Member since 1/07 6929 total posts
Name:
Jen
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Re: Big fan, HUGE fan of...
I came across this link about oils. some good info.
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| Posted 6/2/09 4:08 PM |
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greenfreak
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Member since 9/06 11483 total posts
Name:
greenfreak
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Re: Big fan, HUGE fan of...
Those are great links! As with any oils, you should spray at night and allow it to dry before letting the direct sun hit it. So you don't cook them. 
I sprayed some of my new shrubs last week at night and they were dry by the next morning.
When I lived in Long Beach, I used to spray all my potted plants as a preventative. Never had problems with pests. That also kept the cool bugs around Praying Mantis and Ladybugs.
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| Posted 6/2/09 7:11 PM |
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tourist
Member since 5/05 10425 total posts
Name:
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Re: Big fan, HUGE fan of...
Thanks for tip! I've never heard of it, but I also don't think I have had any of those issues yet. I will keep it in mind.
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| Posted 6/2/09 11:13 PM |
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JldDolphin
Member since 1/07 6929 total posts
Name:
Jen
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Re: Big fan, HUGE fan of...
Posted by greenfreak
Those are great links! As with any oils, you should spray at night and allow it to dry before letting the direct sun hit it. So you don't cook them.
I sprayed some of my new shrubs last week at night and they were dry by the next morning.
When I lived in Long Beach, I used to spray all my potted plants as a preventative. Never had problems with pests. That also kept the cool bugs around Praying Mantis and Ladybugs.
The other thing I learned when searching the internet yesterday for Neem Oil, was that Japenese Maples don't like oils put on them. And of course that tree is right next to my sick tree. So we are going to have to be careful when spraying it with Neem Oil. I really want to try this out before having to spend $150 to get the tree sprayed by the same company that sprayed it last year. 
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| Posted 6/3/09 10:33 AM |
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greenfreak
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Member since 9/06 11483 total posts
Name:
greenfreak
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Re: Big fan, HUGE fan of...
I think if it's not that breezy, you should be fine. The heaviness of the oil/soap combination shouldn't blow too far, you know?
Good luck with the scale. I had a different kind of scale insects on my orchids years ago and I actually had to toss two of them in the trash, it was so bad. 
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| Posted 6/3/09 10:39 AM |
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JldDolphin
Member since 1/07 6929 total posts
Name:
Jen
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Re: Big fan, HUGE fan of...
Posted by greenfreak
I think if it's not that breezy, you should be fine. The heaviness of the oil/soap combination shouldn't blow too far, you know?
Good luck with the scale. I had a different kind of scale insects on my orchids years ago and I actually had to toss two of them in the trash, it was so bad.
Thanks! I do understand what you are saying. But I think the Japenese Maple actually touches one side of the Weeping Cherry. The previous owners planted them too close together I think.
These are pics from last year, but they are kind of close. After they sprayed the trees last year, the Japenese Maple actually lost the redness in it's leaves. Not sure if it was do to the spraying or not.
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| Posted 6/3/09 2:52 PM |
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