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Neem. Does it work or not?

smileyguy697

smileyguy697

I was in the basement doing the weekly aphid patrol and bet you can't guess what I Found.. Ugh.. Idk if I'd call it a serious infestation but one aphid is to many for me. I asked a few friends on fb and did some digging and everyone is screaming nuke em. Tbh I'd be all about it but i have a 2 year old that likes to help in the garden when moms not home. Any way i gave all the plants their first treatment tonight but have a few questions. I know I'm not going to get instant gratification from dead bugs everywhere and from what I've read it's a longer process but more beneficial in the long run. My questions are directed to people with first hand experience with neem. So how long does it take to break the cycle and is it really going to work? One treatment a week enough to start or should i hit them more often?

Thanks guys
Mike

Oh and if it doesn't stop them lady bugs are the next option. Lol.. Thing is I'll be moving next month and don't want a bunch of bugs all over when its time to collect the deposit. LOL
 
i was using an aphid spray (not organic) which didnt seem to work that well..

when it ran out, i made my own spray. put the grated rind of one lemon into boiled water and left for two days. then i added a squirt of dish soap.

works insanely well. way better than the aphid pesticide i was using beforehand and cost next to nothing (seeing as i used the rest of the lemon for cooking!)
 
The thing about commercially available products is pests can develop immunity to a product. Aphids can go through many generations in a small period of time so they can become resistant to a type of pesticide. Ive tried gentle stuff and brutal stuff and they still come back. Pyrethrum worked very well for me but again, they came back. They're not easy to control when they get out of hand believe me.
 
megahot said:
YUP Sarge hit it and beat me to the punch, a lot of these bad pests are developing an immunity, the best solution is Safe and will work is ladybugs
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How long did that batch you bought live john?
Were most likey moving dec 15
 
I found one a few days ago LOL. Think they all died since they wiped out all the bugs. They died in a month pretty much. I only had a minor infestation. If the ladybugs have lots of food (aphids etc)
water and liveable temps they will thrive and probably reproduce LOL
 
also i pick up my pots and hold them sideways over the sink and spray the bugs off.. that way they dont land on the soil
 
georgej said:
also i pick up my pots and hold them sideways over the sink and spray the bugs off.. that way they dont land on the soil
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These are too big for that. There's 2 20 gallon containers and around another 16 or so in 5 gallon buckets.
 
I had an aphid outbreak recently and tried neem. Mixed results with it. Haven't seen any more on my small plants yet, but did notice another outbreak on the cayenne I have remaining from this year. Thankfully it's separated from my other plants. Not sure if I didn't spray the cayenne well enough, the neem didn't work properly or these one's came from somewhere else. If they turn up on my small plants again I'll be getting some ladybugs to release in my greenhouse.
 
Neem works for me as an ingredient in a home remedy. Neem oil, pyrethrin concentrate, dish soap, listerine in approx 1/2 to 1 teaspoon amounts in a pint spray bottle with water. The aphids are always going to be a pest and I am always going to push them back. Mix up a small quantity use for a few days. I use this on fire ants as well that build to close to my in ground plants.
Aphids should be a dead brown or black dot the next day after using. Pyrethrin is the main power here. Pyrethin spray mist on your hands or blowback in your face will cause irritation.

Take necessary precautions!

Good Luck
Mike
 
In my experience Neem oil is really hard on plants. I noticed my leaves shriveled up and fell off last year with my OW's. I've tried a few things, but what works best for me and knocked em out almost instantly is a product from Fox Farm called "Don't Bug Me". Thats what worked for me. But in all honesty lady bugs are the way to go, but being inside that might not be an option. Good luck!
 
I loved the Fox Farm don't bug me too. If you have a lot of plants, @ $12 a bottle I took notice to the main active ingredient and bought myself a $18 container of pyrethrin concentrate that will last a couple years of use.

The Don't bug Me is great for small quantity say under a dozen or so.
 
PrimeTime said:
Maybe you could try ladybugs and cover the plants in a mesh bag like an isolation bag or something.
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+1 - This will work no question. I tried lady bugs and never went back, the decimate the aphid population within a couple days. Most of the time, they completely eliminate the aphids. It is easy and harmless to the plants. Can't recommend them enough.
 
impending_bending said:
+1 - This will work no question. I tried lady bugs and never went back, the decimate the aphid population within a couple days. Most of the time, they completely eliminate the aphids. It is easy and harmless to the plants. Can't recommend them enough.
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I like the idea of lady bugs and they don't bother me one bit but the only reason I'm against it is were going to be moving mid December.
PrimeTime said:
Maybe you could try ladybugs and cover the plants in a mesh bag like an isolation bag or something.
Click to expand...
Now this would take care of them in my situation so they're not all over the apartment but I'm dealing with big plants and will need a lot of material.
 
smileyguy697 said:
I like the idea of lady bugs and they don't bother me one bit but the only reason I'm against it is were going to be moving mid December.

Now this would take care of them in my situation so they're not all over the apartment but I'm dealing with big plants and will need a lot of material.
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 Big dry hop bags from like northern brewer beer supply they are like 18x24
 
I called the grow shops and the one said they have "don't bug me" and i think I'm about to stop dealing with the other shop.. They're never open the hours they're supposed to be. They open at ten and close at 8. Lol.. Ok, I've called a couple times since ten and it's almost 1pm now and they still aren't there. Then if it try to go at 6 they'll have already left for the day.
 
Lady Bugs.......half now and put the other half in the fridge. Release the others when you get to the new place. Pure awesomeness to watch the lady bugs feast.
 
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