Neem oil based insecticide; what's the recipe?

[AjarnV]

Well, I found oui Sadao (oil Neem) and seem to remember a recipe using neem oil, garlic, ginger root, and, and, and I forget. Plus there is a fermentation process I also don't remember (I'm old) so please be kind and post the thing you know works. Cheers.

 

[AjarnV]

I know Hawaii Al had a recipe; hopefully he'll sign in here. Cheers.

 

[JSKaiser]

I use neem oil as a preventative measure. It will keep bugs off, and kill some, but if you already have em on there, its better to use something to get rid of the critters, and then apply neem oil to maintain the pest free environment.

I use 2 tablespoons per gallon(30 ml) and it works great. It can also be used as a leaf polish to liven up the plants a touch.

 

[geeme]

My county extension office recommended a 50/50 mix of water and rubbing alcohol to get rid of the spider mites I had. I can't say 100% that it worked, as I also pruned off all leaves that had the slightest spec of discoloration, webbing, and/or eggs, and put them in a ziploc before disposing. Also, the weather got cooler, and I understand the mites go dormant when this happens. So whether they're just dormant or actually gone is a question I can't answer, but at least they're not active right now. The good thing about the 50/50 alcohol mix is that it evaporates quickly - you can spray it on in the late afternoon/early evening, and it will evaporate overnight, so you don't get leaf burn when the sun comes out again.