Neem oil insecticide uses.
Pure neem oil can kill soft-bodied insects and mites on contact, which is one reason why you want to spray it in the early morning or evening
when the pollinators aren’t out as much, to avoid spraying them.
But that’s not the main method of action of how it controls pests.
First, neem oil repels insects and other animals directly when they encounter it on the leaves.And when you spray it on the soil,
the plant will take it up systemically, which will deter insects from feeding even more.But for those insects who do still feed, the
oil contains many different components that are not going to bode well for them, the most active and well-researched being a
metabolite called azadirachtin.
When a plant-feeding insect feeds on a leaf that has been sprayed with pure neem oil, the azadirachtin interferes with the insect’s hormonal system, which inhibits their eating, mating and egg laying patterns. It also inhibits growth which prevents larvae from moulting and eggs from hatching.
Because azadirachtin acts on the hormonal system, insects don’t develop resistance in future generations, thereby making it a sustainable solution.
Organic compounds in the oil start an immune response to prevent fungal diseases such as mildew, black spot, rust, rot, scab, leaf spot and blights.
It’s also been used as a seed treatment to successfully prevent fungal diseases, but I’ve not used it for that myself.
Word On “Pests”
when our plants are healthy, so when we see that they are causing problems, our first plan of action should be to improve plant health, not to reach for the pesticide, because that won’t solve the root cause of the problem. The first thing I reach for is liquid organic fertilizers.
These help boost plant health, sometimes enough to make the “pests” go away entirely, sometime just enough so they don’t cause as much of a problem, and sometimes it doesn’t seem to help much at all, because it may be that something else is going on.
So the other thing I do is think about what else could be contributing to the problem - improper watering, airflow, sun exposure, soil imbalances, etc. There’s always a reason, whether or not I can figure it out.Traditionally, an organic pesticide is the last thing I reach for.
Now, the cool thing about pure neem oil is that it actually seems to boost plant health too, whereas most pesticides harm plants.
I do know that a ‘neem cake’ is made from the organic residue after pure neem oil is pressed from the seeds, and that cake is used as a soil conditioner.
Do You Need Neem Oil For Plants?
If your plants are generally healthy and you don’t have much in the way of insect or disease problems, I wouldn’t suggest neem oil.
better with a few grams of Neem Cake
NEEM It’s most effective for either eradicating or at least deterring insects feeding on leaves.
You can use neem oil throughout the growing season on all types of plants.