Neem Fertilizer the soil growers best friend.

[E Grower]

Thank you, @sour.b

Thinking about an outdoor grow. When you get gnats they will and can become EXTREME.

Know this from my veggie garden experiences.

Neem is on my Spring garden list.

 

[sour.b]

Nice one @E Grower Really happy this thread is still helping people, I will add more info when I get a chance.

 

[KonopCh]

Any usage of neem oil? I think it's used to kill or prevent some pests, but I'm not 100% sure?
When, how much, spray or directly to the roots?

 

[babethPOWERS]

Will neem cake work on just the surface of already potted plants? I have a terrible springtail infestation please read my post https://www.autoflower.org/threads/springtails-infestation.65751/

Any usage of neem oil? I think it's used to kill or prevent some pests, but I'm not 100% sure?
When, how much, spray or directly to the roots?

No oil on roots ever!

 

[MrOldBoy]

Neem yes Neem .......

I’m adding Neem along with malted barley, kelp, rock dust and alpha to my worm bin .... Castings produced will contain those elements and in turn feeding to plants they should absorb and in theory be more pest resistant, I’m thinking but even if wrong, I do know one thing my worms love the mix!

 

[Meph head]

I have had thrips for over 3 grows now and it is a pain in the arse.added green it neem fertiliser 2 weeks ago and still seeing the little bastards.3 weeks from harvest now should I add more neem or wait till next grow and add a handful to new plants when I transplant into new pots

 

[Serious Home Breeder]

I've found 2 cups of high quality neem cake added to a 5 gallon bucket and then bubbled or stirred for a day or two to solubilize will work well in killing fungus gnat larvae. I've also used it to slow down root aphids (it didn't eradicate them though). There was concern that the neem cake my kill off beneficial microorganisms but my experience under the microscope showed it actually increased aerobic bacteria.

Also, here's my favorite quick read on neem: http://www.agrineem.com/PDF-Files/FUNCTIONAL BLOCKS OF NEEM OIL.pdf

Hey dude, hope you are still hanging around this site...have you had any more findings in regards to using neem seed cake/meal. More specifically how it effects microbial activity?

 

[Janxster]

Nice post

I use neem faithfully. It really helps with the non-moth/caterpillar pests (Aphids, and such). I use 2-4 tbsp / gal water depending on an active infestation or not. For Caterpillars/Moth larvae I use BT. I has been great. I have to start with Neem in spring/early summer then BT + neem in mid-late summer (when I start to see moths fluttering around and then back to Neem late summer /fall. The main thing I see with natural solutions is they are not nuclear and require me to be diligent and patient. If I catch aphids when I see a few hanging around I immediately use the lower dose neem and keep an eye on the population. I had a scenario where I saw a couple and figured I had a day or two. Well two days later I had a full on infestation. I was sop fast blew my mind.
I have never mixed it into my soil but it is a thought.
I wonder what is it doing to the living soil organisms if it gets into the soil at greater concentration?
Also is there an amount of time before harvest to not use Neem oil spray to not affect the flower?

 

[Builder0101]

Neem meal is NPK 611 or 612 or so. Great for veg. I used a cup per pot for my 5 gal and the gnats dissapeared.

 

[DTOM420]

Neem meal is NPK 611 or 612 or so. Great for veg. I used a cup per pot for my 5 gal and the gnats dissapeared.

Great point - ya beat me to it. I just scanned the whole thread to make sure someone else didn’t point it out and there it was,the very last post. Lol! Yeah, you have to be cautious about how much neem meal you use in your soil mix because it’s so high in Nitrogen. The IPM qualities are great but you can get an unbalanced soil pretty quick that’ll be great for veg but hurt ya in flower and degrade your final product from the excess nitrogen.
Many of the problems that neem helps with can be controlled with beneficial insects and microbes. I use neem in my soil, in light quantities and it’s part of the IPM spray recipe I use, courtesy of Build A Soil. However, I rely on beneficial nematodes (the triple pack from a company called Arbico) and I raise/apply beneficial insects as well as microbes from AACTs and OG Biowar. I also apply lacto bacillus, bacillus subtillis and other biology as part of IPM. This keeps most problems away without knocking my soil out of whack. Just a thought. Everything in moderation works way better than a heavy dose of one thing. Besides, some people are sensitive to azadirachtin, the primary component in neem. I don’t, but there are people out there.