My tried and true is:

1 cup vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon kitchen detergent

Mix thoroughly and store in container.

For use, dilute 1 to 2 teaspoons of this oi/detergent mix to one cup of
water. That's about 5 - 10 fluid ounces of the mix to one gallon of water.
Pour diluted mix into a sprayer, shake well, and apply. Non toxic and non
persistent. Great for aphids, scale, mealy bugs, etc. But because it is
non persistent, you need to keep spraying at regular intervals. It works, I
understand, by the oil basically suffocating the pests. The kitchen
detergent serves to emulsify the oil.

I've had success against powdery mildew by adding 2-4 or so teaspoons of
baking soda to one cup of the diluted mix and spraying.

I use on all plants, food or not. If recently sprayed upon with this
mixture, wash/rinse vegetables/fruit thoroughly...but then again, you're
talking basically vegetable oil and kitchen detergent.

"Travis M." wrote in message
news:aYRxf.38$Di.20@trnddc06...
Persephone wrote in message

On Thu, 12 Jan 2006 21:44:25 GMT, "Lawrence Akutagawa"
wrote:


Persephone wrote in message
...

I recently read -- don't remember where -- that neem products
aren't necessarily all they are/were cracked up to be.

Any info out there?

I jumped onto the neem oil bandwagon several years ago. Had as
many pests as when I didn't use any pesticides of any kind. Am
now back to tried and true vegetable oil (left over from tempura
cooking) laced with liquid kitchen detergent mixed with water. A
whole lot less expensive than neem oil and tons more effective.

WOW!! Thanks, pal -- I just love hearing about non-commercial
products. Can you give ratio of oil to-detergent-to water?

Also: Where do you recommend it be used? Straight question.
IOW, on food plants (leafy and/or root), or just decorative.

Thanks

Persephone
IOW -

I use:

2 tsp dish soap
2 tbsp veg oil
1 gallon water

Shake well and add to hose end sprayer set to 2.5 to 4 oz. Keep the
solution in the sprayer mixed up. A golf ball added to sprayer helps.