Hello one and all,
Just a quick question. Does anyone have the correct concentration for
Neem Oil spray? I'd like to use it as a routine, once a month,
preventative.
TIA. Dave

"Dave Lockwood" wrote in message
news:Nt6Ba.774782$Zo.160838@sccrnsc03...
Hello one and all,
Just a quick question. Does anyone have the correct concentration for
Neem Oil spray? I'd like to use it as a routine, once a month,
preventative.

I can't tell you concentrations, since I don't use neem oil. However, I can
tell you that in pest control, it is a bad idea to routinely apply a
pesticide as a preventative. If you do so, you run the risk of building
immunity to it. Routine application of pesticides and antibiotics as
preventative measures has been commonplace, so you're not alone. But this
practice is why there are so many strains of disease organisms that are
immune to our antibiotics and why so many insect pests are immune to our
pesticides.

By far the better strategy is to be knowledgeable about the optimal growing
conditions for your plants, so that your plants are as healthy as they can
be (and thus less vulnerable), and monitor for signs of a disease or pest,
treating for the pests only when there is a significant threat. You may
want to do some research into integrated pest management. IPM is a well
established environmental management practice focussed on environmentally
friendly pest management; the downside is that to be effective it requires
substantive, comprehensive ecological expertise. You will certainly find
lots of relevant reading material at your nearest university's library. The
more knowledge you have about the ecophysiology and population biology of
each pest organism, as well as the ecophysiology of the plants you're
growing, the more effective your pest management practices will be and the
less you will need to use a pesticide.

Maybe I am just lucky, but I have never had a houseplant, including mostly
orchids, attacked by a pest, and in the garden, the only significant pest
has been a squirrel who developed a taste for iris tubers last winter and
has been trying to eat my bletilla and cypripedium orchids this spring (for
the most part, I have been on site to catch it in the act of digging them up
and chase it off before significant damage was done): curiously, it seems to
have ignored the crocus, hyacynth, lilies, onions and phlox. Because I have
never had a houseplant attacked by a disease or pest organism, I have never
had a need to use a pesticide.

HTH

Ted

"Ted Byers" wrote :
Maybe I am just lucky, but I have never had a houseplant, including mostly
orchids, attacked by a pest, and in the garden, the only significant pest
has been a squirrel who developed a taste for iris tubers last winter and
has been trying to eat my bletilla and cypripedium orchids this spring
(for
the most part, I have been on site to catch it in the act of digging them
up
and chase it off before significant damage was done): curiously, it seems
to
have ignored the crocus, hyacynth, lilies, onions and phlox. Because I
have
never had a houseplant attacked by a disease or pest organism, I have
never
had a need to use a pesticide.

HTH

Ted


Where the heck do YOU live? Some kind of Biodome?
Come down here to South Florida for a while, you'll
have some soon enough....

Where the heck do YOU live? Some kind of Biodome?
Come down here to South Florida for a while, you'll
have some soon enough....

White footed ants and some white fly in springtime,
Dark scale and white scale and thrips in the meantime,
Bush snails and slugs and more stuff on the wing,
These are just some of my least favorite things..........

Diana in Port St. Lucie........ ;oD

Where the heck do YOU live? Some kind of Biodome?
Come down here to South Florida for a while, you'll
have some soon enough....

Tell me about it. My brother-in-law worked a number of years in Florida in
the pest control industry. I well know that there are places in this world
where pests are a ubiquitous problem.

I live in Ontario, just north of Toronto. That isn't enough to explain why
I never have had a problem with pests. The fact I maintain good growing
conditions for my plants, and that they are in very good condition, makes my
plants less susceptable than most plants growing in the wild, is likely part
of the reason. And good hygiene, and waste management, in the house is
likely another part of it. Knowing the preferred habitats of pests and
ensuring such habitat is of limited supply helps. And as I said, luck may
have something to do with it. Of course, with luck being a factor, it
becomes a matter of time before I see a problem that will have to be
resolved.

Cheers,

Ted

One ounce pure oil per gallon of water plus about a teaspoon or two of
liquid dishwashing detergent to emulsify the stuff is good.

I try to repeat that every 4 to 6 weeks.

Keep the oil cool when not in use, and only make up what you'll use
immediately.

No evidence of tolerance buildup has been seen with neem.

--

Ray Barkalow First Rays Orchids
http://www.firstrays.com
Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info!


"Dave Lockwood" wrote in message
news:Nt6Ba.774782$Zo.160838@sccrnsc03...
Hello one and all,
Just a quick question. Does anyone have the correct concentration for
Neem Oil spray? I'd like to use it as a routine, once a month,
preventative.
TIA. Dave

Maybe all the pests have succumbed to SARS.
________________
Ken Woodward
Newton, MA
http://kwoodward.net

"Ted Byers" wrote in message
...
Where the heck do YOU live? Some kind of Biodome?
Come down here to South Florida for a while, you'll
have some soon enough....

Tell me about it. My brother-in-law worked a number of years in Florida
in
the pest control industry. I well know that there are places in this
world
where pests are a ubiquitous problem.

I live in Ontario, just north of Toronto. That isn't enough to explain
why
I never have had a problem with pests. The fact I maintain good growing
conditions for my plants, and that they are in very good condition, makes
my
plants less susceptable than most plants growing in the wild, is likely
part
of the reason. And good hygiene, and waste management, in the house is
likely another part of it. Knowing the preferred habitats of pests and
ensuring such habitat is of limited supply helps. And as I said, luck may
have something to do with it. Of course, with luck being a factor, it
becomes a matter of time before I see a problem that will have to be
resolved.

Cheers,

Ted

Ray,
Thank you sir. As always, you are a fountain of knowledge!
Dave
"Ray @ First Rays Orchids" wrote in message
...
One ounce pure oil per gallon of water plus about a teaspoon or two of
liquid dishwashing detergent to emulsify the stuff is good.

I try to repeat that every 4 to 6 weeks.

Keep the oil cool when not in use, and only make up what you'll use
immediately.

No evidence of tolerance buildup has been seen with neem.

--

Ray Barkalow First Rays Orchids
http://www.firstrays.com
Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info!


"Dave Lockwood" wrote in message
news:Nt6Ba.774782$Zo.160838@sccrnsc03...
Hello one and all,
Just a quick question. Does anyone have the correct concentration
for
Neem Oil spray? I'd like to use it as a routine, once a month,
preventative.
TIA. Dave

Thank YOU, Dave!

My orchid obsession is not just with the plants, it's all about trying new
stuff, experimenting, and especially sharing it with others.

I had a discussion the other day with a local doctor who picked up an order
at my office, and it think I may have characterized my plight quite
succinctly: I may not be any more knowledgeable than others, but I'm
willing to talk about it!

--

Ray Barkalow First Rays Orchids
http://www.firstrays.com
Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info!


"Dave Lockwood" wrote in message
news:qteBa.1017276$3D1.596856@sccrnsc01...
Ray,
Thank you sir. As always, you are a fountain of knowledge!
Dave
"Ray @ First Rays Orchids" wrote in message
...
One ounce pure oil per gallon of water plus about a teaspoon or two of
liquid dishwashing detergent to emulsify the stuff is good.

I try to repeat that every 4 to 6 weeks.

Keep the oil cool when not in use, and only make up what you'll use
immediately.

No evidence of tolerance buildup has been seen with neem.

--

Ray Barkalow First Rays Orchids
http://www.firstrays.com
Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info!


"Dave Lockwood" wrote in message
news:Nt6Ba.774782$Zo.160838@sccrnsc03...
Hello one and all,
Just a quick question. Does anyone have the correct concentration
for
Neem Oil spray? I'd like to use it as a routine, once a month,
preventative.
TIA. Dave