NEEM: AN ORGANIC INSECTICIDE

 
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Neem is nature’s disinfectant and has many, many uses. The neem tree is native to South Asia and is traditionally used to get rid of lice, repel mosquitoes and much more. In oil form, it’s also a wonderful organic pesticide for your plants.

I only use neem within the home or my greenhouse as an insecticide as I don't want it to affect any of the garden pollinators. This great little remedy is good for mites, mealybugs, mildew, aphids, spider mites, whitefly, fungus gnats, thrips and houseplant scale that attack or infest my plants if they are stressed out from over watering, too much sunlight, or in particular I find, the long winter months with my radiators on. To properly spray a plant (mealybugs get into every nook and cranny) I pop it into the bath or shower to avoid spraying furnishings (it has a funky smell initially but goes away once it has dried). If for any reason you have to use the neem spray outside, please make sure it's away from aquatic life and also stick to using it in the early hours or late evening when pollinators aren't as active.

My spray bottle is 500ml and I only fill up half-way as it’s best to use this spray within 8 hours/a day (so that it doesn’t lose its potency) so I quarter the following recipe:

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 tsp neem oil

  • ⅓ tsp dishwashing detergent (or you can buy horticultural soap)

  • 1 litre warm water

METHOD

  1. Mix everything in a spray bottle and shake well. I use warm water, which helps to “melt” the thick neem.

  2. Spray the underside of the leaves as well as the top. I do this outside for 2 reasons: 1) meem stinks initially! 2) you can really spray all the way around and underneath the leaves without worrying about affecting furniture etc. Choose a mild day (not too hot so you don’t scorch the wet leaves as they dry in the sun and not too cold so that you don’t give your houseplants a shick!).

  3. When no longer dripping, move the plants back indoors.

Notes:

  • You can make a weaker spray to use as a preventative measure by using half the amount of neem in the recipe.

  • Any leftovers can be sprayed onto outdoor plants that need a helping hand!

Check out this shop page for neem oil.

Jasmine Hemsley