Neem on mother plants weekly?

[NeWcS]

I am trying to avoid any bug or PM issues so I have been spraying my plants weekly with neem oil extract. Does anyone see an issue with doing this? Thank you

 

[soursmoker]

check organic soil section... Disease and Pest 101 Sticky or something along those lines...

 

[soursmoker]

here is the thread... kinda of a lot of reading...


https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=258619


I'll point out the main points you are looking for...


Preventative Spray...1-2x per week

4 tsp. of organic neem oil
2 tsp. of Pro-TeKt

I mix this in a shot glass until it's completely emulsified.

I add this to 1 gallon of tepid water - you want around 70F and stir or shake this until it's completely dispersed and then I add 1/4 cup of aloe vera extract and shake again as much as possible to activate the foaming action of the aloe vera extract's Saponins.

I spray the plant until the leaves hang like they need to be watered. Top and bottom of the leaves, all the branches and the top of the soil.

HTH

CC

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]RE: Neem Seed Oil

I still highly recommend the use of neem seed oil. Having said that, I bought bag of neem seed meal (aka neem seed cake) and have been making teas with this meal along with kelp meal. The meal contains 1,400ppm of Azadirachtin (same level as Dyna-Gro Neem Seed Oil) as well as the other active ingredients in neem seed products such as triterpenes. More specifically, limonoids such as azadirachtin, salannin, meliantriol, nimbin, nimbidin, meliantriol, deacetylazadirachtinol, salannin, salannol, 3-deacetylsalannin etc.

By not using the oil product specifically, it can also be used on your soils. Especially if you're having problems with gnats, root aphids, etc.

In this instance, the term cake and meal are interchangeable. Neem seed cake/meal is the dried residue after the oil has been pressed from the seeds.

All parts of the neem tree contain the agent Azadiractin (among 60+ others equally important) that provides a defense against molds, nematodes, leaf-eating insects, et al. This includes the leaves, bark, seeds, roots, branches, etc.

The pressing does not remove all of the oil or the active agents. The Azadiractin level of the meal is generally about 1/3 - 1/2 of the PPM level of the oil that was pressed, i.e. if the neem oil tests out at 1500 PPM for Azadiractin then you could figure that the meal/cake would come in at 500 PPM - 750 PPM.

The cake is helpful in any type of organic growing environment. It has a solid NPK profile (if you're one of those who subscribes to that paradigm), a complete micro-nutrient component as well as trace elements, phytohormones (Abscisic acid, Auxins, Cytokinins, Ethylene, Gibberellins) Vitamin C, citric acid, saponin, et al. providing improved conditions for the nitrification process, preventingroot rot and other anaerobic-related problems like root aphids, gnats, etc.

The neem seed cake also triggers a plant's defenses through a number of agents it contains resulting in systemic defense against the invasive powdery mildew issues.

The meal/cake can also be used to make an effective tea during those times of the grow/flower cycle where using the neem oil may not be the best option. 1/2 cup of neem seed meal/cake and 1/4 cup of kelp meal along with 1 tsp. of liquid silica into 5 gallons of water and then bubbled/brewed for 18 - 24 hours. This can be used to irrigate the plants as well as applying as a foliar spray.

I'd recommend the neem & karanja seed meals from NeemResource.com - it's organic. It's Fair trade. It's Inexpensive. It's Effective. And the woman who heads this organization is the most informed individual I've ever talked with on the subject of neem tree products in general.

And her products are from India. There's a lot of neem products coming in from China and Africa. That's not necessarily a bad thing. However, the neem tree industry in India goes back several centuries. The tree is part of the worship of several incarnations of the Godhead including Krishna, Ganesha, Vishnu, Shiva, et al. and it's a part of the culture in the production regions and the industry is tightly controlled by the Parker India Group.

For me I consider neem cake as important as my other 'must have' for gardening, i.e. kelp meal, alfalfa meal and rock dusts. [/FONT]

Neem Oil
Neem oil is squeezed from the seeds of the neem tree. Neem oil has the active compound azadirachtin just like the meal but we now use it as a insect deterrent and a fungicide deterrent for the stalks and leaves. With steady application of this neem oil, fungi will never have a chance to settle on your plant leaves.

Wiki Quote
Neem oil also controls black spot, powdery mildew, anthracnose and rust (fungus).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neem_oil

These components make the "base" of a quality foilar spray. They can be used with every spraying. There are other ingredients that could be used as the "base" but this has worked for me and others here on ICMAG. You certainly can use other items but know what you are working with and how to use it.

Next post will have information on "secondary" components that can be added to the "base". These "secondary" components can be added for certain situations and general preventatives. Recipes and instructions will be included.

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Foilar Spray Strategy

Now that you know how to create the mix, you need to devise a plan on when to spray and what to spray. I generally foilar twice a week but you can adapt to your schedule and needs.
However I highly recommend to spray at least 1 time per week as the neem and silicon will create a "barrier" of protection on the leaves and stalks that powder mildew and pathogens cannot survive on.

Young & Preventive Foilar Chart

Mon
Tue
Wed
Thur Base Mix Only/Rosemary (Diversity Can Be Key!)
Fri
Sat
Sun Base Mix Only
Every Week Till Flowering Cycle


Fungus Gnat Sighting Foilar Chart

Mon
Tue Base Mix + Thyme
Wed
Thur Base Mix + Rosemary
Fri
Sat
Sun Base Mix Only +
2 Or 3 Weeks Then Back To Preventative Foilar Chart

Mite Sighting Chart

Mon Base Mix + Rosemary
Tue
Wed Base Mix + Lavender
Thur
Fri Base Mix + Rosemary
Sat
Sun
3 Weeks To Break Cycle Then Back Preventative Foilar Chart

Adapt the chart to your liking and when they are sightings, identify your insect/diseases and adjust accordingly. Knowing your invading insects and its life-cycle will assist in customizing your chart to break its cycle of life.

Side Note
Always use this spray towards the night cycle or when lights are off. The majority of the compounds will degrade when expose to lights and the neem can burn the fragile leaves under the brights lights.

Do not worry about the plants being wet during lights off. I switch off air circulation during these foilars and switch back to on before lights cycle start to allow a more efficient "soak" of the elements.

When spraying make sure to cover every part of the plant including undersides of leaves and stalks until the plants appear to be drooping.

Some plants can not tolerate the mix as much as others and will have to be toned down with the ingredients. I generally make the mix weaker for new plants and clones but will increase as the plants gains age.

Do not use past the 1st or 2nd week of flower or you risk bruising the pistils and contaminating your buds. If you have used at least 1 times per week for the plants life cycle you should have boosted the immunity and have enough protection to last you till harvest.

I have tried personally a mixture of all the material listed in this thread on various plants and have had great success in maintaining a pest/disease free canna garden. I wrote this thread from experience, application and research. I am also experimenting with this method on the outdoor veggies this year.

Credits
A majority of the recipes and techniques was handed down from the ROLS guru Cootz in the dialogue from the Living organic soil from start through recycling thread. He would lay out bit and pieces of information that I would capture, research and it always panned out. Some of the links I provided are results of that research.
Would also like to give credit to all the ICMAG member that encourage and strive for quality dialogue.

If you got recipes that are organically sound, post em!! [/FONT]

Hope That Helps

 

[NeWcS]

Very helpful, Thanks brother!!!

 

[soursmoker]

No problem, all the info and more could be found in the thread I linked to in my post...

I am not trying to take credit for any of that info... All was provided by the generous members of the organic soil sub-forum. Very smart individuals over there...

 

[ozzieAI]

you guys are singing my song...although i rarely spray it these days...

here is another great link: http://www.ublcorp.com/files/Biological_Insecticides.pdf

 

[NeWcS]

ozzieAI, in your sig you say to add neem directly to your watering can. Where can I get more info on this? Thanks guys/gals!

 

[NeWcS]

ozzieAI, in your sig you say to add neem directly to your watering can. do you add it with your normal feeding or by its self? I am in coco dtw Thanks guys/gals!

 

[iknowu]

U may get the bugs to.built up a resistance against it or aint that true?

 

[soursmoker]

AFAIK, neem is systemic...

 

[ozzieAI]

ozzieAI, in your sig you say to add neem directly to your watering can. do you add it with your normal feeding or by its self? I am in coco dtw Thanks guys/gals!

read from page 9 on this link: http://www.ublcorp.com/files/Biologi...secticides.pdf

add it with your nutes as neem helps the plant take them up. i water once a week in 50/50 coco/soil mix

U may get the bugs to.built up a resistance against it or aint that true?

it ain't true as neem affected bugs can't breed...this is covered in the link above

cheers