# Neem oil & How to use it!!!!



## metalmilitia777 (Sep 20, 2011)

Most growers buy neem oil and follow the directions on the Bottle.....with horrible results well an old hippie friend helped me out and gave me this recipe many years ago! and it works like a charm. I treat every single cutting in this solution before taking it to my grow room I learned the hard way its better to take care of it on one plant instead of 16! 
Also make sure not to touch any plants out doors and then touch your grow room plants think of these bastards like STD's wear protection!
*Try this mixture next time 
3 cap fulls of neem oil 
a drop or so of some soap (just enough for the soap to break up the oil) 
mixed in 1 quart of Luke warm water 
Spray the tops & bottoms of the leaves 
you must make sure the water is luke warm! 
...................................................................................................................................... 
If you continue to have problems then you can add some pure 100% lemon oil to the mix only about a teaspoon should do the trick this is a little over kill but does help.
Been using this mixture for awhile now works flawlessly say goodbye Spider mites 
The instructions on the bottle are not correct for what we are trying to achieve! 
........................................................................................................................................ 
The instructions 
1.Use a spray bottle full of this mixture but make sure the liquid is luke warm when you use it 
2.Spray the tops & bottoms of the plants (do not miss a spot you will regret it!) 
continue with normal water if you mist your plants(dont have to worry about washing this stuff off) 
3. Final step wait 48hrs and repeat the whole process this gives time for the eggs to hatch 
you have successfully taken out the microscopic terrorist. 
You may also fill a bucket with is mixture to dip your plants into if it is easier for you. 
I absolutely recommend it if you have a full blown infestation. 

* 
Use this recipe and let me know your results!


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## dannyboy602 (Sep 20, 2011)

Nice tip. Can I ask? Do you wait till the lights are off before you spray? I hear stories of burn, which I think is because of that reason. Thx.


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## metalmilitia777 (Sep 20, 2011)

I have actually found for myself that it works about the same light on or off but if your lights are closer to the plants I would suggest light off also remember that you are using an oil and oils don't evaporate as quickly as water, your plants will look dry when really they are not. Also I like to put about 3-4 C02 bags in my grow room the more the better it helps strengthen the plants while also suffocating the mites. Do you always have your exhaust running? if so I would put them on a timer so that at night with the lights off you can really let the C02 do its thing remember that is a gas and it will rise if you have it in your grow room with the exhaust on it will only minimally help the plants with the exhaust off the gas will then surround the plant letting it breath easier meaning bigger buds and healthier plants!


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## dannyboy602 (Sep 20, 2011)

Thx for that. Two things though. CO2 is heavier then air and will always sink. I run my burners during the day as the plants are photosynthesizing. At night the stoma are closed and CO2 enrichment is not as effective. This I got from subcool himself. So I take it as gospel. My exhaust fans run at night unless the burners are off. Thx for the oil info. I've never used it. Only E10 Horticultural Oil. 
At a rate of 1%. but I only spray at night so to speak. Cuz Im chicken...lol


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## metalmilitia777 (Sep 20, 2011)

dannyboy602 said:


> Thx for that. Two things though. CO2 is heavier then air and will always sink. I run my burners during the day as the plants are photosynthesizing. At night the stoma are closed and CO2 enrichment is not as effective. This I got from subcool himself. So I take it as gospel. My exhaust fans run at night unless the burners are off. Thx for the oil info. I've never used it. Only E10 Horticultural Oil.
> At a rate of 1%. but I only spray at night so to speak. Cuz Im chicken...lol


Thank you for the info I was a little confused lol. 
I would seriously dedicate a good 10-20min with the exhaust off or on the lowest setting with the lights on preferably in the morning when the stoma is most active you will notice a difference I promise  . Also subs the man I too take his words as gospel


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## Dislexicmidget2021 (Sep 20, 2011)

lol nice avatar metal.


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## doug henderson (Sep 20, 2011)

Hey metal i was wondering if u or anyone knew how to use neem oil as a soil drench say to control a gnat problem ? or for instance u wanted to use it in hydro and wanted to use it up to harvest just to prevent outbreaks ?


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## theexpress (Sep 20, 2011)

for me... neem oil and the outdoor sun havent mixed so well


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## Bwpz (Sep 20, 2011)

Another reason to spray with the lights off is because water+hot bulbs isn't good, and could blow them up


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## DrFever (Sep 20, 2011)

yea its always good to neem lights off atleast 3 hrs before and have fan blowing on them to make sure there dry before lights on i think on the bottle it says 15 = 25 ml per litre mixture


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## metalmilitia777 (Sep 22, 2011)

My mixture is supposed to be different from the bottle because Neem oil is used as a lead polish read the bottle. Follow my instructions correctly and you will not be disappointed just make sure you have your measurements right and you will be fine BTW I do not advise using anti- bacterial soap it may be too harsh on the plants and with probably kill them considering that stuff dries my hands out think what it will do to the plants I use the neem oil as a buffer for the soap. In theory the oil should keep the plant leafs hydrated after the soap hits it to kill the bugs!


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## jawbrodt (Sep 22, 2011)

I've used neem for quite awhile, and have never ever seen a spidermite in my growroom, even though my houseplants downstairs got them bad, once. Good stuff, if ya ask me. I never use it during flowering, only when they are young, then at around week 4 or veg. Also, I veg under fluoros, which means I can soak them with anything, with the lights on, and not have to worry about it. Switching to 1000 watt HID, so I'll probably play it safe and start spraying before lights on, at least an hour, just to be safe. I also believe neem is somewhat preventative against molds/mildew, which is another reason i use it. I also agree with the mixing recommendation, that's pretty close to what I use. I'm not that precise though, just dump some in, add the soap, and shake. Seems to me, like it's quite forgiving, with the doseage. Idk, maybe certain brand oils aren't as pure, or refined differently, 'causing problems for people?


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## metalmilitia777 (Sep 23, 2011)

Dislexicmidget2021 said:


> lol nice avatar metal.


Right back at ya!


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## dudeihaveagreenthumb (Sep 24, 2011)

what if i have a back porch/balcony....as long as the sun isnt basking on em they should be ok to spray outside cuz i have carpet and dont want oil and soap everywere


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## metalmilitia777 (Sep 25, 2011)

Outside is very dangerious place for your plants if they already have a pest proble
You will be making it worse by leaving them to the wolves


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## uhhhhtaco (Sep 25, 2011)

What if they're 4 weeks into flowering outdoors, would it be ok use that mixture on them?


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## metalmilitia777 (Sep 25, 2011)

uhhhhtaco said:


> What if they're 4 weeks into flowering outdoors, would it be ok use that mixture on them?


I have seen people on here that use it in flower I have specifically seen a post about it in week 4 but honestly I'm not sure I don't use anything on my girls in flower at all just for the fact that neem oil is an oil thc could possible be swept away if you were to hit with some. Maybe some one on here has a better insight into use of nem oil in flower?sorry....................Update I found a link to the thread about neeming in flower https://www.rollitup.org/indoor-growing/107931-neem-oil-during-flower.html


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## ynnyang (Aug 16, 2012)

doug henderson said:


> Hey metal i was wondering if u or anyone knew how to use neem oil as a soil drench say to control a gnat problem ? or for instance u wanted to use it in hydro and wanted to use it up to harvest just to prevent outbreaks ?


I am also interested in knowing about usage as a soil drench for soil bugs. These (I think) are fungus gnats, but they never develop into flying pests. However I know these can cause root damage in large numbers. I have been told by several growers that fungus gnat larvae only infiltrate the top few inches of soil, however I've seen these varmints in the root balls at harvest, so I am really not sure what I am dealing with. (they are very small creepy crawlers, silver and about the size of spider mites, and they hop when disturbed). Hydrogen peroxide eventually will knock them down, but I already regularly treat my plants with Neem oil, so I don't want to overdo soil treatments. HP2O is quite harsh.
Thanks for any help.


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## Madagascar (Mar 2, 2016)

just starting using this recipe will post success


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## vostok (Mar 2, 2016)

Neem Oil has recently been proving to be systemic

as in the plants can drink it up

if added to the water, it offers considerable extra protection

cold pressed is the best, keep the bottle fluid

by storing it near something warm

also good to add a spoonful to any curries you may like

used in India for about everything for thousands of years

good luck


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## Sunny Organics (Mar 7, 2016)

i recently moved some plants outdoor, topdressed them with neem to see if pests stay away. i heard keeping neem leafs as mulch from the trees itself helps keep pests away.


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## Allan421 (Mar 28, 2016)

I'm fighting with Hemp Russet Mites. Evil little bastards. A buddy with an aphid issue (not known to me at the time or he would have had a different protocol for entering the workroom) delivered some aphids to me. I think the russet mites were tagging along for the ride. 

I've used neem at 3 TBS/gal three times (every three days) and now the ladies look worse than ever. I've taken care to get them thoroughly wetted and not cook them under light.

Does neem need rinsing off between applications? I have read that it does not and also that it does not plug stomata.

I've also read that critters can not build immunity to neem as one function is as a suffocating oil.

Do you guys agree with what I've read? 

Why would the ladies still be rapidly deteriorating I wonder? I can't seem to locate any live critters with a 100x scope. Maybe it's the mite damage still progressing? I've read they inject a poison that will linger after the Spawn of Satan are dead.


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## Tripp2005 (Apr 1, 2016)

If putting in hydro system how much should I add to a 10-15 gallon res and is would dawn dish soap work for the soap


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## Allan421 (Apr 1, 2016)

Allan421 said:


> I'm fighting with Hemp Russet Mites. Evil little bastards. A buddy with an aphid issue (not known to me at the time or he would have had a different protocol for entering the workroom) delivered some aphids to me. I think the russet mites were tagging along for the ride.
> 
> I've used neem at 3 TBS/gal three times (every three days) and now the ladies look worse than ever. I've taken care to get them thoroughly wetted and not cook them under light.
> 
> ...


I still have the questions above. I have not been able to find a consensus. All my ladies have expired. Clean, clean, clean some more. Restart.


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## Tripp2005 (Apr 1, 2016)

The mix above didn't work ?


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## Tripp2005 (Apr 1, 2016)

Have u tryed cleaning out entire grow room/ space and all pots grow equipment including rinsing out the air ducts with a 50 50 mix of bleach and water I mean every thing in around shampooing rugs if there are any around it fuxkers spread like wildfire


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## Tripp2005 (Apr 1, 2016)

Then there the eggs that hatch around 48-72 hour s later so u have to do it twice within a three day period


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## TAngel444 (Aug 16, 2020)

Question peeps...I purchased this brand of neem oil, organic...having a few buggy issues with my outdoor grow...been seeing a few worms that look like silk worms...otherwise my baby is really healthy. Can I put my babes in the shade and how should I use the organic spray and how often? 3 week into flower...Thankx


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## My Name is Mike (Aug 16, 2020)

TAngel444 said:


> Question peeps...I purchased this brand of neem oil, organic...having a few buggy issues with my outdoor grow...been seeing a few worms that look like silk worms...otherwise my baby is really healthy. Can I put my babes in the shade and how should I use the organic spray and how often? 3 week into flower...Thankx


That won't work. You need cold pressed neem oil. That bottle is cheap marketing garbage. It doesn't contain main ingredient that makes neem oil effective against certain bugs which is azadirachtin.

To answer your other question. You have to be careful this late into flower. Spray only on leaves top and bottom. DO NOT get it on your buds. I suggest doing it lights out.


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## TAngel444 (Aug 16, 2020)

My Name is Mike said:


> That won't work. You need cold pressed neem oil. That bottle is cheap marketing garbage. It doesn't contain main ingredient that makes neem oil effective against certain bugs which is azadirachtin.
> 
> To answer your other question. You have to be careful this late into flower. Spray only on leaves top and bottom. DO NOT get it on your buds. I suggest doing it lights out.


Thank you Mike...I will order the right stuff and do it the right way....


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## OldMedUser (Aug 16, 2020)

If you are seeing worm-like critters you don't want to use neem oil. Those are caterpillars and what you want is a bacterial product called bTK that is specific for caterpillars. There is no way you can spray the leaves on your plants without getting it all over your buds and neem will make it all taste like crap. Seriously like crap and you'll ruin the hell out of your smoke. Same with most sprays so I'd rather take the damage to some than ruin everything.

The bTK won't do that and can be washed off easily. When the 'pillars eat it it wreaks havoc in their guts and they die a gruesome death. That makes it even better! lol

If you've seen any little white butterflies around those aren't butterflies, they're moths that lay their eggs on buds but mostly things like broccoli and cauliflower but I've heard they like pot buds too. We've used the bTK on our veggies and it worked really well. We spray when we start seeing some of the moths show up and as long as rain doesn't wash off the spray when the eggs hatch the young eat it and don't live long enough to do damage. The wife used fine netting over them this year so we didn't spray.

Most garden or hydro stores should have it and probably places like Walmart etc too.

Good luck!


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## SilentJay (Sep 20, 2020)

OldMedUser said:


> If you are seeing worm-like critters you don't want to use neem oil. Those are caterpillars and what you want is a bacterial product called bTK that is specific for caterpillars. There is no way you can spray the leaves on your plants without getting it all over your buds and neem will make it all taste like crap. Seriously like crap and you'll ruin the hell out of your smoke. Same with most sprays so I'd rather take the damage to some than ruin everything.
> 
> The bTK won't do that and can be washed off easily. When the 'pillars eat it it wreaks havoc in their guts and they die a gruesome death. That makes it even better! lol
> 
> ...


This guy’s right, neem isn’t going to solve your caterpillar/moth problem. Go grab yourself some Monterey BT (which stands for bacillus thuringiensis btw...BTK was a famous serial killer I’m pretty sure lol..that whole “Bind Torture Kill” thing, no?) at Lowe’s, Home Depot, or it’s like $20 on amazon. I’d do it sooner rather than later though before those things burrow themselves into your buds and start eating and shitting all up in there!


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## TerrapinBlazin (Sep 20, 2020)

Just a thought, but this thread was originally posted before spinosad became mainstream, and I suggest that anyone and everyone that doesn’t know about it look into it as an alternative to spraying neem oil on the plant. Anyway, I’ve also read that spraying neem oil on the plant is a likely culprit for cannabis induced hyperemesis, and I’ve always avoided it. I spray my plants with spinosad using a HVLP sprayer for caterpillars outside and thrips and spider mites indoors and have also tried to get nematodes established in the soil. I’m not sure how that’s worked yet, so my next step is to start amending my recycled soil with neem cake. I’ve read a lot of promising reports on that for controlling spider mites and fungus gnats, but that also won’t help with caterpillars. As the previous poster mentioned, Bt is another good one for caterpillars, but I highly recommend spinosad as a highly effective non-toxic all purpose bug blaster. It’s also good to cycle through different treatments so nothing develops a resistance to any one control measure.


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## OldMedUser (Sep 21, 2020)

TerrapinBlazin said:


> It’s also good to cycle through different treatments so nothing develops a resistance to any one control measure.


It takes many generations of exposure for bugs or disease to develop resistance to anything so that doesn't really matter. If you kill all the bugs then down the road new bugs get in the new ones will not have ever seen that spray so they would have no resistance to it. For thrips and mites I use Safer's End All insecticidal soap with 10ml/L added canola oil to suffocate the little bastards. Nothing develops resistance to suffocation, ever. lol

If you are spraying often and never get rid of the original crop of bugs then you could eventually have some that develop resistance but that would still take a long time to happen.


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## TerrapinBlazin (Sep 21, 2020)

I’m just repeating what I’ve read in several places about the resistance. I wondered if that info was accurate and I like your explanation of how it works. I’m glad that it’s not very likely to happen. I’ve only had spider mites come back again on me once and a second blast of spinosad got rid of them. Hopefully once I start adding that neem cake to my soil I won’t see them anymore period.


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## OldMedUser (Sep 21, 2020)

TerrapinBlazin said:


> I’m just repeating what I’ve read in several places about the resistance. I wondered if that info was accurate and I like your explanation of how it works. I’m glad that it’s not very likely to happen. I’ve only had spider mites come back again on me once and a second blast of spinosad got rid of them. Hopefully once I start adding that neem cake to my soil I won’t see them anymore period.


Neem cake in soil won't do squat against spider mites or thrips. It'll help with fungus gnats, root aphids or any other pest that spends part of it's life cycle in the soil but the first two do not. They live their whole existences in the canopy so plant sprays or predator bugs are needed to get rid of them. 

Most sprays don't kill the eggs from mites or thrips so a solid program of spraying every 3rd or 4th day for 4 or 5 treatments must be followed to get rid of them. Even the day after spraying eggs can hatch but it takes a few days before those ones are mature enough to lay more eggs. The higher the temp the faster they mature too. Getting every tiny bit of the plant wet with the spray is another key part. Half-assed efforts get half-assed results. lol


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## TerrapinBlazin (Sep 22, 2020)

Well it will be worth it just to get rid of those annoying fungus gnats. I read that spider mites do occasionally lay eggs on the debris on the ground so I thought they might still develop in soil, especially since I compost and recycle mine, although I dunno what they would eat since they like chlorophyll. If they don’t spend any time in the soil I wonder why there are so many predatory nematode products marketed for eliminating spider mites. I guess I got taken in by some marketing. I’d like to think I’m a quick learner but I don’t even have a solid two years of growing under my belt. It’s nice to get some straight facts. I just had my first big battle with thrips and spider mites this summer. To be honest I think I got rid of the worst of them by moving the badly affected plants outside for a cold snap and leaving them out there.


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## OldMedUser (Sep 22, 2020)

TerrapinBlazin said:


> Well it will be worth it just to get rid of those annoying fungus gnats. I read that spider mites do occasionally lay eggs on the debris on the ground so I thought they might still develop in soil, especially since I compost and recycle mine, although I dunno what they would eat since they like chlorophyll. If they don’t spend any time in the soil I wonder why there are so many predatory nematode products marketed for eliminating spider mites. I guess I got taken in by some marketing. I’d like to think I’m a quick learner but I don’t even have a solid two years of growing under my belt. It’s nice to get some straight facts. I just had my first big battle with thrips and spider mites this summer. To be honest I think I got rid of the worst of them by moving the badly affected plants outside for a cold snap and leaving them out there.


For sure some mites and thrips will end up in the soil but they'll right away be trying to find their way back up into the canopy. Thrips jump when startled and likely end up all over. It's not part of their life cycle tho so soil treatments aren't effective against them like they are for things like fungus gnats. Gnats, mites and other pests are often in bags of soil brought home from the store too so should always be kept far away from the grow room or will just keep re-populating your plants.

When the weather turns cold mites hibernate usually in leaf litter etc so would for sure be down in the soil then too. When I finished up the last harvest I had mites in I kept any plants out of the grow room and set the heater for 75F and left it for a month. That way the mites stayed active and in less than a couple weeks were all likely dead but I didn't need the space so gave it a whole month. Any eggs would have hatched and the new ones quickly die off of thirst and starvation. Their screams of agony warmed my cold, cold heart. 

Fun fact: When mites are preparing to hibernate they turn red. I was seeing some like that as I was letting the room get really cool the last couple weeks of flowering. Googled that shit and who knew. Thought a whole new breed of mites had invaded!

Must have worked as I haven't seen a mite since and it's been over a year.


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## TerrapinBlazin (Sep 23, 2020)

Right on! All very informative. I’ve learned more about bugs in the past couple days from your posts than I did throughout my whole battle with the trips and spider mites researching shit online. Interestingly enough this all happened during the perlite shortage, when I had to buy a bag of soil from Lowe’s because all my vegging plants were rootbound and all my good soil was tied up in flowering. Right after I brought that soil in thrips showed up in my veg tent. I thought the thrips would be the end of it and then the spider mites showed up in both tents because I had flipped one of the bigger plants by that point. I bought some of those beneficial nematodes, and I don’t think they worked because I’ve had fungus gnats show up since. Spinosad has worked really well, and now I’m not as worried about having to rotate in other treatments. I’ll keep that in mind about the mites hibernating, although I haven’t seen any mites or thrips in either tent in close to a month.


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