by Nirmala Srinivasan
(Bangalore, Karnataka, India)
Cold Pressed Neem Oil that has Solidified
I found your article on using neem as a fungicide and insecticide very very useful.
I have a fairly large garden infested with mealy bugs and leaf cutting insects. At first I used a commercial neem preparation called Vijayneem available in shops but did not know that it could be used once in three or four days when the infestation is severe.
Where I live I can get pure neem oil. How do I make it miscible in water so I can spray it?
I added a little bit of hand washing liquid. But my sprayer was coated with semi solidified neem oil. How many ml of neem oil should I add to one liter of water? If adding soap, how much should I add? How often can I safely spray a highly infested plant?
All in all after reading your article I know I can have all the butterflies and birds back in my garden thank you.
Nirmala Srinivasan
**************************************************
Nirmala, it is wonderful to see that you are going the organic route, and care about the butterflies and birds in your garden!
With regards to using 100% cold pressed neem oil for spraying can be tricky, as you have found out. It is viscous and will stick to your equipment if you don't use it correctly.
I use a tank sprayer with a pump action, which I prefer to a hand sprayer. However, that doesn't mean to say that you cannot use a hand sprayer, whichever you use, you just have to be very careful in the mixing process.
Sharing is a way of saying, "Thanks!"