24 Amazing Benefits and Uses of Neem Oil for Plants

24 AMAZING BENEFITS AND USES OF NEEM OIL FOR PLANTS

When searching for a safe and effective product to control insects and disease in your lawn and garden, look no further than neem oil. It’s a powerful organic solution to your most difficult-to-manage infestations.

What is neem oil? Neem oil is a natural byproduct of the neem tree. The oil is harvested from the trees’ seeds and leaves. While it has been used as natural pesticide for hundreds of years, you’ll also find it in many products you use in your home, including:

• Cosmetics • Toothpastes • Dog shampoo • Soaps

People in India have been using the neem leaf for its medicinal properties for thousands of years to help:

With all of its benefits, neem oil is probably best known for its use as a safe and effective insecticide. Let’s take a look at the some of the top neem oil benefits and uses in the garden.

1. IT’S SAFE TO USE AROUND PETS AND WILDLIFE.

Synthetic pesticides that work on contact often build up in the surrounding environment, leaving toxic residue behind that can harm and even kill pets and other animals in the area.

Neem oil, on the other hand, is biodegradable and non-toxic. It’s safe for birds, pets, fish, livestock or other area wildlife when used. Safer® Brand’s neem pesticide products also degrade quickly during rainfall and under ultraviolet rays.

2. IT’S ORGANIC AND BIODEGRADABLE.

Neem oil is a natural derivative of the neem tree (Azadirachta indica), an evergreen variety native to India. This makes it organic and biodegradable. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency has found neem oil to have “…no unreasonable adverse effects,” making it safe for the U.S. population and the environment.

Neem Oil benefits © 2020 Growing Clivias for Beginners To extract neem oil, the tree seeds are crushed. Then water or a solvent is added to finish the process. Neem oil can have different active chemicals depending on how it is processed. Some products are made from cold- pressed neem seeds or by further processing the neem oil.

3. IT DOESN’T CREATE “DEATH ZONES” AS OTHER INSECTICIDES CAN.

Neem oil insecticide does not create a dead zone around treated plants, trees or shrubs like other synthetic insecticides can. It only targets leaf-sucking and chewing insects.

Synthetic pesticides creep away from the sprayed areas to create “death zones” that can kill beneficial insects as well as other animals.

4. YOU CAN USE IT TO CONTROL INSECTS AT ALL STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT.

Neem oil kills insects at all stages of development — adult, larvae and egg. The active chemical in neem oil, azadirachtin, gets rid of insects in a few different ways:

• As an antifeedant • As a hormone disruptor • By smothering

Azadirachtin will force the insect or pest to stop eating the leaves.

Neem Oil benefits © 2020 Growing Clivias for Beginners When insects come into contact with neem oil, it also prevents the bug from transforming into its next stage of development by disrupting regulatory hormones.

5. IT EFFECTIVELY CONTROLS HUNDREDS OF INSECTS.

Neem oil is an effective pesticide that gets rid of over 200 species of insects, not just a few. Some of the most common include:

• Aphids • Mites • Scale • Leaf hoppers • White flies • Caterpillars • Mites • Mealybugs • Thrips

6. NEEM OIL INSECTICIDES ARE EFFECTIVE AT CONTROLLING NEMATODES.

Nematodes are difficult to control and can be very destructive to plants. Certain extracts from neem kernels have shown to provide good control over root-knot nematodes — one of the most destructive kinds. Neem oil works by preventing larvae from hatching.

7. BENEFICIAL EARTHWORMS WON’T BE HARMED.

While traditional chemical pesticides can harm earthworms, neem oil has the opposite effect by encouraging earthworm activity.

Why is this important? Earthworms are beneficial to garden soil. As they tunnel though the dirt, they create pathways that allow air and rainwater to reach plant roots. These little guys also leave behind excrement, known as casts, that contain nutrients for the soil, including potassium, nitrogen and phosphorous. When earthworms die, their decaying bodies also help fertilize the soil

8. IT CAN BE USED AS A DORMANT-SEASON APPLICATION OR A FOLIAR SPRAY.

Since neem oil can kill insects at varying stages, you can use it as a dormant-season application to kill overwinter pests and eggs or as a foliar spray to repel and kill insects.

Use neem oil as a dormant oil spray to control a number of insects, including:

• Tent caterpillars, leaf rollers and other caterpillar eggs that remain on plant leaves during winter • Aphids that cause leaf curling the following spring • Mites that overwinter on plant leaves • Scale insects

• Aphids • Spider mites • Whiteflies • Leafhoppers

9. YOU CAN CONTROL LAWN GRUBS WITH NEEM OIL.

Lawn grubs are the larval stage of Japanese beetles, and they can be very destructive to your lawn. They tunnel under turf and nibble on grass roots. You’ll notice large brown or bare spots in areas of high grub activity.

Neem oil also works to control Japanese beetles by preventing them from laying eggs that become destructive larvae. It also inhibits grub growth and repels them from the grass roots. For best results, spray the lawn with neem oil at night and reapply after rainfall.

10. NEEM CAKES DOUBLE AS A GOOD FERTILIZER AND AN EFFECTIVE PESTICIDE.

A neem cake is made from organic manure, a byproduct of cold-pressed neem fruit and kernels. Neem cakes are extra special because they act as both a pesticide and a fertilizer.

They fertilize the soil by extending the availability of nitrogen and help control nematodes, white ants, and grubs.

11. YOU CAN SAFELY USE IT ON YOUR INDOOR PLANTS.

One of the worst feelings is seeing your indoor plants overrun with aphids. Neem oil is safe to use indoors to prevent pests and disease. Just spray the leaves to kill pests without having the worry of harming your kids or household pets.

12. IT’S SAFE FOR GREENHOUSE USE.

The conditions in a greenhouse provide the perfect environment for mites, aphids, scale insects and whiteflies. Don’t give these pests a chance! Use Safer® Brand’s neem oil products to prevent these insects from destroying your plants.

13. NEEM OIL IS A GREAT FUNGICIDE.

You can use neem oil to prevent or even kill fungus on your plants. Use neem oil for powdery mildew and other common fungal diseases, including:

To prevent fungi, spray susceptible plants every seven to 14 days until the fungus is no longer a threat. To kill fungi, spray plants once a week until the fungi clears up, and then spray every two weeks to keep it from coming back.

14. IT ALSO WORKS AS A BACTERICIDE.

Neem oil can kill fire blight, a bacterial disease that causes the leaves of plants to wilt and appear as though they have been burned.

To prevent fire blight, you must spray trees while dormant. The bacterium that causes fire blight cankers overwinter on branches, twigs and trunks of trees.

15. NEEM OIL CAN PROTECT YOUR FRUIT TREES AND BERRY BUSHES.

Whether you have an orchard or just a few fruit trees in your backyard, you can control the pests that ruin your crop with neem oil. Apple trees are often plagued with worms, the two most common being the coddling moth and the meal worm. These pests enter the apples and make them unfit to eat.

Neem Oil benefits © 2020 Growing Clivias for Beginners To keep your fruit trees and berry bushes insect free, spray your plants and trees early — before blossoming, then again when the petals drop, and every two weeks after to control these pests.

Common fruit-tree insect that neem oil will protect against include:

• Wooly apply aphids • Rose leafhoppers • Tarnished plant bug • Leafhoppers

Berries are often plagued by powdery mildew and other fungal diseases that can be treated with neem oil, including:

• Fire blight • Verticillium wilt • Orange rust

16. PROTECT YOUR VEGGIES FROM PESTS AND FUNGUS.

Neem oil has a dual purpose in the vegetable garden as both a pesticide and a fungicide. It works on arthropod pests that often eat your vegetables, including tomato hornworms, corn earworm, aphids and whiteflies.

In addition, neem oil also controls common fungi that grow on vegetable plants, including:

• Mildews • Rusts • Leaf spots • Wilts • Stem rots

If you want to use neem oil on vegetable plants, spray them in the evening and again in the morning. Spraying at these times helps ensure you are not causing any harm to beneficial insects, such as bees, that help pollinate vegetable plants.

17. NEEM OIL CAN PROTECT YOUR NUT TREES AND OTHER ORNAMENTAL TREES.

Fall webworms, similar to tent caterpillars, are common pests of numerous nut trees, such as walnut and pecan trees. These pests can ruin the leaves, fruits and nuts of host trees. Fall webworms build silky nests in the crotches of tree branches. In order to eliminate worms and caterpillars on trees, the neem oil must come in contact with the pest when you spray it.

18. NEEM OIL KEEPS THE MOSQUITOS AWAY.

It’s nice to know that what you’re spraying on your plants to protect them from pests, viruses and fungus can also keep your gardening time mosquito free. While neem oil insecticides shouldn’t be applied to your skin because of inert ingredients, you could apply straight neem oil if you wanted to.

19. IT CAN PROTECT YOUR HERBS.

The same pests and fungi that plague your vegetable garden can also attack your herbs. These pests include:

You can spray neem oil on herbs, just as you do other plants. Some herbs may be tenderer than others, especially those with fuzzy or hairy leaves, so spray a small area first to make sure they can tolerate the neem oil.

20. IT COMES IN A VARIETY OF FORMULAS.

Neem oil comes in a variety of formulas and concentrations, so you can find the one best suited for your needs. Neem oil is sometimes mixed with insecticidal soap to help boost the neem oil’s pest-killing power. You can also find neem products in other forms, including:

• Wettable powders • Granules • Dust • Emulsifiable concentrates

21. INSECTS DON’T BECOME RESISTANT TO NEEM OIL.

Neem Oil benefits © 2020 Growing Clivias for Beginners Insects do not become immune to neem oil pesticides, as they can with other types of pesticides. This means that neem oil remains effective, even after repeated applications.

22. IT DOESN’T POLLUTE WATER.

Because neem oil is biodegradable and non-toxic, it will not pollute ground water or cause toxic runoff into streams and nearby bodies of water. You can use it with total peace of mind.

23. EASY TO APPLY AND CAN BE USED UP UNTIL THE DAY OF HARVEST.

No matter what concentration of neem oil you use, all you need to do is mix it with water and spray it directly on plant leaves. Follow the label’s directions to make sure you are mixing the right proportions of oil and water.

Many pesticides can’t be used during certain stages of plant growth; however, neem oil can be used throughout the planting season up until the day you harvest so your plants are never without protection.

24. NEEM OIL USED APPROPRIATELY WON’T HARM BEES, BUTTERFLIES AND LADYBUGS.

Neem Oil benefits © 2020 Growing Clivias for Beginners Pollinators are becoming rare. Chemical pesticides inhibit the bees’ ability to gather food, which ultimately leads to their death. However, neem oil when used in smaller quantities won’t harm medium to large hives or the honeybees so you can keep your pollinators and plants alive.

Since neem oil only targets bugs who chew on leaves, neem oil insecticides are safe to use around butterflies, ladybugs, and most other beneficial insects.

NEEM OIL FOR PLANTS: PRODUCTS TO GET THE JOB DONE - USA

While simple neem oil has many benefits outside of just protecting your garden, in order to give your plant, the best chance of keeping pests away, healing from disease and preventing fungus we’ve formulated two different organic neem oil insecticide products.

• Safer® Brand Garden Defense Concentrate with Neem Oil contains clarified hydrophobic extract of neem oil that makes a more effective product with a longer shelf life and less phytotoxicity compared to crude neem oil. • Safer® Brand End ALL™ With Neem Oil RTU is a ready-to-use 1-gallon product that treats up to 700 square feet. • Safer® Brand BioNEEM® Insecticide with Neem Oil Concentrate is perfect for protecting your ornamental plants, shrubs and flowers. • Safer® Brand Neem Oil Concentrate creates up to 16 gallons of Neem Oil spray, allowing you to tackle fungus, mites and insects. • Safer® Brand Neem Oil RTU spray is a fungicide, miticide and insecticide that requires no premixing, just spray it on the plants you want to protect.

To start taking advantage of all the benefits of neem oil for plants, browse the neem oil products from Safer® Brand and choose the best one for your gardening needs.

NEEM OIL FOR PLANTS: PRODUCTS TO GET THE JOB DONE – South Africa

BIONEEM

ACTIVE INGREDIENTS : min 1500ppm AZADIRACHTIN (AJAY BIOTECH)

The key insecticidal ingredient found in the neem tree is AZADIRACHTIN, a naturally occurring substance that belongs to an organic molecule class called tetranortriterpenoids.

Neem Oil benefits © 2020 Growing Clivias for Beginners It is structurally similar to insect hormones called ‘ecdysones’ which control the process of metamorphosis as the insects pass from larva to pupa to adult. Metamorphosis requires the careful synchrony of many hormones and other physiological changes to be successful, and azadirachtin is an ‘ecdysone blocker’. It blocks the insect’s production and release of these vital hormones. Insects then will not moult, thus breaking their life cycle. Azadirachtin also serves as a feeding deterrent for some insects. Depending on the stage of life cycle, insect death may not occur for several days. However, upon ingestion of minute quantities, insects become quiescent and stop feeding. Residual insecticidal activity is evident for up to seven days or longer, depending on insects and application rate. Bioneem is used to control a wide range of insects (up to 200 insect types) including white flies, leaf miners, mealybug, thrips, fruit flies, leaf hopper, red spider mite, weevils and many more. Azadirachtin is relatively harmless to insects that pollinate crops and trees, such as butterflies, spiders and bees; ladybugs that consume aphids; and wasps that act as a parasite on various crop pests. This is because neem products must be ingested to be effective. Thus, insects that feed on plant tissue succumb, while those that feed on nectar or other insects rarely contact significant concentrations of neem products. Acute toxicity study of Bioneem to the Earthworm LC50 > 3000 mg / kg. Acute oral toxicity study of Bioneem to mice LD50 – 5650 mg / kg. Neem products are recognised in organic guidelines by IFOAM. Bioneem has been found to be compatible with most commonly used fungicides, insecticides and fertilizers. Physical compatibility should first be checked out. (Read label). Do not apply in temperatures above 30 degrees C. Bioneem is an emulsifiable concentrate.

INFORMATION

APPLICATION RATES: vary between 300 ml – 500 ml per 100 L water, depending on the growth stage of plant and insect pressure.

PACKAGING: 250ml, 500ml, 5ℓ, 10ℓ, 25ℓ containers.

REGISTRATION: RSA Registration # L 6958 Act 36 / 1947 Certified organic by Ecocert

NEEM OIL FOR PLANTS: PRODUCTS TO GET THE JOB DONE – Australia

Neem Plant Spray - Concentrated 250ml, 1L, 5L & 20L

Our Concentrated Neem Plant Spray contains pure Neem Seed Oil which has been cold pressed, along with an Australian Certified Organic wetting agent. Ideal for using on commercial crops, home gardens with lawns, shrubs, ornamental plants, vegie beds, hydroponics, etc., as well as organic and non-organic growers. Can be applied (diluted) on its own or with other liquid fertilisers, can improve growth of crops and be used as a plant food. Traditional uses indicate this product is non-toxic to humans, animals, birds, bees & earthworms. Neem has a rich organic odour and has many beneficial uses. Traditional uses indicate Neem is non-toxic to humans, animals, birds, bees & earthworms. Neem oil contains natural organic Sulphur, proteins, vitamins, glycerines, and various beneficial trace elements. Ideal for use on ornamentals, flowers, vegetable gardens , fruit trees and for the commercial grower. Neem is an organic formulation suitable for managing a broad range of chewing and sucking insects including caterpillars, curl grubs, thrips, grasshoppers, aphids, scale, mites, lawn armyworm, citrus leaf minor, whitefly, two- spotted mite, mealybugs and fungus gnats in soil. It is ideal for sooty mould. Our Neem Plant Spray Concentrate contains cold pressed Neem Seed Oil and a certified organic wetting agent. Together they have excellent ‘sticker’ abilities. Mix with water at a rate of between 100 to 1 (10ml to 1 litre water) and 200 to 1 depending on requirements. Spray to cover all parts of the plant. One Litre equates to approx 100- 200 litres of spray. Between 1 1/2 - 2 litres of concentrated spray to 1 hectare is recommended. Spraying should be repeated 7 days after initial spraying and as necessary thereafter. It can be applied on its own or in conjunction with other liquid products to improve growth of crops and as a plant food.

References

USA - https://www.saferbrand.com/articles/benefits-uses-neem-oil-for-plants

South Africa - https://biogrow.co.za/products/bioneem/