How To Use Neem Oil On Plants

If you’re interested in an organic solution for problems with your garden and houseplants, you may want to consider neem oil. “This botanical pesticide is used as an insecticide, which is most effective on immature insects,” says Barbara Smith, consumer horticulture extension agent at theHome & Garden Information Center at Clemson University. “It does have some fungicidal benefits for diseases such as powdery mildew.”

However, just because a product is organic doesn’t mean it is somehow inherently “safer” than other pesticides or can be used freely in the garden. “Neem is very popular, but there are some downsides,” says Susan Mulvihill, author ofThe Vegetable Garden Pest Handbook andThe Vegetable Garden Problem Solver Handbook. “The most serious concern is that it’s toxic to pollinators and beneficial insects, so you should only use it when pollinators aren’t active in the area.”

• Barbara Smith is a consumer horticulture extension agent at the Home & Garden Information Center at Clemson University.
• Susan Mulvihill is the author of The Vegetable Garden Pest Handbook and The Vegetable Garden Problem Solver Handbook.
  

Ahead, here’s what else you need to know about how to use neem oil on plants:

Neem oil is extracted from the seeds of neem trees (Azadirachta indica), which are native to India. Pure neem oil contains chemical compounds with insecticidal and fungicidal properties. When processed, the resulting product is calledclarified hydrophobic extract of neem oil.

Neem oil is used as an insecticide to control common plant pests, including aphids, cabbage loopers, cabbage worms, Colorado potato beetles, cutworms, flea beetles, squash bugs, spider mites, thrips, tomato hornworms, and whiteflies.

Neem