Neem oil contains an active ingredient azadirachtin which acts as a mind disturbance agent for many insect pests. This makes the insects forget to eat and do other multiplication activities. This active ingredient also prevents the insects from reaching their reproductive stage which makes their colonies die out. Neem oil as a pesticide does not affect earthworms and beneficial insect pollinators like bees and butterflies and controls more than 200 species of harmful insect pests and soil fungi.
Neem oil use
To get the best out of the neem oil, you need to use it in the most appropriate manner.
The first mistake that people make is that they use neem oil as a treatment agent when the plant is already affected by insect pests and fungi. It works best when used as a preventative measure.
Many farmers use medically prepared neem oil and try to make it water soluble by using an emulsifier like liquid soap instead of using agriculture base neem oil. In this method, it’s hard to measure the right quantities of neem oil and liquid soap and as a result, the plants also get damaged.
Using neem oil spray when the sun has risen and the temperature is high is another mistake farmers make. This makes the neem oil to damage your plants.
Neem oil preparation
To prepare neem oil for use, prepare a required amount of clean water, and measure 2.5ml of neem oil per liter of water otherwise, it will damage your plants.
Mix the neem oil properly with the water and spray it on the plants.
