I wrote a post a while ago about our success with our desert rose. It was being attacked by tiny black bugs who were sucking the life out of the plant. The post went up when we were in Illinois so I wasn't able to tell you what we used to combat the problem to enable the flowers to bloom again.
Now that we're home in Hawaii, I can show you the bottles of the organic bug, mite, fungus fighter we used.
And then just as we were feeling pretty proud of ourselves, our Satsuma tangerine tree started to show signs of being attacked by something. I looked online and it said I should spray it with neem oil. What the heck is neem oil?
Turns out it's a vegetable oil that is often used in organic gardening.
We went to Home Depot and talked to a knowledgeable plant person who told us to buy this Neem Oil Extract Concentrate.
We are supposed to mix 2 Tablespoons to a gallon of water and spray the leaves once a week.
I've started. We'll see.
Art was dubious. He felt the other two sprays we were using worked well enough on the bugs. However, when he checked the active ingredients he discovered it was neem oil.
So as I said before... we'll see.
POSTSCRIPT: I used the Neem Oil Extract diluted in water and it didn't kill the bugs like the other two products we bought. I'm going to try adding more neem oil soon to see if that will do the trick. I'm not feeling very confident right now.
And then just as we were feeling pretty proud of ourselves, our Satsuma tangerine tree started to show signs of being attacked by something. I looked online and it said I should spray it with neem oil. What the heck is neem oil?
Turns out it's a vegetable oil that is often used in organic gardening.
We are supposed to mix 2 Tablespoons to a gallon of water and spray the leaves once a week.
I've started. We'll see.
Art was dubious. He felt the other two sprays we were using worked well enough on the bugs. However, when he checked the active ingredients he discovered it was neem oil.
So as I said before... we'll see.
POSTSCRIPT: I used the Neem Oil Extract diluted in water and it didn't kill the bugs like the other two products we bought. I'm going to try adding more neem oil soon to see if that will do the trick. I'm not feeling very confident right now.
Someday I might become inspired to be a gardener.
ReplyDeleteI hope the neem oil works. I use it every year to battle mildew on the phlox in my garden. It smells SO good!
ReplyDeleteI also recommend you up the fertilizer schedule just a little to give the plant energy to repair. This works with my indoor citrus when they have some bugs.
ReplyDeleteOh thank you. I'll try that.
DeleteI have heard about Neem Oil but have yet to try it. Soon as the snow melts and Spring arrives, I will put it on my shopping list but maybe find something else for stem sucking critters. Let us know what works.
ReplyDeleteI feel you will be successful!
ReplyDeleteI used neem oil for the first time last year on my flower pot on the front porch. I got aphids and they actually killed the flowers before it worked. I'll be interested in your followup on this.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I'm worried about.
DeleteI use neem oil as a preventative. Sometimes plants are more demanding than dogs and cats.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean. I hope it is a preventative too.
DeleteHope it works!
ReplyDeleteDrumMajor
watch out little bugs...Kay on the loose with Neem oil spray! lol...
ReplyDeleteI think most Neem oil is imported from India. If I remember correctly, India won a law suit regarding the attempt of a international company to patent this natural product used by organic farmers. Be careful not to use the ripoff copy! Dianne
ReplyDeleteNo kidding? I don't know what we have.
DeleteAs far as bugs go in Hawaii you can keep the damage down some but you can never get rid of them completely.
ReplyDeleteWe have certainly learned that. As soon as we feel pleased with ourselves something else attacks... Or the same thing again.
DeleteI hope you win the battle. Luckily, in the UK, the bugs seem to be killed off over the winter, or go into hibernation, and then they return in full force when the weather warms up.
ReplyDeleteI think I'll have a bug metropolis out there this summer and I haven't begun to consider it. Thanks for noodging me to check into organics.
ReplyDeletewe had the strangest fungas on our thyme and rosemary plant this summer! Somewhere on line, I read to mix baking powder with water and spray 1 x a week. It actually worked! I hope you find a way to save your plants too!
ReplyDeleteI wish you the best of luck and I will be interested in what you think of the neem oil. I've never heard of it either.
ReplyDeleteThose stinkin' bugs can cause alot of damage, can't they? This past year, something got hold of all of our Autumn Joy Sedum and damaged them BIGTIME. We have it all over the yard and whatever got it ---got to ALL of it. I'm not sure it will come back next year. I cut it all back--so we shall see... I sprayed ours too... This plant is usually VERY hardy and we've had it in our yard for about 10 years.... Who knows???!!!!!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas.
Hugs,
Betsy
We get some kind of black aphid like creatures all over young shoots. Drives us crazy.
DeleteI suppose an "organic" product wouldn't be as effective as a pesticide
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your bugs. Ours have all frozen to death.
ReplyDeleteThat was one of the nice things about Chicago.
DeleteI've been using neem oil. It comes from the neem tree. My stuff is to be diluted 40:1. I just ordered a bottle of this stuff. I use it for the lily beetles. Good luck with all this! They also suggest dish soap, 40:1 dilution.
ReplyDelete