Milk spray works against fungal infections on plants because of the lactobacillus and other types of cultures in it. Dunno about pasteurised milk, but adding some yogurt to the milky make the spray out of would probably ensure or increase its efficacy. I once used just "micro filtered" milk mixed with water and it worked. For the cypress tree disease in Italy, Neem oil (be sure to get the one made for mixing with water) mixed with Marseille soap, sprayed with a big agricultural sprayer, on the tree, and the trunk and on the ground around the tree, when the temperatures won't rise above 30 degrees centigrade, used with magnesium sulphate (Epsom salts)--a few heaping soup spoonsful scattered on the ground around each tree twice a year, or a stronger magnesium solution poured on the ground if the tree is really pale and wan, along with watering weakest trees in periods of drought helps. It is important to also prune allthe dead branches out and to take off any damage at the tip of the tree. The trees can grow back if there is even one good branch left, it will form a new tree. You need to spray in the weather which puts them most at risk, hot humid weather when it rains in the summer--it is tricky to time it properly. Be sure not to plant anything against the trunk that would hold water on the trunk, as it can cause the trunk to rot and kill the tree. I have the idea of trying using the natural mineral fertiliser fulvic acid around the trees at the beginning of summer. The magnesium sulphate makes the trees visibly greener. Neem oil seems to be more than a fungicide and insecticide, it seems to nourish the trees too. Another possibility for the fungal diseases is Effective Microorganisms (EM). The magnesium sulphate furnishes the central mineral that they need to use to make chlorophyl which should help them fight the disease by raising their metabolism. These things should help combat fungal disease on roses too.

Keepitlow: What's the objective here? Are you trying to use neem as a dormant oil spray? That would be a pretty expensive, as well as ineffective way to obtain dormant protection, since neem is a very light, thin oil. If you want to dormant spray trees, use a paraffin based oil spray of the traditional type. And what fruit tree are we talking about here? Apples can benefit from dormant oils (aphids, mites, scale insects etc.), and pears (pear psylla), but stone fruit often need protection against leaf curl and/or bacterial diseases. So please tell us how you are using your neem oil, and what you really want to achieve. I used pure, cold-pressed neem oil on my pome and stone fruits as a growing season spray for two consecutive years some time ago. Results were dismal. And this stuff is expensive. As far as I could tell, using neem oil delivered the same results as not using neem oil, which is to say it had no apparent beneficial effects whatsoever. I reached the conclusion that neem oil is more about marketing than insect or disease control. Specialized "organic" pest control firms will sell you just about anything if you will send them the money. That's what it's really about. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

It is supposedly "for organic gardening" as a pesticide, fungicide and miticide. I just went and looked again, and there is no OMRI seal, so I need to pay MUCH better attention to labels if I want to try to stay organic with things like this. I'd prefer to not use anything at all, but growing just for the bugs is impractical. The information that I found online may not be accurate, but I believe it is, since it is the MSDS for the actual product, and an EPA document. Thanks for the further reading. I'm an information junkie :) It looks like the section of your link headed "Neem oil products " confirms that the azerawhateva stuff is removed from those types of products. Now for some more research to find out if that is really the active ingredient. Thanks again

I hadn't heard of Neem meal until your post, so I looked it up. Apparently, Neem Seed Meal is what's left of the seed after the extraction of oil. Therefore, it shouldn't burn like the Neem oil does. Down to Earth says the meal "is an excellent way to strengthen root systems, improve plant immunity and balance nutrient levels in the soil". According to reviews, the downside is cost compared to other seed meals and an unpleasant Neem smell. But perhaps the benefits are great. I hope you report back on how it does for you. I'm especially interested if you think it helps with insect resistance. I might give it a try.