I had a problem earlier in the year with greenfly, everywere , loads of it, i used the natural one from the garden center and it worked well but not for long, after doing some reading on the net i found neem oil , it works realy well , smells a bit like garlic but works better, anything that goes near it stops eating or breeding and generaly just sits still and dies, things fly away the other way and dont land
I use 1 spoon of neem oil, a drop of dishwash liquid in a drop of hot water and shake it up, then fill up to a litre , just spray everything with it

I have recently started using some pesticide bought in from the usa to control caterpillers (dipel), they are my main problem , i bought one to do leafminer as well , just in case

For most things the neem oil works, even snails and slugs

Hi Danny...Actually, I spray the mix mentioned as a preventative and/or insectide. Especially during winter. Living in Il homes get dry and air stale, which attracts pests. So, once every two to three weeks I spray all plants (except fuzzy leaf) to prevent insect attack.
So far so good, and no chemcials..
Give it a try..
Do you recall what the main ingredient was in the insecticide you bought? Toni

the active ingredient is a pyrethrin or something like that, said it comes from another type of plant? the calamondin seems happy enough after treatment, plenty of new growth (well, from all my citrus actually, they seem to be exploding with life at the same time!)

what is the recipe for your repellent/treatment? how much of each ingredient did you use? i have the garlic and some citrus fruits, will have to invest in some cayenne :D

quick question. i have trawled through a load of citrus forums on the web, and every other post (the ones not asking about leaf drop, yellow leaves or dropping fruit) are related to the potting medium. when i first got my lemon and my first calamondin, all i knew was that they needed free draining potting mix. so i cant remember what compost i used, just bog standard i think, with a heap of perlite. they seem happy enough for it, but in the spring do you think it might be worth repotting in a mix of bark chips, course sand and eraceous compost? or just leave them to plod along as they are?

Hi Danny,
Here's the mix, but honestly, accept for Fish Emulsion, I don't measure..so amounts are approximate. It doesnt' matter if you use more, ingredients won't harm plants.
Preventative/insecticide for scale:
1 capful of Fish Emulsion in a 16 oz mister of water.
2-4 drops of dishsoap, (not Dawn)
1/4-1/2 teaspoon of finely chopped garlic and citrus rind.
There may be a problem with the mister so instead of using rind and garlic, you can use lemon/lime juice and garlic juice.
I also started added sprinkled Cayenne Pepper.

For other insects or to use as a preventative..use everything above minus Fish Emulsion. Though, a little FE won't harm your plants, as long as they're in a bright window.
IMO, fertilizing plants during winter is out..From Nov-Feb. But, it depends where one lives..Ppl who reside in Fl, Ca, etc, can fertilize without harm. I've read and researched ferilizing in cold climates, during winter. If one adds fertilizers when days are gray, (for long periods) a plant will grow but stems are spindly. It's up to the grower..we have ways of growing plants..You know?

If Neem works for you, continue using..Danny, I'm not telling anyone to use this recepie..I just posted because this is what works for me, and has more than 20 yrs. Except for the Cayenne which I just started using.
Ironically, after I posted about Cayenne Pepper, a nursery started selling an insecticide with pepper..LOL..I should have started my own organic insecticide long ago, maybe I'd be a millionarie..LOL

Some ppl are now using soil-less mediums..They vow it works. it probably does, but it requires frequent watering and possibly more ferilizer since there's no nutrients in soil less mixes. Don't quote me, Danny.. :) I dont have time to water more than I do now, not with 300+ plants.
I use, All Purpose soil, Perlite, Sand, (Not beach) Sphagnum Peat Moss, and toss in a little orchid bark. It's well-draining, and the all purpose soil contains nutrients.
Some people have their own soilless mix recepie, so you may want to follow theirs.

BTw, if you're wondering how I grate rind/garlic..I bought a small, one sided grater at the dollar store..Grate rind and garlic together, then add to mix. Don't grate on paper towel, lol..use a board or table..
Good luck, and keep us posted..Toni