Well this sounds very interesting. I would like to know more about it. Do you think it would work for bugs on plants too or is it too strong for the plants. What about mosquitoes? Do you dilute it with water? If so how much. And what is TPP? Don't recognize that acronym.

Thanks
Judy

Ill-Mannered Ache swears by NEEM oil, but I can't remember where he says he gets it. He uses it for a lot of things, I believe, so I hope he sees this post. He can give you info that might be helpful!

Ill...are ya out there?

Marcia

You can get neem oil at the Lowes for about $15.00, I think it was (8oz?). You can use it on the plants safely mixed with water but I personally can't stand the smell while spraying.
Jan

since i use it as an antifeedant as well as a antifungal agent, the stuff i use has to be very high in azadirachtin, which 'they' believe is the most important of the various constituent chemicals. it's also cold pressed, like good olive oil, so you're getting the stuff at its primordial level. the only brand i've found with guaranteed azadirachtin is supreme neem.

you gotta love an antifungal that you can brush your teeth with, right?
i use it diluted at 1oz/g -- so a little goes a LONG WAY.

Here is a link that might be useful: supreme neem

I get it at Walmart for I think 16oz for about $13.99.
Jan, I LOVE the smell! I think it smells like oranges!

Thanks so much for all your responses. That is one of the nice things about Garden Web, somebody always has an answer!

I know neem oil works wonderfully for fleas in the yard. You can use it for other bugs but be careful if you spray in an area where you have ladybugs. Supposed to be okay for earthworms. When I googled it there were so many uses for the stuff that I am really intrigued. I have used it on orchids but fleas in the yard have always been a problem and with a new puppy I did not want anything dangerous. This stuff really works. I have just tried it on my older dog who has "hot spots."

Oh, TPP is Tropical Plant Products, sells orchid supplies in large sizes/quantities at very good prices.

Pat

Thank you Ill-mannered for the link. I'm gonna get it right now! Thank you Pat for the idea to use it on hot spots on your dog. I have an outdoor cat with that problem and I never would have thought of trying it for that. I have some worms denuding my potato plants that I am going to try it on. The lemon soap I use didn't seem to get them and they're so small it is hard to find them on the plants. I have used neem before for my gums. I put it on my floss. I just didn't think of it for the garden.

I've been using neem for a few years- I'm crazy about it! I think Lowe's has got the best price- especially if you come by a 10% coupon for your haul. :-)

Naomi

10% coupon? Naomi, how do you get those. I have never seen one.

If you sign up online on Lowes.com or homedepot.com to receive their newsletters via snail mail they will send you a ton of coupons in the mail. Often they send 10% off of your entire purchase (sale and clearance items included!), but more often they send $10 off of a $25 purchase (even better!). All the major hardware chains- Lowes, HD, Ace- accept competitor's coupons so you can use them wherever you'd like. Here's a link for the Lowe's newsletter sign up page. I get the garden club and creative ideas- they are actually not too shabby! HTH

Naomi

Here is a link that might be useful: Lowes Newsletters

Thanks Naomi. I'm going there right now!

Atreelady: a word of caution, please do NOT use Neem Oil on your cat.

Cat's have extreme levels of chemical sensitivity to items that can be toxic and even fatal.

Dogs and cats have very different chemistry and sensitivity levels, ie: things that won't harm a dog -- will kill a cat.

Please do not try Neem on your cat unless your vet advises it. You may permanently harm or kill kitty in trying to help.

In fact, your outdoor cat sounds like he/she has a flea allergy - not hot spot.

Hi Pat!
Haven't seen you posting for a while. Hope all is well. Can we see a picture of the new puppy?
Kate

Thanks Saintpfla for the warning. Yes my Cat's problem is a little different than hot spots. I was just trying to be brief. She pulls her fur out to get at the fleas. Her skin is fine. During the winter when the fleas died down, she let her fur grow back but the fleas are bothering her again. I will do more research on the internet before I try any neem on her. I was thinking of spraying a very diluted solution.

I have white fly problem on miniature roses (customer's). I have NEVER seen whitefly on roses! I remember a friend telling me that neem worked well getting rid of whitefly on some other plants.

I was wondering what kind of neem was better/worse because i had heard that all neem oil was not created equal.

about smell- I use something called Wipe Out (like Organocide) made of fish oil...now that stinks!

I'm sure some neems are better quality than others- makes sense. The only brand I have ever used is Green Light and I've had great success with it. That's the brand you can buy @ Lowe's. Last year I got white flies all over one of my standard Lakeviews which I thought was weird- guess you never know where they'll show. One neem treatment and they were gone.

Organicide- PUKE! LOL I use it only when I have to- it smells soooooo bad. Yuck. I guess when you've used it you really come to appreciate the sweet smell of neeem. haha One of my best friends and I were chatting last year about horrible smelling garden products and she swore that the rankest smell known to the human species is a bottle of BT gone bad- may I never come to find out!!!!! ;-)

Naomi

Hi Kate,

I am doing fine, just hibernating througout the winter like my plants. If you want to see my puppy who can check out the link below.

Take care, PaT

Here is a link that might be useful:

TO ATREELADY-amazon sells "richards synergy neem oil for cats and dogs" it's neem and nothing else.i use 1 drop on the back of neck of my 3 cats for 1yr they are all alive.my one cat cuddles had raised welps oozing pus leasions from the flea.she pulled all her hind fur out,lost weight,near death.the 1drop of neem once a month worked instantly,she purred the first day as i rubbed a mixture of veg oil and few drops neem, mixed in bottle,into the "hot spots" cuddles today has plush flea free fur and lesion free skin. and all 3 cats are alive. cont.....

i also feed them "life abundance" cat food $16 for 6lb bag last 3 cats 1mth.it's concentrated food,they get wet food @$23 FOR 24 CANS,I SPLIT ONE CAN BETWEEN 3 cats every other day.go to "shirley's wellness cafe" this is wear i get all my info,on natural cures for people and animals.i only use a vet for things i can't cure naturally and for spay/neuter.

Sheerbar thank you for the information. I like your method for using neem - it is easy. I will try it next time.

I did decide to use neem and it works. I got it from Golden Harvest Organics and asked them what formula to use for a cat. This is what they said "For cats you want to mix the neem as follows: Mix 1/4 ounce neem oil with 1 quart of warm water. You will need to keep the mix agitated so the oil and water stay mixed. Lightly spray the cat while ruffling her fur to get the mixture close to her skin but avoid spraying her face. It is best to follow this treatment with a good brushing. If she won't let you spray her then wet a cloth or cotton glove with the neem mix and rub it over her coat and then brush. The glove method has worked pretty well for one of my cats that is feral. He gets "feisty" and a bath is not possible. Depending on how your cat tolerates it you might try doing a small section of her fur at a time until she becomes more used to it. Once she gets some relief from the fleas she should start accepting the treatment better." My feral cat didn't like the spray but was fine with me putting neem on my hand and then rubbing it in her fur.