Bayer 3 in 1, neem oil - are you supposed to wash this stuff off?

8 years ago

I've been reading through these forums trying to gather as much info as I can on insect sprays, but it seems every time someone asks whether or not to wash the spray off or leave it, the thread dies and the question is never answered! ;P So can someone tell me, are we supposed to leave the spray on or rinse it? If yes to rinsing, how soon after you spray? I just bought the Bayer 3 in 1 to (hopefully) eradicate the scale on my bonsai and jade tree :( I plan on covering the soil with plastic wrap so the spray doesn't absorb into the soil. But should I rinse it off, or no?

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Nicholas C.

8 years ago

I also keep my plants outside, but what I've been told is whenever you treat a plant, with alcohol, insecticide or fungucide, then you should rinse it after (not positive on how long, maybe 15 minutes) and move it out of direct sunlight for a while. Then slowly introduce it back to full sun after a few days.

Again more confirmation would be helpful especially if I've missed anything.

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Comments (6)

Crenda 10A SW FL
8 years ago
Hi, Carolyn! I want to start by saying that my plants are all outside, some planted in the ground.

I have also treated my plants infected with scale with Bayer 3-in-1. However, I use it as a drench rather than spraying on the plant. My guess is that if spraying on the plant it should be washed off after a reasonable amount of time, especially if it is in the sun. I'm guessing, but here's why -

I treated this Kalanchoe luciae for scale with a drench. Unfortunately, I also splashed the mix on the lower leaves. You can see how those leaves look burned. The plant is fine and will outgrow the damaged leaves, but it looks crummy right now.

I have no experience with Neem. Hopefully someone else who has used these products on indoor plants will show up and advise you.

Good luck! I hate scale.
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Clio, Did the problem begin when the cold snap happened in your area? Maybe it was just a little too chilly for their tastes. If they are gathered close on your balcony and a fungal problem began, it will spread more quickly when they're close together. I lived for a long time in the Sonoma County area, and Pelargoniums tolerate the chilly nights there and seemingly endless winter rain with little problem. Maybe your plants believed they would always be warm and cozy in LA, and are mad about this winter's nasty weather. You folks really got nailed! Be sure to remove any sign of the fungal problem as soon as you see it, including any foliage that falls onto the soil of the pots & anything with new spots (because they might shed spores). If you can, maybe changing the spray time to early morning would help. Try to move them farther apart for a while, too. Hope this helps.
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is it ok to spray a plant with neem oil, and then Bayer the next day?
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I guess it all depends on how much water your schefflera can safely take right now. I would wait until it needs a good watering to apply the Bayer systemic if that's what you're going to do, since you'll need to water it in or apply in a pre mix solution. Neem and the systemic work differently, so I don't see a problem with using both approaches as long as the soil isn't overly saturated for too long by the treatments. Neem also makes the plant more susceptible to sun burn, so keep that in mind. There will be many generations of aphids on your plant from egg-juvenile-adult, as well as below soil level. Unless you completely saturate the plant and the soil with neem, it won't knock them all out with a single application. Even then, I'm not certain that neem will kill unhatched eggs. And it definitely won't prevent new infestations from happening. I'm not a huge fan of systemic pesticides because they also kill beneficial insects (as does neem), but they are necessary at times to save a plant. A cotton swab dipped in an alcohol solution (or hand sanitizer) will make quick work of those aphids that are visible until you can treat with a systemic. Keep in mind that many systemics come with added fertilizers (designed for shrubs and roses)- which your bonsai may not react well to in its pre-fab concentration. There are a few without fertilizer, I would suggest one of those instead and continue with your own fertilization schedule. I've never used a systemic on smaller plants, just shrubs and roses and a very large copse of prickly pear- all badly infected with various scale insects. I do plan to apply systemic treatment to a potted crested opuntia (almost impossible to manually clean) with scale soon, but am waiting until it shows a spring break of dormancy first, when a soil drench of systemic pesticide solution will be possible. Until then, I'm manually removing the scale as I can once a week to keep things under control. I'm also keeping it separate from other plants to prevent spread of infection. I've found that aphids are often symbiotically socialized with ants that 'farm' them for their honeydew and aggressively protect them from predators. The ants will protect the aphids, almost like shepherds with sheep. Spraying off aphids will eliminate some, but I've also witnessed ants tenderly carrying aphids back to the plant from the soil. It's very sweet, but obnoxious.
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but the plant is currently outside, where he wants to keep it until the mealybug situation is resolved. putting that bayer stuff on the plant while outside is part of the problem. thankfully, he seems to want to avoid doing that. i don't know if that 30 day estimation is correct. some of those products last 12 months, according to the label on the actual bayer package label AND the product name. 30 days or not, the plant still might have to come inside to avoid exposing pollinators to that rough insecticide - and that may be before the bugs and their eggs, are dead. i say repot and THOROUGHLY clean. he'd probably need to cut some of the plant as well.
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rooftopbklyn (zone 7a)
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
I regularly treat all my indoor plants with neem now, and so far haven't had any infestations.

I recently started using a commercial formulation ("azatrol" is what I've been using, "azamax" is another very similar product) which already contains an emulsifier and it dissolves much nicer in water than pure cold pressed neem (and smells a whole lot less).

I haven't been rinsing afterwards. I spray somewhere between every other week and every other month if there's no signs of problems, and I only treat the foliage. Have not seen any ill effects, though sometimes a few leaves may end up a bit shinier than others.

When I was mixing my own neem based solution from alcohol, soap, and cold pressed neem, it was much oilier and I did find myself washing them off the next day with plain water, as shiny residue was often apparent on foliage and stems. Perhaps it wasn't harmful, but I didn't like it.

Never seen leaf damage like that shown above using neem, though my main uses of it have been on leafy tropicals (ficus, croton, dracaena) and a few succulents, though none with fuzzy leafs - adenium and jade primarily. Testing is definitely recommended. I never saw damage like that with bayer either (I only ever sprayed foliage when using it, never drenched...) but if I had, I would be concerned about what it would do to the roots.

Daniel
Plantspace (5a)
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Hmm I would suggest first taking a paintbrush and some first aid alcohol and dish soap and brushing the scale like twice a day and see if that knocks them off. If your problem is more widespread then time to get more aggressive. I suggest testing on a plant you're not so sure of, or on a specific side/section before spraying the entire plant just to make sure you dont run into any problems! Also since you mentioned specializing in bonsai, def check out the bonsai part of the forum here, and I believe there is a major one on reddit as well. They will know if certain types of trees can or cannot handle that insecticide and its best doses.

Rooftop, was meaning to ask you what is your ratios w/ the neem:alcohol:soap mix? I should probably make one and keep it on the side, it'll be handy and serve as a preventative, hopefully.
Crenda 10A SW FL
8 years ago
The above plant was sprayed in early September with Bayer. We were still in the mid-90s, still getting some heavy rain interspersed with sunny dry spells. And the plants were not well. Maybe the sun and spray damaged the leaves. Maybe the spray damaged the protective farina. The Bayer has not damaged any of my tropicals, Then again, you can hardly kill a ficus or croton down here. LOL

As an FYI, here is where I was first advised to drench to treat the scale -

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/3348062/what-the-heck-is-going-on-with-k-luciae?n=10

There are some good links on that thread for treating scale and other pests.
ryan wittner
2 years ago
Take paintbrush 🖌 like mentioned before with some hydrogen peroxide mixed with water 1/3 and brush both sides of leaves

Bayer 3 in 1, neem oil - are you supposed to wash this stuff off?

Nicholas C.

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Crenda 10A SW FL

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