Today I want to talk to you about Neem oil , a natural pesticide with unique characteristics that distinguish it from any other chemical or natural product on the market today.
Neem oil can be used for many different purposes, but since there are so many things to say, I decided to dedicate this article exclusively to its use in agriculture .
Neem oil against insects and parasites
Searching for natural , safe, non-toxic insecticides for the environment and for humans, which really work, can become a very difficult task.
Most of these remedies have limited effectiveness, so many people lose patience and return to using chemicals.
Fortunately, however, there is Neem oil!
Neem oil is a natural pesticide whose effectiveness is comparable, if not superior, to that of many chemical insecticides .
What is Neem oil?
It is a vegetable oil extracted from the seeds of Azadirachta indica , a plant native to India and Southeast Asia.
This oil has an unpleasant smell, so it is not used in the kitchen , however it is a harmless product for humans, animals and the environment in general and is perfect for those who intend to pursue a type of organic farming. and biodynamic .
What makes it so special?
The reason that the Neem oil is effective in the fight against pests, insects, fleas, ticks and company, is the presence of a group of substances called limonoids of which the most important active ingredient is the ‘ Azadirachtina A .
These substances work by blocking the development of insects in the juvenile stages .
In particular, Azadirachtina A interferes with the hormonal system of insects, causing a chitin inhibitory effect based on the blockade of ecdysone.
This causes changes in the moult in many insect species. These do not allow the larva or nymph to form the external cuticle.
Precisely for this reason, neem oil is especially effective on young specimens, at the beginning of their life cycle .
However, Neem oil is also effective on insects and adult parasites, since it also acts as a repellent and phagodeterrent . Basically, through a natural mechanism, if applied to the plant, Neem oil strongly limits the attraction for insects.
Its action occurs both by ingestion and by contact and has a high systemic capacity on plants, ie it remains present in the lymphatic system and therefore carries out its action over time (from 5 to 7 days).
Furthermore, in some insect species, it reduces the fecundity of adult females and therefore slows down the reproduction cycle.
Finally, Neem oil also has antimicrobial and antifungal properties , so it is also effective on powdery mildew , a plant disease caused by a fungus, commonly known as “white sickness”.
Now do you understand why it is so effective? 🙂
Against which parasites is it effective?
There are so many insects and parasites of vegetable, fruit or garden plants on which Neem oil is effective. This efficacy is superior if used against parasites in the larval state, but it is still useful also on adult parasites, since it will always carry out its repellent action.
These are the main parasites that Neem oil is effective on:
- Black aphids;
- White fly;
- Mealybugs;
- Diptera;
- Lepidoptera;
- Hymenoptera;
- Orthoptera;
- Nematodes;
- Thrips such as Frankiniella occidentalis;
- Beetles such as the potato beetle and the beet altica;
- Grasshoppers.
It is also an excellent repellent for mosquitoes, fleas and ticks and in the event of a bite from one of these insects, it can be applied to the skin to take advantage of its anti-inflammatory action. You just need to be able to resist its unpleasant smell.
If used at low concentrations (I’ll explain how soon) it is completely harmless to bees! So you can rest assured, Neem oil won’t kill our honey-producing friends!
How to use Neem oil on plants
Neem oil is never used pure on plants !
Instead, it should be diluted with water , but since it is an oil, it is not a very simple operation. In fact, oils cannot be dissolved in water, so it will be necessary to add an emulsifier.
I hear on some forums and magazines that you have to use dish soap. Being a chemical stuff, I strongly advise against it!
Instead, I recommend using the very common Marseille soap . Marseille soap has the ability to make Neem oil water-soluble, also favoring the adhesion of the sprayed solution on the plants and therefore improving its effect.
The correct dosage depends on the use you want to make of it: which insect you want to hit, if it is for preventive purposes or to resolve an ongoing infestation. On average, 6-7 drops of Neem oil are enough for 1 liter of water . In any case, you must not go beyond 2% dilution . To dilute it best you need to use lukewarm water, in which it dissolves better, and remember to add a few flakes of Marseille soap.
The liquid thus obtained can be sprayed using a practical spray directly on the leaves and other parts of the plant infested with parasites, and you can also spray it on the earth to favor its absorption by the roots.
It is an operation that should never be done in broad daylight, but always in the evening, possibly after sunset . The product should never be used during the day, as Neem oil is very sensitive to heat and, if exposed to direct sunlight, it can lose most of its properties, thus not being effective.
This operation must be repeated for at least three or four consecutive evenings before you can see the first results. Finally, remember that before each application always remember to shake the liquid well, so as to favor the emulsion of neem oil with water.
Where to buy Neem oil
As I said at the beginning of the article, Neem oil is obtained from an Asian plant, so you will not find products of Italian origin on the market.
Since we are talking about an imported product , you will always have to make sure that it is a pure and organic product .
In order to guarantee the end customer maximum results, we are committed every day to ensure that all our products comply with these quality standards, in line with the products we produce on site in our campaigns.
And I can assure you that the Neem oil we have chosen for you is undoubtedly one of the best on the market, 100% pure and organic.
If you intend to buy it, you can order it from here: Neem oil, 100 ml
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NB : All information published on this site is informative and should not be considered as advice, or medical prescriptions, or other.