That is good and all, but the question being addressed was if I spray azamax/azatrol/neem on plants at very short intervals will it hurt my plants. The reproductive life cycle of the two spotted spider mite is very quick in indoor growing environments due to high temperature, low humidity, and no predators as well as the perfect host plant that is usually chalked full of fertilizer.
Yes, neem is very safe and it works under certain circumstance (like on outdoor vegetable gardens and on indoor houseplants not under HID lighting). I have applied thousands of gallons of diluted neem on organic farms and from the experience of being caked in it, I can safely say it is non toxic to humans at high dosages. But, yeah it smells and tastes terrible (especially if you mix it with a fermented nettle tea!).
ANYWAY, to address this issue. Neem oil is infact an oil that doesn't wash off the plants readily, as it repels water. It kills spider mites by suffocating them mainly, it also has alkaloids in it like azadirachtin (aka azamax/trol) in very small amounts. You apply said oil to the bottoms of leaves b/c this is where spider mites reside. On the bottom of plant leaves there are something called stoma. Stoma are essentially how plants "breath". Air exchange is a necessary part of transpiration and therefore photosynthesis. When you coat the stoma with oil over and over again they get clogged and the most vital process of the plant shuts down. No sugar. No Growth. And if you have a 1000 watts shining down on them, they have no way to cool down and burn. This is why as rule of thumb you never spry when HIDs are on. Also, I've seen a bulb explode because it got hit with neem.
neem is not great for powdery mildew. It is also used in combination with other remedies, which tend to work as well without the neem in my opinion. Yes, people fight foot fungus with neem. Yes, on some neem msds they do claim a mild antifungal property, but it is an insecticide. The efficacy of neem oil is no better than baking soda, which should be your base line for what works on pm or mild mold problems.
mm
No it does not kill by suffocation, it effects their central nervous systems. They are beyond confused not low on air !!!
If ur leaves are clogged maybe use a much lighter mix and don't forget to use a small drop of bio washing soap to cut it as oil and water don't mix
Extracted from a Neem website:-
Some gardeners question the usefulness of neem insecticide.
They sprayed neem oil, and did not see an immediate effect. They probably did not understand how neem oil affects insects.
Neem oil does work, but the way it works is different from other insecticides. Neem is not an instant, knock down, kill everything pesticide.
Neem oil affects insects in many different, ingenious and subtle ways.
How neem oil messes with the insects' brains and bodies
Neem oil has many complex active ingredients. Rather than being simple poisons, those ingredients are similar to the hormones that insects produce. Insects take up the neem oil ingredients just like natural hormones.
Neem enters the system and blocks the real hormones from working properly. Insects "forget" to eat, to mate, or they stop laying eggs. Some forget that they can fly. If eggs are produced they don't hatch, or the larvae don't moult.
Obviously insects that are too confused to eat or breed will not survive. The population eventually plummets, and they disappear. The cycle is broken.
How precisely it works is difficult for scientists to find out. There are too many different active substances in neem oil, and every insect species reacts differently to neem insecticide.
Neem oil does not hurt beneficial insects. Only chewing and sucking insects are affected. It is certainly fascinating.
Like real hormones, neem oil insecticide works at very low concentrations, in the parts per million range.
A little neem oil goes a long way.
But this is not something that happens over night. People
spray neem oil as insecticide, and expect everything to die instantly, because that's what they are used to from chemical poisons. When that does not happen they conclude neem insecticide does not work.
It does work! Give it time to work. It's a much smarter way to deal with insect pests than to just kill everything.
For more clear information on how Neem truly works please see the link below:-
http://www.discoverneem.com/neem-oil-insecticide.html
