neem oil on pygmies?

[theyellowdart]

I just discovered some nasty little fungus gnat larvae chewing away my pygmies and was wondering if it's ok to use neem oil on them and/or if it will have any adverse affects.

I bought some today (good timing, huh) and mixed a relatively weak solution for my sarrs at about 5:00 PM. Is it still good if I use it now?

Thanks for any help

Matt

 

[theyellowdart]

Wow, i just removed a HUGE fungus gnat larvae.
Hopefully there aren't any more... that one tore up my plant pretty badly.

 

[CPlantaholic]

no harmful effects at all, even if given a waaaaaay to strong concentration of neem.

 

[theyellowdart]

Ah, thanks man. I really appreciate it. Will that hold true for just about any cp? I may just douse the whole terrarium. lol

Also, I've been reading that a small amount of dish soap is necessary when mixing the solution, however the instructions that came with mine didn't say anything about it. Should I add some?

 

[CPlantaholic]

yep, i use it on my Cephs and Darlingtonia as well.

i never add any dish soap...wasn't on my instructions. seems like it would cause a lot more trouble with foam and such.

 

[theyellowdart]

Thank you!

 

[DaveN]

I've used neem on pygmies to control various pests on the plants at one time or another with no ill effects. I typically apply it very liberally- to the point of drenching the soil, which kills all of the springtails living in the pots as well. Since they were also living in the soil of other pots that were not sprayed, it did not take long for them to return. I imagine the same would hold true for fungus gnats, so you would just have to be thorough and spray all of your pots, or their demise would be temporary. I've never had a problem with either- many end up being food for my plants. I've used neem on all of my plants, and other than my wife complaining about how terrible she thinks it smells, have had no problems with it.
-Dave

 

[seedjar]

I've heard that some formulations of Neem don't agree with Sarracenia, but I think it's some solvent in the mixture and not the Neem oil itself. I would proceed with caution until you know whatever brand you bought is safe.
~Joe

 

[theyellowdart]

Thanks guys.

Seedjar, I bought the "Green Light" brand which I've heard of other people on here using. I'll do some research on exactly how safe it is and what cp's people have applied it too.
Thanks for the warning.

Edit: A quick search found that this is the same brand CPplantaholic is using. It must be ok.

 

[seedjar]

Yeah, that one sounds familiar. I should go pick some up myself... I've let my yard get a little overgrown and the aphids seem to swarm whenever I don't cut the grass regularly.
~Joe