Help Please. Outdoor Plant In Danger Of Something? Help Identify Please.

[Bulldog11]

Spinosad is great also. Not nearly as much rules as the neem either.

Just mix the amount stated on the bottle and spray. I don't think it matters if you spray during the day or not, but to be safe I would spray in indirect light. Clean up is much easier also.

If you alternate sprays during veg, neem week one, spinosad week two ext. then your really on top of things organically. Outdoors you can spread that to every 7-10 days. This will keep 100% of all easy to kill bugs at bay. It will help prevent the nastier bugs from an outbreak as well.

I find neem to be more cost effective. The Spinosad I can't find a product with a higher concentration. The product I use is 2oz per gallon.

 

[Myco]

Anybody else want to throw some advice in?

Yup!

I'd have to respectfully disagree with what you consider to be the best way to apply neem... just a friendly tip!

If you first mix your neem oil with silica aka Protekt aka potassium silicate, there's no need for extreme mechanical mixing such as using a mud mixer. Silica works as a perfect emulsifier when mixing neem oil with water. Mix your neem oil and silica anywhere between a 1:1 and 2:1 ratio, though I use 2:1 so I'm not giving a massive dose of Protekt.

When you mix neem and silica together, it creates a yellow/milky substance which will readily dissolve in water, even better in room temperature to tepid water. Stir it up.

Add a wetting agent such as yucca for most efficient coverage. Stir it up.

Battabing. Now not only are you applying neem oil by the most efficient means, but you also will be giving a nice dose of K-silicate to further protect plant health, increase vigor and resistance to heat/stress.

Happy gardening! :D

 

[Bulldog11]

Pretty sure I said that about yucca. Also, I would still use a mud mixer every time. If your not, your neem isn't as effective as it could be. Even with potassium silicate, which in my opinion is just another cost. Also, watch out as potassium silicate can be added to a lot of products because it's a great emulsifier, so be careful of that.

Potassium silicate also has other advantages:
Potassium silicate is an active ingredient to be used as a fungicide, insecticide and miticide. Potassium silicate will be used as a broad spectrum, preventative fungicide with optimum control obtained when used under a scheduled preventative spray program. Potassium silicate also provides suppression of mites, whiteflies, and other insects. It is approved for use on agricultural crops, fruits, nuts, vines, turf and ornamentals.

Great advice though Myco.

 

[Myco]

I know you said that about yucca @Bulldog11 - my point in also mentioning it was that you still need a wetting agent using the method I described, and yucca is great.

I disagree about the need for a mudmixer... but hey, it's not like you can over-mix the shit, so have at it! Have you ever mixed neem oil using silica? It dissolves very well into water. It's a night and day difference compared to trying to mix neem oil directly into water.

Just another cost? Protekt can be had for about $35/gallon, which is about $0.27/oz - or about $0.13 per 15ml dose when used with full strength neem at 1oz/gallon.

Or you could pick up some powdered Agsil16h, which equates to like $5-8 per "gallon" of liquid silica. You'd be at like... pennies per dose.

I've seen people talk about using blenders, mud-mixer with a drill, shaking the living fuck out of it, etc etc so I wanted to let people know there is a MUCH easier way.

And yep silica has its own great benefits. As far as being careful about other products using it as an emulsifier, I'd be surprised if you can really OVERdose silica, reasonably speaking of course. I apply it with pretty much every watering at 1-2ml/gal, and as a foliar with neem at the dosage mentioned above once a week or so (when I'm on top of things)...

Party on :cigar:

 

[Bulldog11]

Another good post Myco.

Maybe I should have phrased it more as a question...... Do you think the silica does a better job emulsifying than a mud mixer will?

I have tried the silica in neem, and to be honest, I didn't think it was much more effective. However, your point about silica being cheap is a very good point. Not really a big cost, and as we both stated, silica has other uses.

Either way, myco makes a great point that it's much easier to create an emulsified neem mixture with silica. Emulsifying your neem is a must.

 

[caregiverken]

Agsil 16 ftw ;)

 

[caregiverken]

Pretty sure I said that about yucca. Also, I would still use a mud mixer every time. If your not, your neem isn't as effective as it could be. Even with potassium silicate, which in my opinion is just another cost. Also, watch out as potassium silicate can be added to a lot of products because it's a great emulsifier, so be careful of that.

Potassium silicate also has other advantages:
Potassium silicate is an active ingredient to be used as a fungicide, insecticide and miticide. Potassium silicate will be used as a broad spectrum, preventative fungicide with optimum control obtained when used under a scheduled preventative spray program. Potassium silicate also provides suppression of mites, whiteflies, and other insects. It is approved for use on agricultural crops, fruits, nuts, vines, turf and ornamentals.

Great advice though Myco.

Great info about potassium silicate I never knew it was an insecticide and a fungicide I just finished useing up my pound of agsil. Gotta get more!
it's 9 bucks a pound at buildasoil

 

[Bulldog11]

it's 9 bucks a pound at buildasoil

Wow, really? That really is dirt cheap. I am about to make another order from BuildaSoil, thanks for the heads up.

 

[plumsmooth]

mix your neem oil with silica aka Protekt aka potassium silicate

Considering that Potassium Silicate products vary in concentration -- I have Armor SI -- could you give me a further mathematical reference please. Thanks for your time...