Everyone keeps saying that neem oil is the best thing to use during veg. I live on the east coast and the past couple of weeks the temps have been in the upper 90s and a few times have hit 100, and that is before the heat index. I have mixed neem oil at different recommended strengths. The last time I mixed it at the weakest recommended amount to prevent infestations and Dawn dish soap, still, I have new burns. And the lowest recommended strength is not stopping the bugs from munching my plants either. So now I have new burns and new bug damage. I always spray at dusk, and early night. I think it's just too hot for oil right now. I also have indoor plants. Both indoor and outdoor plants are in the same super soil, sprayed with neem oil, and only the outside ones are burning. That is why I believe it's a combo of the oil and sun.
I need to know of a good, oil-free pesticide!
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seaofgreen18
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Howdy! My man, don't use dawn use something like ivory a mild soap is Best and maybe cut the amount of the oil in half but do it more frequently I don't believe the heat has anything to do with it but the sun definitely would and if you are doing it at dusk you should be good I shake off the plant as i spray to get off the excess 
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I mixed it so weak last time it didn't even prevent the bugs. I have tried with and without soap. I still end up with burned leaves. Can it be too much direct sunlight?Howdy! My man, don't use dawn use something like ivory a mild soap is Best and maybe cut the amount of the oil in half but do it more frequently I don't believe the heat has anything to do with it but the sun definitely would and if you are doing it at dusk you should be good I shake off the plant as i spray to get off the excess
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The spray instructions on the neem oil say not to spray in temps over 90 and high humidity to avoid potential leaf burn. When I spray in the evenings the temp is below 90 but the humidity is always high this time of year. I read on Wiki-How to spray, wait a few hours, then rinse. But this is for an infestation......which I can see how that could work....leave it long enough to kill the pest then rinse. But I need a preventative and I am unsure if rinsing it off after a few hours would work as a preventative measure.
seaofgreen18
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Well it takes a couple days or a week or so the larvae get killed off and If its @ dusk you should be ok plus if you have soil bugs like thrips you'll need a drench but I used 1/2 oz of oil and a tsp of Ivory soap with a gallon of water in a sprayer just before dark like you and i always shook off the excess i use Karanja oil if i do use a surfactant I used to use neem but the soap just helps imulsify the oil so it incorporates (mixes) with water otherwise the oil suffocates the bugs thats why i say use less oil Ditch the Dawn soap and use ivory or baby shampoo and do it more frequently also maybe try beneficial insects i try to promote the beneficial insect habitat in the area Best i can
seaofgreen18
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My garden with beneficial insects around i spray Very rarely if i am spraying its for pm and bud rot but mostly pm but i think that helps keep them clean
seaofgreen18
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I have been saying for a least a week now I was going to the nursery to get companion plants but still haven't made it. I want to transplant them into larger containers and plant something to attract beneficial insects and help with oil production. At this point, I am scared to transplant them. I don't know how much more stress they can take. They are bare from leaves burning, I didn't prune them that way (not intentionally anyway.....I remove the leaves that are dead or are going to die). I did order bug netting with UV protection....should be here in 3 days. If nobody comes up with a good oil-free solution I will try your method!Well it takes a couple days or a week or so the larvae get killed off and If its @ dusk you should be ok plus if you have soil bugs like thrips you'll need a drench but I used 1/2 oz of oil and a tsp of Ivory soap with a gallon of water in a sprayer just before dark like you and i always shook off the excess i use Karanja oil if i do use a surfactant I used to use neem but the soap just helps imulsify the oil so it incorporates (mixes) with water otherwise the oil suffocates the bugs thats why i say use less oil Ditch the Dawn soap and use ivory or baby shampoo and do it more frequently also maybe try beneficial insects i try to promote the beneficial insect habitat in the area Best i can
seaofgreen18
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Got a photo?
Heat alone will burn the leaves so that's a possibility. And neem should not be mixed with anything unless it says to on the label (which I've never seen). I have seen folks burn plants with neem and soap so try straight neem on a single branch (mine is 2 Tbs/gallon) close to sunset and see how it fares the next day.
Another option for pests would be spinosad (Monterey brand out here in CA). It's only recommended for 6x per growing season but it will work in flower without oil.
And there's Safer insect soap spray (not 3 in 1) which is spray on and rinse off after it dries.
seaofgreen18
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The first couple of times I used just neem oil. Several people said to add Dawn so I tried it. I also have Safer Insecticidal soap, which also burned them....however, I did not rinse after I applied it. I just checked the instructions on the label, it doesn't say anything about rinsing. I also did not rinse after applying the neem oil. Is that what I am doing wrong?
Heat alone will burn the leaves so that's a possibility. And neem should not be mixed with anything unless it says to on the label (which I've never seen). I have seen folks burn plants with neem and soap so try straight neem on a single branch (mine is 2 Tbs/gallon) close to sunset and see how it fares the next day.
Another option for pests would be spinosad (Monterey brand out here in CA). It's only recommended for 6x per growing season but it will work in flower without oil.
And there's Safer insect soap spray (not 3 in 1) which is spray on and rinse off after it dries.
I have not tried spinosad. I know it is not allowed in commercial growing in a few states including my own. I figured there has to be a good reason why it's not allowed so I didn't look into it further. Do you happen to know why it's not allowed for commercial use? If it's something a home-grower doesn't need to worry about I will try it.
Neem shouldn't be rinsed but Safers only works when it's wet, so it's better not to let it accumulate on the leaves over time.
Safer only mentions rinsing in their pdf instructions that I've seen, and only for certain plants, but I do it to be on the safe side since it's not effective dry anyway.
It also says "Avoid application when temperature exceeds 90°F."
What pests do you have? I don't see bite marks, only burns. On really hot days here (in the 90s) I move mine into the shade.
I don't know why it's not allowed for commercial use, but can you buy it in your state? I save it for flower since I won't use neem on pistils, but I also wash my harvests to clean them of everything from sprays to dust to bugs to dog fur!
seaofgreen18
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I never rinsed but if that's what the directions say i just used a lower amount of oil with the baby shampoo or ivory like i said the soap if for imulsification oil and water doesn't mix so the soap os what helps mix it in the water and myself i wouldn't use if it the commercial grower's dy but im sure you could in a home grow depends on what you are comfortable with
None of my commercial pest sprays need a surfactant added. That would be neem, spinosad, safers, or BT. The only thing I add surfactant to is homemade ones like citric acid or canola oil (as an emulsifier). I use yucca powder or Br Bronners unscented castile soap. Definitely stay clear of Dawn as it's made with a small amount of petroleum.
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Yup, BT is for caterpillars but I haven't mixed it with anything else when I use it. Caterpillars will destroy a plant faster than aphids or thrips so I will spray BT and not use anything else for 3 or 4 days and then get the little bugs with something else.
Spinosad works on caterpillars and aphids/mites/thrips so that's another consideration.
Spinosad works on caterpillars and aphids/mites/thrips so that's another consideration.
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I don't because they never hang around! Sometimes I'll see ladybugs on my plants but I don't rely on them for pest control. 
seaofgreen18
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If theres food around theyll stay around
