| Don't use neem for mealies. Neem has some down sides, not to mention that you have to have 100% coverage, which is going to mean a lot of the mixture, as the mealies have been known to live inside open mixes like bark and S/H and live on the roots. It will be much better for you to use a systemic like Bayer Advanced Rose & Flower, the ready mixed stuff, or the B. A. Tree & Shrub, which you will have to figure out how much to use to give you the same concentration of imidacloprid that is in the Rose and Flower. OK, I see I have 2 Tablespoons per gal in my records. Use a couple of treatments a week or so apart, just to be sure you are rid of the mealies completely.
Neem can cause mottled foliage. I don't know why, but I have been operating on the assumption that it lowers the defense of the plant against fungal infection, so I have been using systemic fungicides with it. So far I haven't seen any mottled foliage, but I will need more time to ascertain if this is really working to prevent mottling. The neem should be reserved for mites which systemics don't work on.
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Cynthia
Prescott Orchid Society  |