Hey everyone at the DGC hope all is growin well. I recently had some problems with aphids (not a huge infestation just want to keep it under control) in my grow i was wondering if you can water in neem oil instead of using it as a foliage spray? The bottle of neem oil I have says it can be watered in but when I google it a lot of people are saying not to but then there are some people that say go for it and they’ve never had problems doing it. My plants are 3 weeks into flower and starting to bulk up so any help is great. Thanks for all you guys do looking forward to interacting more with the crew!
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I recommend NOT using oil products in the soil. Oils can kinda “clog up the soil” and can have a detrimental effect on soil texture. If you do it once or twice its probably not a huge deal, but its definitely not something I would recommend or do on a regular basis.
If you want to do a neem soil drench, its a lot better to use a refined neem product like Azamax. Azamax is basically the same thing as neem oil but with a lot of the oily part refined out. This makes it a lot better for soil use.
For foliar neem applications, neem oil is best because the oil helps coat the leaves and will actually smother bugs. When used as a foliar, the oil actually provides a lot of benefits.
For soil neem applications, use refined neem products like azamax. That way you get most of the same active ingredients, but without the oily stuff clogging up the soil.
Another thing to consider… Rove beetles! Rove beetles are great predators that will roam the soil and fuck up any aphids or other baddies hiding in there. Probably not compatible with neem drenches though, so I would choose one path or the other, not both.
I had root aphids once. I put plants on saucers and bottom watered with the neem drench. Turned out fine but I can see it going another way also…. I used Monterey once a year. I was still in veg.