Does neem oil kill soil mites, is a question to ask about and consider the use if you have a mite population in your garden, and they are out of control. These mites may be beneficial insects, but their increased population can disturb you and your plants.
There are so many ways to get rid of soil mites; thankfully, neem oil is one popular method that you can use. Learn how to kill those mites with neem by reading this article.
Contents
How To Kill Soil Mites With Neem Oil
To kill soil mites with neem oil, dilute and emulsify pure neem with soap or any emulsifier of your choice and then spray the product on infested areas and plants. Consistently use the product until your plants and garden are free from mites and other pests.
Surely, neem oil kills soil mites, and the use of neem is widespread in controlling plant pests such as mites. Mites have an exoskeleton that is easily penetrated and destroyed when exposed to this oil. You don’t need other expensive products when you have neem.
1. Get Pure Neem
Pure neem is what you need to get rid of the mites in your garden. Surely, you will dilute the neem. However, the product will lose its potency if it is already diluted, which is why getting the pure one is better, as the more concentrated your neem is, the more effective it will be. When you go to a local store, ensure you get only products with 100 percent neem.
To ensure your neem is fully concentrated and original, consider making it by yourself. You can make the oil by using the seeds, especially the Azadirachta indica tree leaves. Use the cold-press method, as cold-pressed neem is usually more effective than others, and when you get your neem, move on to the next step.
2. Get an Insecticidal Soap or Any Emulsifier
Soap will act as an emulsifier for your neem, and an emulsifier is any product you use to mix neem and water easily. Remember that water does not mix easily with oil. With an emulsifier, you can dilute your concentrated oil with some water.
There are so many types of emulsifiers for neem. You can even buy neem emulsifiers in stores near you. However, a very cheap yet effective product is soap. It can be any type of soap or detergent. This emulsifier also doubles as a mite killer, making your neem more effective.
3. Dilute the Neem
When you get everything that you need, dilute the neem, and note that the mites are very easy to kill with this oil, so you don’t need a high concentration of the product. Mixing two tablespoons of neem with one liter of water can give you the results that you need.
This ratio is optimal, as it will kill the pests while keeping your plants safe from the heat of neem. Pour the neem and water into a spray bottle to make your work easier. With this container, you can easily shake and mix the product and use it immediately.
Some precautions you should follow when killing mites are keeping your pets away from your garden so that the neem does not harm them, wearing protective clothing, and testing the product on a plant. Before you apply neem oil in your garden, ensure you stick to the precautions.
4. Prepare to Emulsify
Emulsifying neem simply means adding and mixing the emulsifier, and one of the right tools that you can have is using soap as the right agent. If you want a fully organic neem product, consider using organic emulsifiers such as one of the different types of starch; however, these products don’t double as pest killers.
If you used one tablespoon of neem, pour in one tablespoon of emulsifier. The amount of emulsifier you use should be half, or slightly more than the amount of neem you use. But in this case, you must remember that the volume of water, which should be one liter, as it stays constant. If you use two liters, double the amount of other products you use.
When you pour everything into the container, close the lid and shake them well together. They should mix within a minute. You are good to go as soon as you get your finished neem product.
5. Search for Plants or Areas With Mites
The type of mite you are looking for determines where you should search for them. In this case, you are looking for soil mites, and you can easily find them in organic nutrient-rich areas. They also love slightly damp areas where you will find them as tiny white spots. However, these mites usually don’t come alone.
On the leaves of your plants, you may also notice webs, discolored leaves, or even visible mites. These are typically spider mites, which can be white, yellow, or red. When searching for places with soil mites, also search for spider mites and mark every area you find them.
6. Test Your Product
Don’t just start spraying your garden or plants with the neem, if you produce a non-effective product that isn’t causing distress or burn to your plant, you might save your time spraying the plants. You might also harm your plants, especially with high neem concentrations. Before you spray every plant with soil or spider mites, select one plant and use it for testing.
Your preferred plant should be one with pests in the surrounding soil. Also, it should have some pests on its leaves if possible, and in this case, mites, as it will be tested to see the extent of the spray’s strength. Spray your product on the leaves of the plants and then pour some into the ground as well, and wait for 24 hours.
If the pests either die or flee and the plant looks okay, your neem is effective and safe for the plant. However, if there are still pests, you need a higher concentration of neem. If the plant has burnt leaves, you need a lower concentration of neem, and mix it with some more water.
7. Spray Every Region and Plant
After getting the best neem product for your garden, it is time to start attacking the soil and spider mites present in your garden. Spray every plant and region with pests. So long as you have already marked every plant and place with pests, you can easily know where to spray. Well, nothing stops you from spraying every plant in your garden.
Ensure that you concentrate on places with pests. If you spray plants, spray more of the oil on the bottom side of the leaves, as mites attack the bottom of leaves more than the top. Also, spray the root region of your plants.
Do note that the advantage of using neem oil is that every mite in your garden will disappear without a trace when you use the products. However, they are mostly organic and can harm your plants if you don’t use them well. Ensure that you stick to the instructions when spraying them.
8. Reapply the Neem
You still need to finish using your neem oil spray for your garden, and there will surely be some stubborn mites that will hide or refuse to leave. Consistently spraying your garden or doing a soil drench will kill these mites so that you can have a mite-free garden. Use your neem solution daily for a few weeks until you are sure that you no longer have mites in your garden.
You can tell that your garden is mite-free when you don’t see any mites in the places you marked earlier. Also, you will notice that the underside of your plant leaves is pest-free. Some organic products such as garlic, cinnamon, and diatomaceous earth have mite-repelling properties, but they won’t kill them.
Though these products may not be as effective as neem oil in killing mites, they will help control the pest population in your garden. The advantage of most organic products is that they repel every type of pest and not just mites in your garden.
9. Continue Monitoring Your Garden
You have to prevent soil pests from entering your garden by continually monitoring the garden. Keep your soil dry and free from dirt so the pests do not return. When you get new plants, isolate them for a while and don’t plant them in your garden if they come with pests such as mites. You can also spray neem on the plants occasionally to keep them mite-free in case you missed some pests.
One common way to say bye to mites and other pests found in the soil such as fungus gnats is to replace your substrate. This pest control method is best for you if you have tried every other method to kill pests in your indoor plants but aren’t successful. When transferring your indoor plants, check them properly and ensure that they are pest-free.
To kill soil mites with other methods, you can use pesticides such as store-bought chemical pesticides or opt for organic products such as cinnamon and garlic. You can also change your potting mix, especially if the pests in your pots are totally out of control, or add some hydrogen peroxide.
Conclusion
Applying neem oil to your garden to control pests will surely be easier for you now, but before you get started, remember some valuable points from this article:
- Get pure neem for the mites, but make sure that you dilute the product with water.
- Neem oil insecticide works more effectively when you use a good emulsifier.
- Surely, neem oil works. However, ensure you use the right concentration so that it can be effective.
- Wear protective clothing when you work with neem so that you do not harm yourself.
- Other products you can use to control your mite population are chemical pesticides and organic ones such as garlic and cinnamon.
Remember to take your plant care seriously; also, don’t harm your plants by using a very high concentration of this pesticide.
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