Homemade Neem Spray Recipe
Pests happen. It's just a part of houseplant parenthood. Luckily, when found early, you can rid common bugs (and even certain diseases) quickly while keeping future issues at bay.
The most common indoor plant pests include: mealybugs, spider mites, thrips, aphids, whiteflies, scale, and fungus gnats. While none of these insects present terrible issues in early stages, they can become a problem for your plant as the colony progresses.
The go-to, cure-all, insecticidal, and fungicidal spray is one that you can make at home using a measured blend of neem oil, castile soap, and water. It is simple, natural, eco-friendly, and multi-use– so you’ll feel safe using it indoors and your plants will be safe from unwanted visitors and harm (excluding Sluggs, of course).
First things first, make sure you have your ingredients. That includes: quality cold-pressed neem oil (100% pure grade); quality liquid castile soap, and water (use distilled if your plants are sensitive to your tap).
Feel free to use a spray bottle (recommended) or just dip into the solution out of a bowl.
- 1 teaspoon of neem oil
- ¼ teaspoon of castile soap
- 1 litre of lukewarm water
Mix the ingredients together and it’s ready for use! Make sure to shake the spray bottle or mix up the ingredients each time as the natural ingredients will separate.