How to Use Neem Oil Spray as an Organic Insecticide

This Natural Option Is Safe for Plants and Easy to Apply

How to use neem oil

The Spruce / Adriana Sanchez

Project Overview
  • Total Time: 15 - 30 mins
  • Skill Level: Beginner
  • Estimated Cost: $6 to $30

Neem oil spray is an organic solution used as a pesticide against insects, mites, or fungi bothering your plants. It is used medicinally and in the cosmetics industry as an organic insecticide spray. Organic gardeners love that the oil is safe to use: It will not harm humans or animals, and it's safe even for most wildlife since its insecticidal properties are targeted to specific pests that damage garden plants.

You can buy commercial neem oil solutions, but they may be less potent than homemade versions. Read on to learn how to make and use a neem oil mixture against certain insects so your plants can thrive.

What is Neem Oil?

Neem oil is a naturally occurring pesticide found in seeds from the neem tree with a hundred-plus-year history of controlling pests and diseases. The active ingredient in the oil is azadirachtin, which repels and kills pests.

When to Use Neem Oil

Spray neem oil on foliage in the morning or evening when beneficial bugs are dormant and not feeding or pollinating. Avoid using the spray in the middle of the day when the sun and heat could burn the sprayed foliage. While many pesticides can only be used at certain times, you can use neem oil throughout the planting season. Neem oil is effective at any time during a season because it affects insects during all phases of their development.

Where to Use Neem Oil

Neem oil is safe for the environment. If you have a bad infestation, apply the neem oil solution to the stems, leaves (including the undersides), and soil. Microbes and light quickly break down the pesticide in soil, water, and leaves.

How Does Neem Oil Work?

According to the EPA, neem oil interferes with the normal life cycle of insects, including feeding, molting, mating, and egg-laying. Neem oil controls hundreds of pests, including whitefly, aphids (pictured below), Japanese beetles, moth larvae, scale, and spider mites. Neem oil is also listed as a miticide because it kills mites, which are not insects but are related to spiders and ticks.

Sprays containing clarified hydrophobic neem oil extract are also used as fungicides against rust, black spot, mildew, leaf spot, scab, anthracnose, blight, and botrytis. Neem oil does not harm birds or beneficial insects and soil-loving creatures, such as bees, butterflies, lady beetles, and earthworms.

aphids

The Spruce / Candace Madonna

What You'll Need

Equipment / Tools

  • Garden sprayer
  • Spray bottle (optional)
  • Protective gloves (optional)

Materials

  • 1 to 2  tablespoons neem oil, pure or raw form, cold-pressed
  • 1 gallon water
  • 1 to 2  teaspoons mild dish detergent

Instructions

  1. Mix the Detergent and Water

    Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of dish detergent to 1 gallon of warm (not hot or cold) water in your sprayer. Mix thoroughly.

    Neem oil will not readily combine with water and needs an emulsifying agent, like a mild dish detergent, to effectively mix the oil.

    Tip

    Diluted liquid soap works as a homemade garden pesticide. It also kills aphids and other soft bugs when sprayed directly on pests.

    mixing a neem oil solution

    The Spruce / Adrienne Legault

  2. Add Oil to the Detergent and Water

    Slowly pour in 1 to 2 tablespoons of neem oil after you've combined the detergent and water. Mix thoroughly.

    adding neem oil to the water mixture

    The Spruce / Adrienne Legault

    Warning

    Adding too much neem oil to your mixture may cause leaves to burn if they are in direct, harsh sunlight most of the day. Do not add any more than is called for.

  3. Spray the Solution

    Spray all plant surfaces (including tops and undersides of leaves) until completely wet and dripping. Use protective gloves to avoid any oily drips.

    spraying plants with the neem oil solution

    The Spruce / Adrienne Legault

  4. Reapply Regularly

    Apply the oil mixture every seven days. As a preventative measure, neem oil should be applied to all the plant surfaces on a seven- to 14-day schedule, according to manufacturers.

    garden sprayer
    The Spruce / Adrienne Legault

Using Neem Oil Spray on Trees

Certan trees can highly benefit from neem oil. For example, flowering dogwood trees (Cornus florida) are highly susceptible to powdery mildew. Because powdery mildew is a fungus, the fungicidal properties of neem oil can help fight this. Blue Star juniper (Juniperus squamata 'Blue Star') can succumb to infestations of spider mites. Take advantage of neem oil's miticidal properties to kill spider mites on the tree. Additionally, spraying Colorado blue spruce trees (Picea pungens) with neem oil can work as an insecticide against Cooley spruce gall adelgid and aphids.

Tips for Using Neem Oil

  • Avoid spraying new seedlings with neem oil, or they could also burn.
  • Make small batches of neem oil spray the same day you intend to use it, or your mixture will become gloppy over time.
  • Try a liquid peppermint soap as your emulsifier, or add a few drops of peppermint essential oil into the mixture, because the fragrance itself is also a bug repellant.
  • Test neem oil on a single leaf before using it for the first time on plants that need treatment. Check for signs of stress after a day to be on the safe side. If all is well you can proceed.
The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. Neem oil. National Pesticide Information Center, Oregon State University.

  2. Azadirachtin (121701) Clarified Hydrophobic Extract of Neem Oil (025007) Fact Sheet. United States Environmental Protection Agency.

  3. Less Toxic Insecticides. Clemson University Extension Home & Garden Information Center.

  4. Cornus Florida. Missouri Botanical Garden.

  5. Juniperus Squamata 'Blue Star'. Missouri Botanical Garden.