A very common mistake I see when people are using neem or horticultural oil (aka vegetable oil) is falling to properly emulsify the oil before mixing with water. We all know oil and water don’t mix but it’s common to see oil pooled on top of a home made solution due to proper mixing technique. So the very simple steps to mixing them properly are:
1)measure out the oil and put in a small container
2)measure out emulsifier (soap being the most common) and adding it to the oil.
3)stir until there’s a clear change in consistency as the oil and emulsifier bond together
4)add to warm water and shake vigorously to get the oil into suspension in the water.
My personal weekly spray is 7.5ml Neem Oil, 5ml Dr Bronners natural castille liquid soap, 3.75ml Potassium Bicarbonate. Neem is effective against most pests, potassium bicarbonate controls PM by changing the surface pH while also destroying the hyphea as it decomposes and is more effective with a carrier oil.
