Neem trees provide safe no-cost control of many insects, part 2: Neem seed spray protects crops

Today, it’s no-cost pest control! More information about the neem or margosa tree; this time about how you can use neem seeds to control many of the insects that attack your crops. And when I say insects, I mean insects either in the larva or grub stage of their life cycle or as adult insects, such as flies or beetles. G. “Venkat” Venkataramani is an agricultural correspondent in Madras, India. Here’s part of a conversation we had not long ago.

Extracts from the seeds of the neem tree can be used as spray fluid, a no-cost input for the farmer. The fluid has no side effects, so the farmer can handle it very safely. It also repels insects effectively. Neem spray is very bitter, so the insects go away from plants which are treated with it.

Now what kind of pests are we talking about?

Most of the chewing and sucking pests—most of the rice pests or other crop pests. The larva, even the adults, will not come near crops sprayed with neem seed spray because of the scent. Adult insects which come to lay their eggs on these crops are repelled by it.

Collecting, drying, and storing the seeds

To make this spray, you’ll have to collect the neem seeds when the fruit is ripe, and store them until you need to use them.

You may be able to find the seeds on the ground under the neem trees, where birds leave them after eating the fruit. If you do collect them, wash off any of the fruit that’s still sticking to the seeds. Otherwise, gather ripe neem fruit, and wash or scrub off the soft, fleshy part. (By the way, that leftover pulp is good for fertilizer. You can add it to the soil in your garden or to your compost pile.)

Now you have your neem seeds, dry them well, otherwise they’ll easily get mouldy and spoil. Spread them to dry in the sun, preferably on mats, and stir them from time to time so they dry evenly. After three or four hours in the sun, you could put them in the shade for a while so they don’t get too hot. Keep drying them this way for several days. Then put them into baskets or woven sacks. Do not put them in plastic bags. Keep them in a dry, airy place until you need them.

Now it’s always good to look carefully at your growing crops as often as you can—every day if possible. You will then know when any insect pests begin damaging your crops. When they do attack, start to prepare the spray right away, the day before you plan to apply it.

Preparing the spray

To prepare the spray, first decide how much you think you’ll need. You should use about one big double handful of neem seed for every litre (quart) of spray you prepare. That’s the amount of neem seeds that you can scoop up when holding both hands together. So for 10 litres (two gallons) of spray, you’d use 10 big double handfuls of seed. For 20 litres (four gallons), you’d use 20 double handfuls, and so on.

After you’ve used neem spray a few times, you’ll learn by experience how much to prepare. So why not try it first with one litre (quart) of clean water and one double handful of dried neem seeds. Be sure that the seeds are clean with no mould or dirt in them. Crush or grind the seeds into a coarse powder; then mix this powder with the water in the proper proportions. Stir the mixture well. Then leave it covered up overnight.

The next day, filter the mixture. You could do this with a fine cloth or several layers of coarser cloth. If you’ll be applying with a sprayer, be sure to filter it very well so it won’t block the spray nozzle. And now you’re ready to apply this no-cost neem seed spray to your crop.

Applying the spray

Whenever using neem seed spray, it’s important to apply it all on that first day after you mixed the dry crushed seeds with the water. Even one day later, it won’t be as good for dealing with the pests that are attacking your crops.

To apply your homemade neem spray, you can use a sprayer, or a watering can; or you could use a small broom or even a bundle of leaves. Here’s how Venkat says farmers do it in southern India.

A traditional practice here is to use the neem leaves. Farmers simply get a bundle of neem leaves, immerse it in the spray fluid and then sprinkle it on the crop, just by shaking the wet neem leaves vigorously, or you can use a sprayer, if it is available.

This spray controls many kinds of flies, grasshoppers, beetles, beetle grubs, caterpillars, and other pests.

It doesn’t necessarily kill the pests, but it often stops them from eating your crop, or from laying their eggs. In many cases. the pests may eat some of the treated crop but then they get sick and don’t do any more damage. You’ll find that the neem spray affects different pests in different ways; but in each case, they don’t bother your crops any more.

Just one word of caution. There is a chance that this spray could be harmful to certain kinds of fish. So if you want to go after insects attacking your rice and if you’re raising fish in your paddy field, it would be a good idea to try the spray first in a small area to make sure it doesn’t affect your fish.

Otherwise, neem spray is very safe to use. It doesn’t hurt people or animals, but it is effective against many kinds of insect pests.

Yes, this is very effective. It’s ideal for small garden areas, and in fields. The farmer can handle it very safely.

Thank you very much “Venkat” Venkataramani here in Madras in India.

Serving Agriculture, the Basic Industry, this is George Atkins.

 

Notes

 

1. This item is the second of four items on neem in this package. It may either be used alone or in the proper sequence together with the other items as part of a series.

2. For other notes that apply to this and the other three items on neem, see page 4 of item 4 in this Package.