I don't know the specific of your situation, but I would argue against using neem oil preventatively because it repulse pests but also beneficial insects, which weakens the resilience of your plants' environment, making them vulnerable to pests.

That beeing said, yes, rain washes away neem oil. I think direct sunlight should not be a problem if your plant have enough leaves.

[–] Guenther_Amanita@slrpnk.net 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Another comment said something similar, you can see my response more detailed in the other thread :) I'll keep it short.

I'm on a balcony, not garden. There's zero natural balance. I tried it last year and learned it the hard way. Fuck that. Pesticides are the only option for that environment, so I went with something "harmless" that's at least pollinator friendly and the lesser evil I find.

What's your opinion on that?

[–] Jarme@jlai.lu 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I read your other comments, I understand why you are using it. Kudos for first trying to avoid pesticide, and then looking for the least harmful pesticide!

I tend to be a bit ideological at first sometimes with gardening, but at the end of the day you have to be pragmatic.

[–] Guenther_Amanita@slrpnk.net 2 points 22 hours ago

I tend to be a bit ideological at first sometimes with gardening, but at the end of the day you have to be pragmatic.

Same. My plan is, once I have a real garden sometime in the distant future, to grow only organically with nature in mind. But right now, in that environment and conditions, it just doesn't work sadly. It really hurt seeing that last season :(