That's new for me. In which aspects is it harmful for humans too? I only know it to be toxic when combusted, that's why I don't use it for cannabis. Otherwise, it is always praised as pollinator friendly, very biodegradable, "natural", and whatnot.

Is there any particular reason you're using it preemptively instead of any time when you actually see pests on your plants? Have you had such bad problems before that you feel you really need to apply on a schedule?

YEP. Last year in particular was horrible. I tried it the "natural" way, using lots of insect friendly co-plants, insect hotel and beneficial insects. Eventually, there came wasps (the bad ones) and ants, sucking off the honeydew and even nurturing the aphids and shit. Gladly, they only stung ME and not my GF, who is deadly allergic.

Pretty much everyone of my plants got infected and damaged badly.

Remember, I'm on a balcony. Not garden. There's ZERO natural balance.

I'm not even using soil for the plants I spray, only hydro. So there's not even some runoff that has the chance to affect beneficial critters or microbes.

I tried badly, as much as I could, but it just doesn't work in that environment.

Using a "harmless" insecticide, so I can eat my lettuce without bugs on it (which I'm also allergic to btw!) was the best option.

I also have a systemic synthetic insecticide, which is super toxic to the environment, but I ONLY use it for houseplants. I would never spray it anywhere outside knowing how deadly it is for arthropods, bees, and whatnot.

[–] Barley_Man@sopuli.xyz 5 points 1 day ago

If you have encountered a harvest getting destroyed in a very short time before, I think you have a valid reason to use it preemptively. I don't know too much about Neem oil actually but I know that in India they ingest it directly as a traditional medicine and that type of use has led to seizures and hormonal problems. I'm unsure how much of those effects transfer to use as pesticide on produce but I still wouldn't spray lettuce with Neem oil that I'm planning to eat the next day. I would at least research its safety further before deciding.

Have you thought about netting? It's very ugly but it's quite effective, as long as you apply the netting before the pests have arrived on the plant. It's one of those tricks that a small scale grower can use but large scale growers can't.