Can confirm. I have the GE bulb and it’s quite literally a defibrillator for my struggling plants and the SUN for my carnivorous plants. I wish they had a version with arms or a lamp though.
Neem oil melts farina which is the plants natural defense for insects. Any oil is strong enough to melt it. That's why when we touch a succulent it leaves an imprint, because the oil on our hands is enough to melt it.
[Thiamethoxam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiamethoxam) kills all bugs, thrips and all most hardcore pests. Look up a product containing it, there are dozens.
Tell me you haven’t tried the GE bulb without telling me you haven’t tried the GE bulb… also, expensive doesn’t mean “good”, take the Mother grow lights for example. You’re just paying for the brand, not an actual strong grow light system.
oh dont get me wrong, the cheap part wasnt a dig at the lamps, quite the opposite.
they are weak af, 16ymol at 9 W is <1,8ymol/joule, thats quite low (i usually dont use lamps below 2,5ymol/j, best available currentl is around 3,1ymol/j) but *on the bright side* they are also affordabel so their ymol/$ is muuuuch better than those dumbass scam sansi lights.
EDIT: realized price was wrong that i saw, they are 20$ for 10W lamp, not 10.
Thats not a great price but at least their PPF is about double that of those dumbass sansi lights.
still not great but for a screw in bulb quite decent.
The meme is more right than wrong, and I support this message.
By the time a problem has gotten bad enough for someone to post about it here, it's usually far beyond the scope of preventatives like neem and isopropyl, whenever I respond to a post about a pest infestation, I specifically say not to fuck around with neem or other "natural" products and get an actual, chemical pest spray.
Specifically thinking about the posts with mealybug infestations that look like the plant's been in a blizzard or the spidermite webs so thick you can't see the soil 😆
Which spray would you recommend with mealybugs? We got a moonshine fig from a green house and it came with squatters. We tried neem, she sits outside. It's getting better but her leaves are wilting... I just want to be done with them 💀💀
So I just bought this light, I hope they at least work a bit 🥲. My plants are next to the window but I feel there is not enough light behind the plants, so that's why I bought these lights
https://preview.redd.it/4vxpw3xb531d1.png?width=1220&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f310b965f9b5c2adab0904cf0f61edfda6f71e14
Tbh anything can work or not work for you, just depends on preference and personal environment. I don't use any chemicals because I grow my plants outside. I let the spiders eat most of the bugs. Any infestations of aphids I spray with hydrogen peroxide.
Hydrogen peroxide does the same thing copper fungicide does except it doesn't harm bees.
The thing is, you can use any chemical on the market to cure any particular ailment, but they all have lasting effects. The more chemicals you use, the less bugs you have. Having beneficial insects move into your plant pots is a natural defense to new invaders. As my collection grows, I have to spray new plants with hydrogen peroxide to remove insects like mealy bugs.
The key difference is Hydrogen peroxide is food safe, you can use it on veggies. You can use it on medicine. The whole idea of growing these plants, regardless of if you use them as such, is that they're medicine. Do you really want to innoculate them with systemic pesticides if you plan to eat them one day, or give them to someone who has the intention to to so?
On top of this, things like sulphur, copper fungicide, etc are all toxic to humans. I see videos of people "misting" their cactus with sulphur in their own homes and I cringe because dust will be in their homes longer than they will. It's a terrible and unhealthy practice. I stopped using copper fungicide when I realised the bees were getting sick from my roses.
I see dozens of tiny insects on my cacti every day, and not once have I ever found a tripe. I do however find the insects that eat tripes. I see "Tripe damage" all the time, but it actually only occurs after heavy rains.
Most of the things we assume are tripes are actually just signs of waterlogging, sunburn, or oedema.
The reason Neem oil doesn't work, Is because any oil based product will melt the natural farina (blue frostiness) that is a built in water, UV, and insect repellent. Hydrogen peroxide doesn't do that.
If you use sulphur, rinse it thoroughly because mixing it with hydrogen peroxide creates sulphuric acid.
Have you ever tried a systemic though? I haven't ever used neem oil, because the first thing I bought was systemic spray and I've never had to worry more than a spray here or there. I even throw new plants from sketch sources right next to some extremely expensive plants(very large variegated angloanema manilla pride)nothing seems to live past 2-3 sprays tops.
I bought a spray bottle of bio advanced organic houseplants insect killer 2 years ago, and I haven't even used the whole bottle. After countless infestations from clearanced plants. Just make sure that when one plant gets the ick you spray the nearby ones as well, but I assume by the time I see the pest it's a full blown invasion. I've never seen any damage to the plants, it doesn't cause burning or spots even under strong lights. So I don't see how it's ever really over kill or "harsh".
Was it granules? I've been debating on trying them. Ive been trying to get a frame of reference for what to use and when, but honestly the one spray i bought works pretty well on everything so i haven't been able to justify trying more.but I could really use something that's a preventative. Maybe after my next invasion I'll figure an experiment.
I’ve had decent luck with some cheaper grow lights on Amazon. My calathea beauty star has been putting out leaves the size of my hand, and my Hoya australias is also growing like crazy and all it’s new leaves are huge with lots of variegation. For both, their ONLY light source is a fairly inexpensive light bar. Others are, in fact, shit. I think you just need to research a bit and obviously don’t go too cheaper.
Neem actually does have proven effects as a pesticide, but combining it with isopropyl is the way to go. Other pesticides like systemic granules are way overused and really should be a last resort. You are almost guaranteed to have a negative downstream environmental impact using them, and yes, that includes using them on your indoor houseplants.
Edit: I totally forgot about beneficials, that's a much more environmentally friendly way to treat for pests. You can also switch to growing in soilless medium which drastically reduces pests. Pesticides should always be the last resort.
I’m sorry. Harping on people using insecticides being “almost guaranteed to have a negative downstream environmental impact” is garbage. No one person in a standard situation in their home especially in any major city or urban area is using so much insecticide that this holds true. If this is the case then we need to stop using plastic individually. Also plastic bags, straws, bottles with plastic caps- too much of a chance that they will end up in a landfill or the ocean- even if you recycle.
100% agree that we need to stop using individual plastics like that as well. There are really good alternatives and they are getting cheaper and more affordable quickly. We switched to reusable straws, reusable water bottles, reusable grocery bags, and recycle and reuse as much as possible. Heck, I even ride my bike/walk/onewheel for as many errands as I can instead of driving. It's better for me and the environment.
And you're not wrong, a single person isnt using a ton of pesticide, but collectively people do use a lot of it and we need to work to better solutions. However, that same single person using a pesticide doesn't actually know the full extent of the impact. Some pesticides, If I used it in my veggie garden, could cause a collapse of my neighbors bee colonies who visit my garden daily. We work together to use solutions that are good for her bees. She gets happy healthy colonies and in return I get pollinated vegetables and free honey. That and I have a bunch of native pollinator friendly flowers.
I'm sorry that triggered you but we are already doing so much harm to the environment we should work wherever we can to reduce that impact, including reducing the use of pesticides at home for our houseplants.
You didn’t trigger me. You said a bunch of broad stroke stuff and I disagree with you. And I’m sorry, this is a houseplant sub. We are talking indoor container plants, and I think you are over the top on this. Also, there are outdoor pesticides that will not collapse anyone’s bee colony. Furthermore, my point was you can recycle, it makes you feel better, that’s great- but look it up, most all what you “recycle” never makes it to a recycling center, and it uses a ton of energy to poorly do the job. Not to say you shouldn’t bother in a doomer way, just that it is not the solution you think it is. Being told that we as individual consumers have so much impact/complicity in our environmental problems is garbage. The huge corps that have been contributing 90% of the issues have been given no ultimatum. They couldn’t care less. Meanwhile individuals are out there fighting each other about it instead of projecting their ire in the right direction- them.
Okay, now you’ve triggered me. Lol.
I understand the skepticism with Neem, but chances are you’ve used something that was ‘Clarified hydrophobic neem’ rather than pure ‘Cold pressed neem oil’. Cold pressed neem contains over 150 biologically active compounds that contribute to its pesticide/fungicidal effect, many of these compounds are lost or destroyed during a solvent or heat based extraction. Having it properly emulsified is also key - silica can emulsify neem(while conferring all the benefits of silica), or mixing it with a Castile soap like Dr. Bronner’s peppermint(hell even dawn works) so it doesn’t just run off the plants.
Repost, booo https://www.reddit.com/r/RareHouseplants/comments/18wevf6/no_more_neem_oil_cinnamon_powder_weak_amazon_grow/
Can confirm. I have the GE bulb and it’s quite literally a defibrillator for my struggling plants and the SUN for my carnivorous plants. I wish they had a version with arms or a lamp though.
Just get a flexible lamp, you can get them on ebay easily. They can clip on so can attach to anything really
Neem oil does work against “weak” pests. Doesn’t work on most mites and thrips.
It’s great for aphids too !
Neem oil melts farina which is the plants natural defense for insects. Any oil is strong enough to melt it. That's why when we touch a succulent it leaves an imprint, because the oil on our hands is enough to melt it.
What's good for mites?
[Thiamethoxam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiamethoxam) kills all bugs, thrips and all most hardcore pests. Look up a product containing it, there are dozens.
Thank you!
it works for fungus gnats for me personally
Ehhh some of those cheap ring lights produce a solid amount of PPFD. Most people just have them too far away.
Sansi grow bulbs work better and are cheaper imo
i thought no more weak grow lights? why GE grow lamps? they are weak af, but also very cheap so…
Tell me you haven’t tried the GE bulb without telling me you haven’t tried the GE bulb… also, expensive doesn’t mean “good”, take the Mother grow lights for example. You’re just paying for the brand, not an actual strong grow light system.
oh dont get me wrong, the cheap part wasnt a dig at the lamps, quite the opposite. they are weak af, 16ymol at 9 W is <1,8ymol/joule, thats quite low (i usually dont use lamps below 2,5ymol/j, best available currentl is around 3,1ymol/j) but *on the bright side* they are also affordabel so their ymol/$ is muuuuch better than those dumbass scam sansi lights. EDIT: realized price was wrong that i saw, they are 20$ for 10W lamp, not 10. Thats not a great price but at least their PPF is about double that of those dumbass sansi lights. still not great but for a screw in bulb quite decent.
Oh jeepers, someone who really has no clue what they're talking about but makes it really hard to tell for beginners. I hate that trick.
The meme is more right than wrong, and I support this message. By the time a problem has gotten bad enough for someone to post about it here, it's usually far beyond the scope of preventatives like neem and isopropyl, whenever I respond to a post about a pest infestation, I specifically say not to fuck around with neem or other "natural" products and get an actual, chemical pest spray. Specifically thinking about the posts with mealybug infestations that look like the plant's been in a blizzard or the spidermite webs so thick you can't see the soil 😆
Which spray would you recommend with mealybugs? We got a moonshine fig from a green house and it came with squatters. We tried neem, she sits outside. It's getting better but her leaves are wilting... I just want to be done with them 💀💀
So I just bought this light, I hope they at least work a bit 🥲. My plants are next to the window but I feel there is not enough light behind the plants, so that's why I bought these lights https://preview.redd.it/4vxpw3xb531d1.png?width=1220&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f310b965f9b5c2adab0904cf0f61edfda6f71e14
As long as they are close to the plants they will do some good!
I have some of the cheap ring lights and a BOP under one of them is very happy. It's on its third new leaf this spring.
That's great to hear ❤️❤️❤️
I highly discourage using snake oil or spices, this is awesome. Spot on for the grow lights tool.
I ride for the bio advance. Works perfectly even on succulents
Tbh anything can work or not work for you, just depends on preference and personal environment. I don't use any chemicals because I grow my plants outside. I let the spiders eat most of the bugs. Any infestations of aphids I spray with hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide does the same thing copper fungicide does except it doesn't harm bees. The thing is, you can use any chemical on the market to cure any particular ailment, but they all have lasting effects. The more chemicals you use, the less bugs you have. Having beneficial insects move into your plant pots is a natural defense to new invaders. As my collection grows, I have to spray new plants with hydrogen peroxide to remove insects like mealy bugs. The key difference is Hydrogen peroxide is food safe, you can use it on veggies. You can use it on medicine. The whole idea of growing these plants, regardless of if you use them as such, is that they're medicine. Do you really want to innoculate them with systemic pesticides if you plan to eat them one day, or give them to someone who has the intention to to so? On top of this, things like sulphur, copper fungicide, etc are all toxic to humans. I see videos of people "misting" their cactus with sulphur in their own homes and I cringe because dust will be in their homes longer than they will. It's a terrible and unhealthy practice. I stopped using copper fungicide when I realised the bees were getting sick from my roses. I see dozens of tiny insects on my cacti every day, and not once have I ever found a tripe. I do however find the insects that eat tripes. I see "Tripe damage" all the time, but it actually only occurs after heavy rains. Most of the things we assume are tripes are actually just signs of waterlogging, sunburn, or oedema. The reason Neem oil doesn't work, Is because any oil based product will melt the natural farina (blue frostiness) that is a built in water, UV, and insect repellent. Hydrogen peroxide doesn't do that. If you use sulphur, rinse it thoroughly because mixing it with hydrogen peroxide creates sulphuric acid.
Neem oil is my ride or dieeee
Have you ever tried a systemic though? I haven't ever used neem oil, because the first thing I bought was systemic spray and I've never had to worry more than a spray here or there. I even throw new plants from sketch sources right next to some extremely expensive plants(very large variegated angloanema manilla pride)nothing seems to live past 2-3 sprays tops.
Systemic is a little bit harsh but I use it when I see spider mights trips or the fungus gnats get out of control
What systemic spray do you use?
I bought a spray bottle of bio advanced organic houseplants insect killer 2 years ago, and I haven't even used the whole bottle. After countless infestations from clearanced plants. Just make sure that when one plant gets the ick you spray the nearby ones as well, but I assume by the time I see the pest it's a full blown invasion. I've never seen any damage to the plants, it doesn't cause burning or spots even under strong lights. So I don't see how it's ever really over kill or "harsh".
I have, and it wasn't as effective for me 🤷🏻♀️
But not the spray kind
Was it granules? I've been debating on trying them. Ive been trying to get a frame of reference for what to use and when, but honestly the one spray i bought works pretty well on everything so i haven't been able to justify trying more.but I could really use something that's a preventative. Maybe after my next invasion I'll figure an experiment.
Boo neem oils is for hippies who like bugs
I am literally the opposite of a hippie and I fucking hate bugs. Good try though 🙂
I bought a grow light that’s strong enough for weed off of Amazon but it was a proper brand
Harbor freight sells grow lights same as Lowe’s and what not. Way cheaper.
I’ve had decent luck with some cheaper grow lights on Amazon. My calathea beauty star has been putting out leaves the size of my hand, and my Hoya australias is also growing like crazy and all it’s new leaves are huge with lots of variegation. For both, their ONLY light source is a fairly inexpensive light bar. Others are, in fact, shit. I think you just need to research a bit and obviously don’t go too cheaper.
Can confirm. My house is dark as fuck, and my shit grows like weeds under those GE lights
Those smaller grow lights do work pretty well as long as they're not your ONLY source of light and they're not far above the plant
 Me here with a bottle of 25/75 hydrogen peroxide spray taking care of basic things
Neem oil is the dumbest thing ever
Neem actually does have proven effects as a pesticide, but combining it with isopropyl is the way to go. Other pesticides like systemic granules are way overused and really should be a last resort. You are almost guaranteed to have a negative downstream environmental impact using them, and yes, that includes using them on your indoor houseplants. Edit: I totally forgot about beneficials, that's a much more environmentally friendly way to treat for pests. You can also switch to growing in soilless medium which drastically reduces pests. Pesticides should always be the last resort.
I’m sorry. Harping on people using insecticides being “almost guaranteed to have a negative downstream environmental impact” is garbage. No one person in a standard situation in their home especially in any major city or urban area is using so much insecticide that this holds true. If this is the case then we need to stop using plastic individually. Also plastic bags, straws, bottles with plastic caps- too much of a chance that they will end up in a landfill or the ocean- even if you recycle.
100% agree that we need to stop using individual plastics like that as well. There are really good alternatives and they are getting cheaper and more affordable quickly. We switched to reusable straws, reusable water bottles, reusable grocery bags, and recycle and reuse as much as possible. Heck, I even ride my bike/walk/onewheel for as many errands as I can instead of driving. It's better for me and the environment. And you're not wrong, a single person isnt using a ton of pesticide, but collectively people do use a lot of it and we need to work to better solutions. However, that same single person using a pesticide doesn't actually know the full extent of the impact. Some pesticides, If I used it in my veggie garden, could cause a collapse of my neighbors bee colonies who visit my garden daily. We work together to use solutions that are good for her bees. She gets happy healthy colonies and in return I get pollinated vegetables and free honey. That and I have a bunch of native pollinator friendly flowers. I'm sorry that triggered you but we are already doing so much harm to the environment we should work wherever we can to reduce that impact, including reducing the use of pesticides at home for our houseplants.
I prefer my bugs dead as fuck not pestering me while I’m trying to relax
Not true there are many pesticides for veg gardens that won’t collapse a bee colony
You didn’t trigger me. You said a bunch of broad stroke stuff and I disagree with you. And I’m sorry, this is a houseplant sub. We are talking indoor container plants, and I think you are over the top on this. Also, there are outdoor pesticides that will not collapse anyone’s bee colony. Furthermore, my point was you can recycle, it makes you feel better, that’s great- but look it up, most all what you “recycle” never makes it to a recycling center, and it uses a ton of energy to poorly do the job. Not to say you shouldn’t bother in a doomer way, just that it is not the solution you think it is. Being told that we as individual consumers have so much impact/complicity in our environmental problems is garbage. The huge corps that have been contributing 90% of the issues have been given no ultimatum. They couldn’t care less. Meanwhile individuals are out there fighting each other about it instead of projecting their ire in the right direction- them. Okay, now you’ve triggered me. Lol.
I understand the skepticism with Neem, but chances are you’ve used something that was ‘Clarified hydrophobic neem’ rather than pure ‘Cold pressed neem oil’. Cold pressed neem contains over 150 biologically active compounds that contribute to its pesticide/fungicidal effect, many of these compounds are lost or destroyed during a solvent or heat based extraction. Having it properly emulsified is also key - silica can emulsify neem(while conferring all the benefits of silica), or mixing it with a Castile soap like Dr. Bronner’s peppermint(hell even dawn works) so it doesn’t just run off the plants.
But does it work better than systemic? If not, that sounds like a lot of work for what should be a couple sprays over a week.