Temperature and Insecticidal Soap

General Fruit Growing
#1

I have insecticidal soap (Safer) that says don’t spray above 85 degrees or it will burn foliage.

Question: If I spray say at 80 degrees at 8 AM but two hours later the temperature is 90, the soap is still on the leaves so wouldn’t that burn the leaves also?

I need to spray aphids on many apple trees. Thanks.

#2

My dish washing soap was burning my foliage so I switched to neem oil spray. For me the neem has controlled the aphids without any burn. Bill

#3

Thanks Auburn. I have some Neem but have never used it. Is it hard to mix into water? Does it clog a backpack sprayer?

#4

Clogging or mixing has not been a problem for me. I spray in the morning or late afternoon because I’m not sure if the high temperature cause any problems. I only spray were aphids are collecting so I don’t need much spray at one time to take care of my needs. My 2 qt or 1 gal pump sprayer is perfect for my backyard needs. Hoping there is no long term issues with neem because it is getting the job done. Good luck, Bill

#5

With my sprayer being small I just occasionally give it a little shake. I bought the neem two years ago but I’m just finding out some of its uses. Seems to knock out powdery mildew also.

#6

Does Neem control Japanese Beetles to any extent?

#7

I’m just starting to test on JBs. Seems to have stopped them on my grape vine but I just don’t know how well it will work long term. Bill

#8

I’ll start using Neem and report results. Thanks for info.

1 Like
#9

If I mix up a big tank of Neem oil and water and don’t use it all right away, would it hurt anything to just let whatever is left sit in the backpack sprayer until I need it again? Do I need to add any soap as a surfactant?

Looks like I need to order a gallon or so of Neem.