Too much neem oil?

[Gini]

I am using neem oil on my tomatoes to fight leafhoppers.
I sprayed them on saturday and today wednesday (4days after) my friend sprayed them again not knowing that I did already last week.
Is this harmful to my plants?,They are setting flowers just now and I have 1 fruit.

It is very sunny and hot where I live,..

[Hortoholic]

As long as you are using the dilution rate recommended it should be fine, keep an eye on the plant for any negative effects if you plan to do this often.

[Gini]

As long as you are using the dilution rate recommended it should be fine, keep an eye on the plant for any negative effects if you plan to do this often.

Ok,,THANK YOU for replying,,I appreciate it,,I am a beginner at this and I really want to go organic...

[opabinia51]

Actually, if you read the neem oil thread in the "What Doesn't Fit Elsewhere" thread you'll discover some very useful information on Neem Oil including (if memory serves) the MSDS for Azardachtin(sp?); the active ingredient in Neem Oil,

What you'll discover is that Neem Oil inhibits the development of winged insects and you'll also learn that North America's Native Honeybee population is under a great amount of stress. Especially in the east.

Anyway, spray neem oil no more than once a week and employ some other organic techniques such as planting flowers to attract the leaf hoppers predators such as other insects (Lacewings, Minute Pirate Bugs, Ladybugs and so on) and birds.

Also, don't plant your plants in the same area each year. Planting annuals in the same place allows the larvae of the insects to overwinter in that soil and then to reinfect the plants that you replant there.

Furthermore, you can spray your plants with an aerated compost tea weekly to encourage a healthy flora and fauna to grow on the leaves that will aid the plant in fighting any infections, and if any of these leafhoppers lay their eggs on the leaves or stems of your plants, the local Fauna will eat them up right away.

Hope this helps!

Good luck with your tomatoes.

[Hortoholic]

Remember if it rains, you must re-apply the neem.......When spraying your plants , just cover the leaves once, try not to hit the flowers...

As the Mod said, you may be harming the bees if you are dousing your plants with neem - thus preventing pollination.....

[Midnight Smoker]

You might want to try a hot pepper spray for insect control.

If you really want to use the neem, use at 1/2 the recommended and apply every 3-4 weeks. In general, oils are not that good for plants.

Just my .02

[bigtomatoes]

I use a neem spray that comes in concentrate form. Even when diluted according to the instructions, I have noticed some "burn" spots when it is really hot outside. I would recommend spraying in the morning if the weather calls for sunny and hot.