Every season we hear this sentence:
“Neem doesn’t work. I sprayed and nothing happened.”
Neem isn’t poison.
It’s not meant to knock insects dead in five minutes.
Neem works by confusing pests, not killing them instantly. It disrupts feeding and reproduction. That’s slower — and that’s the point.
Where people mess up
Almost always one of these:
- Sprayed in harsh sunlight
- Used too much oil
- Sprayed daily
- Expected instant results
- Sprayed only the top of leaves
Neem works over days, not hours.
Neem is preventive, not emergency medicine
If aphids have already taken over half the plant, neem will struggle.
That’s not neem failing.
That’s late intervention.
Spray neem when:
- New growth appears
- Weather turns humid
- You don’t see pests yet
That’s when it shines.
One honest rule
If you want instant kills, go chemical.
If you want a stable, repeatable system, go organic and accept patience.
Gardening punishes impatience very efficiently.