How to Create Your Own Neem Oil Spray

Neem oil is one of the most common natural pesticides used to manage plant pest infestations, and for good reason. When used correctly, quality neem oil from concentrate is very effective at killing plant pests and protecting your plants. In this article, we’ll be looking at how to create your own neem oil spray solution from concentrate. 

Why You Should Make Your Own Neem Spray Rather Than Buy One Pre-Made

Neem oil spray solution can be created or purchased as a ‘ready-made’ product. While some pre-made neem sprays are better quality than others, there are many benefits that creating your own has over pre-made options. In general, many pre-made neem oil sprays use lower quality neem oil and unnecessary emulsifiers. When creating your own, you have control over what goes in the finished product. 

To get started, let’s look at what goes into a neem oil spray. At its most basic, a neem oil spry consists of three ingredients:

Water

The main ingredient, by volume, of almost any spray solution is water. A neem solution is no exception, you’ll be using water as the base of your spray. The water you use is up to you but the best kind of water to use is the water you normally water your plants with. Distilled water is not ideal as it is devoid of any nutrients your plant will benefit from. Reverse osmosis water, spring water, or well water (provided it’s not hard) are good options.

Cold Pressed Neem Oil Concentrate

This oil is collected by pressing the seeds and fruits of the Neem Tree (Azadirachta as-uh-deer-act-uh indica in-dic-uh). Once pressed, the oil is collected and as neem oil concentrate. It’s important to get ‘cold-pressed’ neem (or any oil you consume or use on pets or plants) as it is extracted without the use of heat or chemical compounds. This means the end product, the oil, is less adulterated and more pure than if it has been expeller pressed or extracted with chemical solvents. 

A Quality Emulsifier

Water and oil are not compatible with each other. They are in fact, immiscible, meaning they do not form a uniform solution. Instead, oil floats on top of water, this won’t do you or your plants much good, this is where a good emulsifier comes in! An emulsifier is a substance that allows water and oil to form a more uniform solution. This is what you want as it helps get the neem where it needs to be and increases its effectiveness at protecting your plant from pests.

The Benefits of Homemade Neem Oil

Homemade neem oil spray solution has several benefits over pre-made solutions. When you make your own solution, you know all the ingredients that go into it. Provided you use quality neem oil, the spray will be more effective at ridding your plants of pests, and homemade soapy solution is more cost effective that pre-made solution. Put all of these benefits together, and it’s easy to see why making your own neem oil spray is worth it!

How to Make Homemade Neem Oil Spray - Step by Step

To begin, you’ll need to gather a few ingredients and some basic equipment needed to properly mix the neem solution. Let’s look at the list of items needed to make your spray.

Ingredients

• Cold-Pressed Neem Oil Concentrate
• Natural Castile Soap
• Water, ideally reverse osmosis or well water, tap water will work as well

Equipment

• Spray Bottle, any size will do but standard sizes - quart, half-gallon, etc. - make measurements easier
• Measuring Glass, ideally one that lists ounces
• Bowl With Hot Water (optional)*
• Gloves, Nitrile or Latex work fine

*Neem oil concentrate can start to solidify at lower temperatures. If this happens, you’ll need to melt the oil using a hot water bath. Simply add hot water to a bowl and place the neem oil bottle in the water for 10 minutes or longer. Once the oil has melted, give the bottle a shake and it should be ready to mix.

Neem Oil Spray Creation Process

Neem oil spray is not complicated to make, it only takes a few minutes and a little goes a long way! There are many different neem oil products and emulsifiers that can be used to create your solution, the ones selected here are simply our favorites and they have been proven to be effective through personal use.

Steps to Make Neem Oil Spray

• The best practice for mixing neem oil solution is to wear gloves to keep the oil from contacting your skin so put gloves on before beginning the mixing process.
• Ensure the neem oil concentrate is fully melted and shake the bottle up just prior to mixing with the emulsifier.
• Measure out the required neem oil concentrate to make the desired volume of spray solution following the volume guidelines on the neem oil concentrate bottle.
• Pour the neem oil into your spray bottle.
• Measure out the necessary volume of Castile soap to make the desired volume of spray solution following the volume guidelines on the neem oil concentrate bottle.
• Pour the Castile soap into your spray bottle.
• Fill the spray bottle with room temperature or warmer water of your choice until full.
• Ensure the spray cap is secured on the bottle and shake well before use and shake often while spraying your plants.

Recommended Product Spotlight

Below are a couple products we recommend for making your neem oil spray. These products are ones we’ve tested and had great success with ourselves. When it comes to neem oil spray, the purer the better. With only 3 ingredients, you don’t get much purer than that!

Recommended Neem Oil Concentrate - Greenskeepers Choice Neem Oil for Plants 16oz

Why We Like It:

• This neem oil concentrate consists of 100% pure cold-pressed neem oil. 
• It comes with a simple mixing instructions to make your neem oil spray
• It is OMRI certified for Organic Use and is safe for use on fruits and vegetables
• The cost is very reasonable for the volume of neem oil spray this bottle makes

What it Could Improve On

• The concentrate can pour out rather quickly and can spill when the bottle is fuller
• The smell isn’t the most pleasant (though this is a property of neem oil rather than this product and is unavoidable if you want to use neem)

Recommended Neem Oil Emulsifier - Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap Unscented 8oz

• This soap is very easy to pour
• A single bottle will last a very long time as you only need a little to mix with the neem
• It’s made with natural ingredients and doesn’t include harsh chemicals that other soaps can

What it Could Improve On

• It’s not the cheapest soap available; however, given how much neem oil spray you can make with a bottle, it’s not too costly in the long run

Making Your Own Neem Oil Spray, Wrap-Up

When it comes to choosing the right pesticide (because officially, neem oil is a pesticide) to protect your plants from indoor plant pests, the most natural option is often the best. Choosing a pesticide that is not laden with harsh chemicals is a better choice for your health and the health of your plant family! Using 3 simple ingredients and a few measuring tools, you can create your own neem oil spray that will be just as effective if not more so, than a premade neem spray.