i've never used the neem oil.i did try several insecticides ontil i fould the systemic ortho.it knocks aphids as well as the dreaded spider mites dead!i applied it about a month ago-have not seen a single spider mite or aphid since.

what was the name of the systemic made by Ortho?...or was it just Ortho Systemic Pestacide? Can it be used on all ornimentals/tropicals?
Thanks,
--Rick

yep,it's just ortho systemic.it's a concentrate.the bottle tells which plants are safe.u can't use it on any edible plants.i've used it on brugs,and azalia with great sucess.it's the only chemical i've ever found that eliminates spider mites.

... too bad we cannot get it here in Canada. Believe me, I've tried, but the Canadian "authorities" have declared it not sellable. :(

I Have used Neem oil on my brugmansias,but was for spider mites.I use neem oil for just about ANY issues with my plants.even red spider mites in the soil.At the end of the year I also hose end sprayer neem on my flower beds after cleaning them up.I also neem spray my plants in winter before bringing them into GH.
I also use garden safe brand insectisidal soap.I originaly bought THIS product for aphids on some roses,that wandered eventually into my hibiscus's about 6 yrs ago.

Jroot.I don't know where the elanors foliage spray stuff & fertilizer is sold...but remember a product for bugs they also carried& those products were avilable in canada.

i use neem oil but i add a dash of dawn dishwashing detergent to each gallon. this works great. best to spray at night when the lights are going to be off so it stays liquid as long as possible.

I use neem oil, it was the first thing I tried for spider mites. It works well, but it didn't do the job entirely so I tried the systemic and that works beautifully. But for aphids, I think it would work well.

Thanks everyone for your input. It really helped me out! I got a bottle of Neem oil and will keep my fingers crossed that it works! Had to mail order it..not sold in NY.

shroomish wizard....on the bottle of Neem oil that I received it indicates to use 1/4 tsp of liquid dish soap per quart of water which I intend to do. Good idea about doing it late in the day!! Thanks for the idea.

Linda