Oh, and by "critters" I'm thinking of cats, rats, opossums, etc. I realize that "tiny critters" like bugs and microscopic organisms will be eating it regardless -- but they don't really dig up my flower beds in the process.

:-)

~Christopher

I, personally, once a week mix up a tablespoon of neem oil with an emulsifier (I use dr. bronner's soap unscented), I generally use a tablespoon or less. I then mix in an 1/8 cup of fish/sea weed emulsion. This is then mixed into a gallon of water and I use it as a soak/spray for all my plants once a week. Usually late in the day towards sunset or first thing in the morning. I don't advise doing in the morning because the risk of photo-toxicity.

I like the effect of neem mixed with it because it provides a harmful insecticidal defense as well as a pathogen defense and seems to keep the critters away from the otherwise tempting scent of fish emulsion.

I say that, but what I mean is you can't think of it as being like regular chemical fertilizer. It is not a large dose of a concentrated group of macros. It's more like a daily multivitamin that is given to your plants more often than the traditional dosing of fertilizers.

As with any fertilizer I'd back off towards the end of the growing season so your plant goes into dormancy, also - I'd say biweekly applications would be fine as a foliar drench or a soil drench. And I also wanted to say, using neem is not essential, but I personally love it. Ahisma alternative is a great source for neem oil and products and michael phillips is a great recourse on its use and advantages.