Down To Earth All Natural Fertilizers Organic Neem Seed Meal, Plant Food for Vegetable Gardens and Raised Beds 6-1-2, 5 lb

I'd give this 10 stars if I could!! Bought it to rid a house plant of annoying gnats and also plan to use it as needed in our grow bag/container garden. We live near a few big bodies of water so sometimes it can be a pain to control bugs. I feel like we have NOTHING to worry about anymore after finding this awesome stuff!!! Firstly it arrived literally the next day after ordering which was a nice surprise. Last night I sprinkled just a little on the top soil of an ancient philodendron we have that is a pain in the &#! to keep the gnats off of. This morning i woke up to ALL of those evil lil bugs dead on the windowsill nearby my plant, apparently trying to escape with their lives, but to no avail. 😆 Checked my plant soil too and there wasn't a single one seen. YASS!!!! FINALLY we have defeated those pesky gnats for my beloved plant. 😊 I do think it's important to address some of these reviews on here about mold and smell. Clearly those who are posting this kind of stuff did little to no research before getting this. Neem trees and the oil derived from them does not smell nice. It has a super beefy smell so i am smh why anyone would ever use any neem as a beauty product (unless of course you wanna walk around smelling like a bowl of beef ramen 🤣). This neem seed meal did not cause an overpowering smell after application by any means, though. We weren't bothered by it all. Also, neem seed meal is the ground up seeds and plant matter from the "cake" that is leftover after pressing out the neem oil from the neem tree seeds. Therefore neem seed meal is basically uncomposted compost. Mold is a naturally occurring thing.... Even if people choose to freak tf out whenever they see it. Spores and mold are literally EVERYWHERE around us. Every time you take a breath, you're breathing in thousands (if not millions) of harmless spores - for your entire lifetime. Its a completely natural process and unavoidable. If mold occurs on your plants because you added too much neem seed meal and overwatered and/or you live in a humid climate or whatever - thats not necessarily something to freak out about, and its definitely not the seller's fault. Its also not necessarily bad mold forming on your plants. With neem seed meal the plant and the mold are likely just forming their friendly symbiotic relationship. If you detest the sight of this mold, just scrape a layer off the top and throw it in your compost. Then use a lot less next time. You'll live, and so will your plants. 😉 That said please do your research before posting bad reviews (or better yet before you go throwing random fertilizers on your plants). This stuff is awesome and I'm definitely going to keep an eye out for more products by this company. I'll be recommending this to all my gardening friends and fam for sure. Very, very happy I found this. Thank you so much!! ❤

The smell is very bad, but it works very well! I see less fungus gnats and my leafy greens grow better!

Why do I love neem seed meal so much? Not only is it an ideal organic slow-release fertilizer — it’s also a highly effective pest control substance for so many reasons. I’m not sure why they don’t advertise that pest-fighting fact more openly with this product... Before I found neem seed meal, I was constantly battling aphid invasions, cabbage loopers, tobacco/tomato hornworms, and more! And while it doesn’t completely eliminate all pests, the neem most definitely keeps them at bay, yet at the same time, nonetheless allows nature to still do its “thing” (i.e., neem doesn’t seem to kill/repel beneficial critters like spiders, ladybugs, and other pest-devouring predators that help out in the garden). So quite honestly, neem seed meal has been a miracle worker for my patio garden and its large containers (20-30 gallon felt smart pots — which have also revolutionized my gardening; they’re not the most attractive containers, but wow, they really do result in larger, healthier, more productive plants... sorry for tangent!). As for the application itself, from the start, I mix plenty of neem meal into the potting soil before planting (hard to overdo it with organic, slower-release fertilizers like these, so the more the merrier in my book). I’ll then use the neem as a top dress from time to time (maybe monthly) thereafter. That system has been part of my regular fertilizing routine for a couple years now, and it certainly seems to do a ton of good! Admittedly, I’ve never used neem seed meal as a sprayed foliar feed. If I want to apply neem that way, I’ll use a bottled neem concentrate mixed with plenty of water (the concentrate by the way smells so bad; the best way I can describe the odor is like a very weird combo of semi-rancid garlic and peanut butter... whereas neem meal itself like this product kind of smells similarly pungent, it’s nothing like the concentrate; plus the smell dissipates quickly by comparison). So yes, neem meal is a wonderful pest control secret, especially for all the dedicated organic gardeners out there like me. All that said, be sure to balance the neem out with something like crab meal and/or a fish/kelp liquid to keep your pH and NPK levels on track (this is of utmost importance in container gardens, where each pot/plant has its own requirements — like squash or tomatoes needing certain nutrients to avoid blossom end rot, or how my flowering ornamentals appreciate additional fertilizers for maximizing blooms). Bottom line: neem is an underrated fertilizer, especially when factoring in the pest control feature!

I would rate this 5 stars but the smell is horrible. Great quality if you can handle the stench. I made a tea with it. So it was mixed with water for a soil drench. Oh, the box falls apart easily, I stored mine in a different container.

I was just singing the praises of neem seed meal in one of my gardening groups. I bought the 5lb box last year, but didn't really start using it in earnest until this year. I have a small patio container garden. I use the neem seed meal as fertilizer for all my plants--mixing it with the soil as part of my seed starting mix or for my containers for transplants. I also use it in conjunction with my 5-1-1 fish emulsion (a tablespoon added in the gallon jug with the stinky fish stuff). Sometimes I'll sidedress with the neem seed meal, making sure I mix it in thoroughly in the top couple inches of soil so it won't mold up. The bottom line is, you don't need to use a ton of this in order for your plants to reap the benefits of it. This year is the 1st year I haven't had to cover up my kale, cabbage, Chinese broccoli or Brussels Sprouts to protect them from green cabbage worms or aphids. All my plants (including tomatoes and peppers) are so green, lush and strong this year since I've been using the neem seed meal. And not much pest pressure to deal with either. Great stuff!

I LEFT THIS IN WATER PRIOR TO USE AS DIRRCTED HOWEVER, IT DIDNT BREA DOWN/DISDOLVE LIKE I EXPECTED. IT REMAINED VERY CHUNKY HUWEVER, I MADE THE ATTEMOT AND USED IT ON MY PLANTS ANYWAY BUT DIDNT NOTICE A DIFFERENCE IN FERTILITY IN MY PLANTS.