Neem Tree Farms Blog

Merry Christmas from Neem Tree Farms

Vicki — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 10:03:05 +0000

We intentionally missed the shopping frenzy last weekend but wanted to remind friends about the great gift ideas available at Neem Tree Farms — including our new Pick-A-Packs that ship for free. Let us know it’s a gift and we’ll wrap it up in a hand-stamped bag so it’s ready to slide under your tree!

Neem in the New York Times

Vicki — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 16:33:57 +0000

There’s a great story about growing organic apples in the New York Times this morning. Apparently many “experts” believe it’s impossible to grow them without pesticides but this farmer figured it out. We can’t grow apples in Florida, but neem works wonders on citrus and other fruit trees.

Here’s the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/17/garden/growing-apples-without-pesticides.html

Do any of our readers have success stories they’d like to share?

Neem seeds are sprouting!

Vicki — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 08:45:05 +0000

It’s our very favorite time of year! Neem seeds are popping up so fast that they’re literally pushing the soil above them – they look like baby volcanoes in our flats with big green leaves exploding up.

We’re shipping seeds now, starting with customers on our email list. Follow this link, http://neemtreefarms.com/living-plants-hidden-specials-c-124_170.html because they won’t be visible on the main site until we handle the demand from people who have been patiently waiting. Germination rates appear to be about 90% but we can’t guarantee what will happen after they go through the mail system.

Rather than buying seeds, we highly recommend that you wait another week for these sprouts to reach three to five inch tall. They’re a little more expensive but you’re getting a plant not a seed so you don’t need to wonder whether it will germinate or not. (We can’t ship the sprouts overseas though, or to Hawaii.)

Other news from the farm:

If you haven’t tried our incredible Botanical Outdoor Gel, check it out with a Buy One Get One free coupon through Sept. 19. It’s not EPA approved as an insect repellant, but it’s packed with neem oil and aloe vera to soothe itchy skin. We think it’s so good that we guarantee you’ll like it or we’ll refund the purchase price. Order two and then type bogobog in the coupon line to get a refund on the second product.
We’ve been hearing great results from customers who are using the NimBioSys 100% neem oil on stink bugs. It’s available in all states except New York and Arkansas and controls dozens of insect pests – with the same active ingredient found in our skin and hair care products. (I LOVE knowing what I’m spraying on my plants is exactly the same thing I’m using to moisturize my face!)
Cleaning out the greenhouse getting ready for the influx of seeds, we found some plants we’d forgotten we had. About a dozen alma trees – aka Indian gooseberry – finally recovered from the cold. The trees are only about a foot tall but they have spectacular root systems. We also had purchased some spineless nopal at a customer’s request and rooted extra. They’re beautiful plants, also about a foot tall, and vigorous growers.
Lucky Pets (www.luckypets.org) is now online and we’re shipping to a number of independent pet stores. If you rescue animals, or know someone who does, please ask them to call me at 877-500-6336, ext. 3 to talk about how we can help.
“Like” us on Facebook for updated news and special offers, plus tips on how to use neem from people around the world, including the latest international research. (I’m afraid I do FB better than blogging…)

I’m still amazed that kids here are heading back to school next week. Hope you’ve had a wonderful summer in your neck of the woods!

Vicki and the Neem Team

Vicki@neemtreefarms.com

www.neemtreefarms.com

877-500-6336

Bacopa update

Vicki — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 12:32:54 +0000

Walked into the greenhouse this morning only to discover that every single bacopa had lost its leaves. Turns out that we must have had white caterpillar butterflies visiting — they’re host plants for this native species. I’ll treat half of them with neem so they’ll be ready to ship again and plant a bunch outside so this batch of caterpillars will have the habitat they need to reproduce!

Update on Neem Seeds

Vicki — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 15:22:09 +0000

My brother is in Mexico now to pick up fresh neem seeds. He’ll be back on August 6, we’ll start sprouting seeds to confirm their viability and hopefully start shipping them August 15. We’ll have a “secret” site on the web page so that people who follow us online get first dibs on the seeds — we should have plenty but it’s always challenging to get them in boxes fast enough.

Photo is seeds from Senegal taken in 2009 — we’ll have some of those coming later this summer too!

Using “watchflowers” with neem

Vicki — Thu, 12 May 2011 19:34:22 +0000

We’re regularly asked how much water a neem tree needs. The short answer: it depends.

The size of the tree, and the size of its pot, how much sun it receives, how high the humidity might be and even the time of the year all play a role in how much water a neem tree needs. A large tree growing in a small pot in full summer sun might need water twice a day. You would kill a smaller neem tree growing in a window with less sun with that much water.

That’s why we often recommend neem tree growers use “watchflowers” to determine when the soil is dry. You can plant the watchflower in the same pot as the neem tree, preferably at the same time you plant your tree. Water them both well and then wait for the watchflower to wilt in the morning before watering.

You can use a wide variety of plants as watchflowers. Vincas, or periwinkles, are best for trees growing in full sun. Impatience and peace lilies are best in shaded spots. We also have native violets available most of the year.

Be sure to wait until the watchflower wilts in the morning before watering. Impatience and peace lilies may wilt in the sun, no matter how much water is in the soil. If you wait until they’re wilting in the morning, you know the soil is dry all the way down.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If your neem tree is wilting in the sun, move it to a location where it gets less direct light in the afternoon. Morning sun is best until your tree has handled the stress of transplanting, then you can move it back into the sun. Do not water a neem tree just because it’s wilting though – unless you’re absolutely sure it’s dry all the way down, too much water will cause root rot and kill the tree!

March Newsletter

Vicki — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 16:59:47 +0000

We’re still knocking on wood, but it looks like the worst of the winter is over in Central Florida. Our neem trees looked pretty sad for a while but they’re leafing out beautifully now. It’s all new growth, not the lush large leaves we’ll get later in the year, but they’re happy, healthy plants ready to find new homes.

Two important notes:

We grow tropical plants that will die if they are exposed to freezing temperatures. Low temperatures MUST be above freezing in your location before we can ship plants to you.
We’ve also learned the hard way that trees shipped to California typically spend at least one night in Chicago on their way to you so temperatures there must be above freezing too. (Here’s a link to the site we use to check weather in other locations.)

The number of trees ready to ship is still somewhat limited, so we’re not putting them back on the main website just yet. You’ll need to order through a special site at http://neemtreefarms.com/trees-2011.php that isn’t visible unless you know the link. We’re currently shipping neem trees, aloe, bacopa, chaya, gotu kola, betel, and holy basil. We should have amla, ashwaghanda and Malabar spinach ready to ship in the next few weeks.

Other neemy news:

NimBioSys Biological Insecticide, the all-natural neem oil with an EPA-approved label, is now available in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
Are your feet ready for summer sandals? We hear great things about Neem for Nails but we’d like reports from more people. You can try it for free in March if you let us know what you think. Just buy a bottle now, then email us within 90 days to tell us how it worked – and we’ll give you a coupon worth $12.99 on your next order.
This month’s highlighted product is the All-Natural Facial Serum. We’ve been amazed at how many people have called and said please send a bottle for me and one for my sister, mother or best friend. Use coupon code BOGO-FS and we’ll send you a bottle – plus a free bottle to share with someone you love. (And if you haven’t tried it yet, be sure to ask for a sample with your next order!)
We should wrap up the new Lucky Pets line by the end of this month. If you’re involved in an organization that rescues animals, please give us a call to learn more about this initiative created specifically to support rescue groups.

March is shaping up to be a spectacular month here – hope it’s beautiful wherever you are too!

Vicki and the Neem Team

Gotu Kola

Vicki — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 20:27:10 +0000

Sometimes called "food for the brain,">gotu kola is a slender,>creeping plant that is easy to grow in a hanging basket in a sunny window. It also tolerates low light levels and handles water so well that it can be grown in a terrarium or aquarium.In Ayurveda,>gotu kola>is used to revitalize the brain and nerve cells and as a tonic to purify blood and promote healthy skin. Like neem,>new research is validating many of those traditional uses >specifically related to enhancing brain activity,>both improving mood and memory>in a clinical trial with human patients.>Other studies indicate that it facilitates the repair of burned skin>and reduced arthritis pain>in mice probably by regulating humoral and cellular immunity. We grow the variety with spade-shaped leaves that is much stronger tasting than a similar plant with round leaves.>Please make a note in the comment section if you have a choice.They came through last winter's cold weather with flying colors, even the plants that didn't make it to the "hot" part of the greenhouse. Due to changes in government regulations,> we can no longer ship living plants overseas,> or to Hawaii or Puerto Rico.
Price: $8.99

Chaya Plant

Vicki — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 20:26:40 +0000

>Chaya (Cnidoscolus chayamansa) is nicknamed tree spinach but thatâs kind of like calling iceberg lettuce spinach. Chaya contains more than twice as much protein, calcium, Vitamin C, iron, fiber and caronteniods as spinach, according to a USDA report> published through Purdue University.Itâs also much easier to grow. Itâs a dietary staple on the semi-arid Yucatan Penninsula but also thrives in Floridaâs hot, rainy summers.Like many tropical plants (including spinach to a lesser degree), chaya contains hydrocyanic glucosides in its leaves. Cooking the leaves inactivates the toxic compound.We grow both the very attractive deep-lobed variety and the larger-leaf hog variety that probably provides more food per plant. Please make a note in the comment section if you have a preference. (We donât grow the variety with stinging nettles!)In colder climates they grow well in a sunny window, although you'll want to put it outside once temperatures are consistently above freezing. They've consistently come back from the ground with temperatures as low as the mid-20s but they're among the first plants to lose their leaves when it gets near 30 degrees.Due to changes in government regulations,> we can no longer ship living plants overseas,> or to Hawaii or Puerto Rico.
Price: $7.99

Betel Leaf

Vicki — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 20:26:09 +0000

A gorgeous plant that thrives in low light and tolerates soggy feet,>betel leaf (Piper betle) is an important plant in the Ayurvedic tradition. It is>typically>recommended as stimulant,>a general health tonic and as a breath freshener.>Betel>also plays an important role in Indian culture,>and Hindus often wrap money in betel leaves before giving it to their priests.It is a vine so it can be grown to climb up a tree or fence during the summer, or trained to spill over the edge of a pot in a hanging basket. It grows rapidly but appears to grow most quickly in the warm temperatures and long days of summer. Due to changes in government regulations,> we can no longer ship living plants overseas,> or to Hawaii or Puerto Rico.
Price: $9.99