Help - will neem oil kill Beneficial Nematodes

Hi Doc,
I did call the company about the neem and the nematodes, it was Friday afternoon on Memorial Day weekend and nobody but the poor receptionist was in the office.
We we're being so over run we thought we might loose all our squash plants if we waited until Tuesday to get an answer, so I posted here. I finally found the correct combination of search words and found an answer by Googling it.
I know just because you read it on the internet doesn't necessary make it true, we took a chance and the results seem to verify that neem oil doesn't harm the nematodes.

Good............I'm glad you got it all sorted out. I can see how you may have been getting information that could have confused the simple basic question. Guess it boils down to following your labels since there are different Neem Oils that even I was unaware of. I only ever used one brand......applied early AM or after the day's heat subsided in the cooler of the evening. I expect that advise would apply to any oil based application be they synthetic or natural such as Neem Oil.

I have read on these threads that Neem Oil was not sustainable. That is not true because the oil comes from the seed of the Neem Tree. If the market grows they can and will plant more trees. To further confuse the reader I have read that Neem oil comes from the Neem Tree without the fact that it is from the seeds and in no way harms the tree. Things like this appear now and again when we read about organic approaches to soil management. Responses sometimes reflect the vast amount of information some of which may be incorrect. Like any fruiting tree it takes a number of years for the tree to begin producing seed. I am sure the growers know all these facts and will adjust to the demand as it appears. They already have in some plantings if not all because the organic trends are growing. We have seen or are unaware of any product shortage related to the number of trees available for use.

Again I am real pleased that you are working with the nematoads. I will be more interested when you post your opinion on the use you have called on them to clear up in you gardens.

When I started going nearly 100% organic I think nematoads may not have even been considered as a major friendly approach. That was over fifty years ago almost before man made chemicals were even available. I have not changed much but I have eliminated growing a few items that are difficult to grow with out using some kind of help. My bet is that nematoads will come down in price as our use increases and more companies begin to grow them for the market. They can be produced very easily and should be far less expensive when the cash flow enables producing companies to greatly increase their production. I hope I am right on that opinion.

Doc,
although we use neem with some of the really difficult garden pest, I hate to use it because I know I'm killing lady bugs, lacewings, and the like that are hiding under leaves. I'm much more interested in natural growing plants that attract and give shelter to beneficial insects and biological methods, using beneficial nematodes and bacteria thuringiensis.
It's not easy to garden organically, I think it's takes even more effort gardening naturally. I'm trying to build an ecosystem in my garden that will eventually create a balance that we all can live with.

My best of the great wishes for you. Keep reading the vast available organic sites. One picks up a little here and a little there. This past fall I closed the pumpkin patch and also eliminated squash and also moved my cukes to pots on the patio edge away from where they have been telling me they do not wish to grow anymore. Small time rotation of crops but rotation for sure to areas unaffected by previous growth of the same. I have just scheduled the removial of my peach tree and one pear tree. The Asian Pears seem to be imune to fire blight. Once they are out and replaced with more blue berries my plants are down to resistant plants. This will go a long way getting me back to almost total organic with very little need for even Neem Oil except during a major issue like rust on the azalias. I have noted that only the tweny year old azalias seem to be affected. One of those has been removed also and replaced with a Knock Out Rose. So far the rose seems to be happy for the chance to out do an old azalia.

I got out of my patterns when attempting to grow giant pumpkins to many years in the same soil. That personal desire with a degree of insanity has been put to rest. I am not at all sure that pumpkins, squash and cukes can be grown without rotation and excellent soil management to avoid the need for nuking the heck out of things to beat the fungi ailments. If I am still gardening three or four years from now I may try to go back in to see what happens...but that is also unlikely due to my age and health situations. For now that area is back into grass.....as a long term cover crop. This year and most of last year I moved to potted plants and just a very small open flower garden holding some herbs and one tomato. This year two pepper plants are replacing the tomato and the tomatoes are in Topsy Turvy containers. They are a hoot. Fun to watch them growing upside down very well in potting mediums made from a part of the gardens that did not grow them last year. So far so good. All is well and doing fine. I will be eating tomatoes in about two weeks. That is early for our area. The first coming on are patio potted tomatoes. We have six different tomatoes in three Topsy Turvey set ups supported by an eight foot tripod right by the kitchen door. They will be 100% organic as it appears right now.

If I were younger I would try and follow your desired direction and believe I could do so very well. I would not have rows of anything. It would be a jungle more like nature grows weeds with lots of mulch. Onions and garlic mixed in with the total.

I started a new thread about polyculture gardening in the rose forum if you're interested
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1008141/