Gardener's chewed-up plants ignite neem oil debate: 'Safe to say [it] didn't work'

A frustrated gardener's photo of heavily chewed brassicas sparked a lively debate on Reddit after they summed up their pest-control efforts with one blunt conclusion: "Safe to say Neem Oil didn't work."

The post quickly gained attention as home gardeners weighed in on whether neem oil is overrated — or simply being used against the wrong type of pest.

In a post shared on the r/gardening subreddit, a Texas gardener in USDA Zone 8b explained that they had been manually removing pests and spraying neem oil on both sides of their plants every few days. Despite the effort, their brassicas were still badly damaged.

The gardener asked the community what to try next and specifically wondered whether BT, short for Bacillus thuringiensis, might be a better option.

The conversation quickly evolved into a broader discussion about neem oil's reputation as a popular "natural" garden treatment.

Some commenters dismissed it entirely.

"Neem oil is the biggest scam in horticulture," one user wrote.

Others argued the issue was not the product itself but how and when it was used.

One commenter wrote: "Neem oil doesn't work on leaf munchers like cabbage butterfly larvae or flea beetles. It's more effective on leaf tissue suckers like aphids or scale insects. First lesson in pest management is to know what's causing damage and how and therefore what type of treatment. You would be better treating with Bt or spinosad for things in the cabbage family."

The discussion resonated because it reflects a common frustration for backyard growers: There is rarely a single miracle solution. Choosing the wrong treatment can waste money, time, and entire crops, especially during difficult growing seasons marked by intense heat or heavy insect pressure.

For many growers, identifying the pest correctly is the most important step.

The original poster said they planned to combine multiple strategies moving forward, including installing bug cloth and covering the garden with 40% shade cloth to help protect the plants and extend the growing season.

Several commenters said BT is often a better fit for caterpillars on cabbage-family plants, while insecticidal soap, neem, or other methods may be better suited to different insects.

"It's the perfect 'pesticide,'" another Reddit user commented. "It's a bacterium that only harms caterpillars (bee friendly), is non-toxic (unless you chug the powder), easy to apply and perfectly protects the crop for 6+ weeks."

In short, many users argued that pest control works best as a combination approach rather than a single miracle fix.

The original poster appeared ready to embrace that multistep approach.

"I will attack this with a combination of small arms fire and hand to hand techniques," they joked.

After receiving more advice, the OP added: "I'll nuke them off with one of the nuclear options mentioned here then the bug cloth that just arrived will go on to keep the damage to a minimum going forward."

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