Neem Flakes are cold-pressed neem seed, worked into the soil rather than sprayed on leaves. What they carry is azadirachtin — the compound that makes neem neem. Azadirachtin interferes with insect moulting and feeding rather than killing on contact, which is why neem cake is worked into the root zone and left to do its work slowly, over weeks rather than in an afternoon. Prahas holds no CIB&RC registration, so what this page describes is the material and how to use it, not a treatment.
Add neem flakes directly into your potting mix at 1–2% by volume — approximately 50g per 5 litres of mix. Combine thoroughly with cocopeat and vermicompost before filling containers. Do not mix or apply Neem Flakes with Cow Manure yourself; use them separately according to their product guidance. The one place the two do belong together is Prahas Potting Soil, where the ratio is fixed in production rather than guessed at in a pot.
Pro Tip: For plants with a history of root mealy bugs or fungus gnats, increase to 2% and ensure neem is mixed evenly throughout the medium.
Sprinkle 20–30g of neem flakes around the base of established plants and gently fork into the top 3–4cm of soil. Water in well. The flakes will slowly release azadirachtin into the root zone over several weeks as they decompose.
Spread neem flakes across the bed at 50–100g per square metre. Dig or fork into the top 10–15cm of soil before planting. Worked in this way it stays in the root zone through the season, rather than washing out after a few waterings the way a surface application does.
For established garden beds, apply neem flakes as a surface dressing and water in. This is most effective as a preventive measure — apply before pest pressure appears rather than after an infestation is established.
Note: Neem works over 2–4 weeks. Do not expect immediate visible results — the pest population reduction is gradual as the hormonal disruption takes effect through the pest life cycle.