Hey Aaron, saw your aug 22 pics. Nice Mugo pines Nice plant.

Since you don't have any real bud mass yet, you can still neem it. It's when the buds are starting to fatten that you want to avoid spraying them, becasue as they grow the odor of neem oil will cling to them. You can still spary the low leaves after that though, which isn't a bad idea outdoors where who-all knows what pests are lurking.