I recently declared war on a stealthy spider mite incursion that seems to have become widespread when I looked away just for a second late this summer. I have been "Neeming" and insecticidal soaping recently and am going with biological warfare later this week! Predatory mites! They should arrive Wed. I hope they come in little ninja outfits though my daughter thinks pirates would be cooler. In any event I have an AOS recipe from the Judy White series among others. Mix 1 pt 70% isopropyl ETOH with an equal volume of Formula 409, top off mixture with R/O water to 1 gallon and spray away. Not great on thinner flowers, but then neither are bugs. Using R/O is better that hard water. One of the Growers put this up as his secret weapon against all manner of insects except maybe hard scale, which he attacks with this solution and a Q-tip. I found this on the AOS web site (members section) under great ideas. He claims they use no insecticide at all, but immediately spot treat any trouble with this stuff. I have been spraying with Neem due to said infestation and am mixing per the bottle directions. The label from DynaGro Neem directs me thusly; 1 1/2 tsp Neem with 1 1/2 tsp ProTek (works as a surfactant/spreader and disperses the Neem nicely) in 500 1 quart R/O water. It offers that mild dish soap is fine too, and someone suggested that Doggy Flea and Tick shampoo might be good too, though I have not done this. I think the pet shampoos are all more or less pyrethrin based. Remember you have to use it within around 4 hours or it looses potency. It is my understanding that the false spider mite - Phalenopsis mite can be a tough bugger, but properly applied Neem should reduce your burden of bad bugs. I have been tossing in a few drops of Safer Insecticidal Soap to my Neem brew for extra muscle but not because of science but because it make me feel like I am doing something extra nasty to those little buggers. I have read somewhere that mixing dormant oils and soaps is bad form but cannot recall the source. Mixing ETOH with anything dramatically reduces the amount needed for lethality due to enhanced penetration of the agent through the insects coating. It also dramatically will enhance the amount YOU can absorb through your skin so use good sense. If you have access the AOS Judy White article on pests is a very good resource. Good luck comrade! Death to Mites!

Gee, I don't remember posting in the Organic Gardening or Organic Lawncare section of Gardenweb. But since you have to push your unwanted beliefs and criticisms on everyone: I do do research. I do know exactly what plants I am treating and exactly what problem I am treating. In this one case, since I haven't encountered it before, I don't know the difference between downy and powdery mildew. I'm not an expert on mildews. I do what is safe. Would I prefer to use a chemical, that has the POTENTIAL to be dangerous when used incorrectly, to save a plant instead of having it die? Yes. I absolutely would. Would I use it correctly? Yes. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out how to read a label and to follow the directions. Would I prefer to use something that has been PROVEN to work, instead of wasting my valuable time and money on things that haven't been proven? I definably would use what has been proven to work instead of things that "might" or "maybe" or "probably" would work. And I certainly don't need you or other people telling me how to garden on my own private property and on my own plants. And it is private, I have many acres all to myself with no one else around. I've done more for this environment in my short life than many people have done over a long lifetime. Don't you dare preach to me about how to treat the environment when I've put actual blood, sweat and tears into it. I don't play in to this whole organic nonsense when what makes the organic list is constantly being changed around due to pressure the big growers place on the politicians due to what they can afford or not. The truth of the matter is that companies who say that they're organic are usually stretching the truth because they know that placing that one magic word on their label is going to have gullible people flocking to their product. And those gullible people are going to feel smug, self satisfied and proud of themselves because they spent the extra money to buy that product, even though they're driving to work in their big cars, they're cutting down trees to have lawns, they encourage organic farms that have compost running into natural water ways, (which is just as dangerous as synthetic fertilizers) and all the other selfish things that they conveniently forgot about, or is made okay by their purchasing organic products as a trade off. And they just love to shake their heads in disapproval at the people who can't afford to pay the extra money for that product with the organic label. It's disgusting that those people think that people who can't afford to buy special organic products don't care about the environment. My 6th grade science teacher who was constantly trying to get her students interested in the environment so they'll learn to care about it can't afford to buy a $5 bag of organic vegetables when the non-organic bags are just $3. Especially when she sacrificed her cost of living increase for the kids and especially when she's feeding a family of five. The wildlife rehabilitator that I've worked side by side with can't afford to shop at Roots and those other specialty organic shops. All her salary and any change goes straight to helping the animals. And many of those great organic products have been recalled or should be recalled because they're so dangerous. Just like, you guessed it, non-organic products. Get over yourself.

Barbra sorry that I am just now getting back to this thread. I don't remember exactly what plants I brought you, but if Cat Whiskers is one of them, I've never had it survive anything below about 27 deg. The X Ruttyruspolia came back from the roots after seeing 17 deg. last year. The mother Calidora (Persian Palm) comes back, but I would protect the seedlings I brought, if you got one of those. Do the same with 'Mojito'. Those will survive next winter if planted out in the spring. If there were any others you are courious about, if you will tell me what they are, I'll try to help. Jim

The more I think about it, the more I like the idea. The principal (or the head of the guidance department) will know who is trustworthy, and they can tell you what is a fair wage too. They can even email you photos of bunting decorations for their proms, etc decor and tell you who the students were who were on those decoration committees that might be interested in looking for work. This would not be the right time for you to fall off a ladder, or strain your back from overwork. This would also be helpful for you for later on too, as you might find the strong young man with his friends to rearrange your furniture (for a higher wage) as you change your mind a few times, to mow your lawn, to shovel your snow, and maybe even do some of the gardening. (Just be sure to check the location of the in ground irrigation, the water lines and all other utilities and clearly mark them before you give anyone a shovel.) The energy of older teens is awesome, and their work ethic and ambition should be encouraged, too.