I am truly sorry if I offended anyone here, I do not want to tell anyone what judgements they should be making for their own property. I do agree that things such as this on a small home-garden scale are nowhere near as impactful as the large scale commercial operations, but every little bit helps. I personally can't condone using something at home that I would actively try & stop any company from using to make their profit. It seems counter productive. That and I do not want the possibility of endangering any of my pets if they happen to get in my garden, or any one else's pets that wonder into my yard, or any of the birds that eat from my feeders.. and so on and so forth. If I can persuade anyone here to avoid chemicals as much as possible that is a small victory. I do not pretend to be an expert on the issue, but I have read enough to know that it is a big issue, it gets absolutely no coverage in the media, it is only getting worse, and very little is being done to find a solution. I truly hope that some of you might put some research into this topic because the impact it has on the environment affects all of us. Maybe if more people learn about the issue a change can be made. I added a link to a recent study from Harvard. Jessica Here is a link that might be useful: Harvard study on neonicotinoids.

It appears that the reference that I gave about the problems of wood mulches and the advantage of compost could use some backing up by more primary scientific material. The link below is to an Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet, Plant Pathology, 2021 Coffey Road, Columbus, Ohio 43210 Title: "Control of Nuisance and Detrimental Molds (Fungi) in Mulches and Composts" Please note the following and put in context of the full article (also note the appearance of statements such as "These bacteria compete with fungi to reduce the potential for the development of major mold problems.") "The best way to avoid all these problems and bring about beneficial effects by mulching is to add nitrogen to woody and hardwood bark products followed by composting to lower the carbon to nitrogen ratio. Blending of grass clippings with wood wastes before composting is one way to achieve this. Addition of poultry manure or urea to supply 1.2 lbs. available nitrogen per cubic yard of material satisfies the nitrogen need also. Some landscapers add 10-15% by volume composted sewage sludge to hardwood bark or wood wastes, and this makes an ideal product that has performed very well in landscapes. These amended products should be composted at least six weeks. This process kills plant pathogens, eggs of insect pests, and produces a nitrified product that releases plant nutrients rather than ties up nitrogen. As mentioned above, the microorganisms that have colonized these products reduce the potential for growth of nuisance fungi and provide control of many plant diseases" "What to Do Once the Problems Occur Sometimes very little can be done to control nuisance fungi other than to spade the mulch into the surface soil layer followed by soaking with water. Another option is to remove the mulch, place it in a heap after thorough wetting to allow for self-heating to occur (110-140 degrees F). This will kill nuisance fungi. If fresh dry mulch is placed on top of mulch colonized by nuisance fungi, the problems may occur again the following year or even earlier. The best control strategy for homeowners and landscapers is to purchase composted products low in wood content. Fresh, finely ground woody products should be avoided for many reasons unless composted first. Coarse fresh woody products are much less likely to cause problems unless applied too deep. It is important to soak all mulches immediately after they have been applied. Generally, mulches should not be applied to a depth greater than two inches. Mulches and composts applied in this manner provide many types of beneficial effects rather than nuisance problems, or worse, plant diseases. Sour mulches should be avoided altogether." Here is a link that might be useful: link for above

Thank you, Henry for that link. Very good info. from Dr. Kuska's link: "Dr. Kremer further shared his thoughts on the big claim of the biotech industry that we need GMOs to feed the world. He also discussed their claim of decreased use of pesticides. There has been a 527 million pound increase in pesticide use since the introduction of transgenic crops." More info. from Dr. Kremer, a soil microbiology professor: " They noticed that every time that they checked this GMO crop that the roots were loaded up with the fungus, Fusarium. Fusarium is a fungus that can be potentially pathogenic. He said his concern was that here we have this new release of crops that are tolerant to Glyphosate yet their root system are piled up with this fungi. He has evaluated several GMO crops over the past 17 years and continues to see increased fungi on their roots." I wish people would quit messing up nature, or what God has created. I find out that I'm allergic to the oil-wax used to coat citrus fruits (esp. lemons). When I use ORGANIC lemons without the oily wax, I have no problems. I find out that they also use cottonseed oil and fungicides to wax lemons. I have a history of being allergic to preservatives such as fungicides Sodium Benzoate and Potassium Sorbate in foods. To be safe, I no longer dunk lemons into water like I used to. Here's an excerpt from below link: " There are 21 fruits and vegetables that may be waxed: apples, avocados, bell peppers, cantaloupes, cucumbers, eggplants, grapefruits, lemons, limes, melons, oranges, parsnips, passion fruits, peaches, rutabagas, tomatoes and turnips. The waxes sometimes contain fungicides. Both the waxes and the fungicides are used to prevent spoilage, the former to retard moisture loss and prevent shriveling, the latter to prevent mold. Any fungicide allowed on the produce as it is grown may also be applied after harvesting, whether under the wax, in combination with it or alone. Seven fungicides are approved for use on food crops after harvesting. Of those only one, benomyl, has undergone a complete review by the EPA. Others are: thiabendazole, ortho-phenylphenol, sodium ortho-phenyl phenate, imazalil, dicloran and sodium borate. The EPA has classified benomyl a possible human carcinogen. In test animals, the chemical has caused birth defects, low sperm counts and mutations. Benomyl is registered for post-harvest use on apples, apricots, bananas, cherries, citrus fruits, mushrooms, nectarines, peaches, pears, pineapples and plums, either with wax or alone." http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/32358/does-wax-on-citrus-fruit-make-the-zest-unsafe-to-eat-or-compromise-its-flavor Another excerpt from above link to solve the problem with wax on citrus fruits, which impart a bitter taste to the citrus zest. "I've always just used warm (not hot) water, dish soap, and a soft brush to de-wax before zesting, and I've always been happy with the results. However, this question made me curious; in addition to beeswax, apparently carnauba (familiar from the carwash) and shellac are allowed."

Came back to this thread to check on Comte de Chambord, yes, Val grows it, and I agree that needs loamy soil, lots of rain, and healthier if alkaline. Comte is rooting easily in my wet baggie, and rooted easily in heavy out-door rain, while other cuttings rot. Comte has aggressive root and can root easily in alkaline sand, but I need to make my rooting-medium more acidic for the cuttings which are harder to root. Pink Pet definitely likes dry/loamy soil and warmer climate (Val's pic. is awesome). But died in my soaking wet clay last winter.