An acid (like vinegar) will dissolve the deposits. I would use straight vinegar since it has never harmed any of my plants, and will still require several applications to remove heavy deposits. Diluting the vinegar will just make the process that much longer. It would be best to wait until the plant is dry before doing this so that you can thoroughly water it afterwards in order to flush away any excess vinegar that may be on the foliage and soil. Also, I would stop misting the plants. Misting only momentarily increases humidity, and the water left on the foliage can cause fungal growth and the hard water deposits you are seeing. -Chris

It has been established now that users of rotenone have developed Parkinson's Disease at a two hundred and fifty percent greater rate than the general population. I would be pissed if I bought vegetables that may be contaminated with this stuff. Rotenone is destructive to the liver as well as the nervous system in humans, and less than an ounce of it can kill a kid. Speaking of the N word, it's completely naive getting yourself in a situation where you feel you got to use this stuff, I'm with Kimmsr on this one, the purist approach follows a deeper philosophy and understanding of how nature really works. Better planning simply makes the whole job just that more pleasant with the organic approach. The purist approach has worked in our garden extremely well for over five years now, it is simply less work and more effective in every way. Part of the purist approach for me is low nitrogen, high nitrogen even when completely organic causes a lot of infestations becuase it temporarily weakens the plant. I bet everyone who is an advocate of organic pesticides is a high nitrogen advocate. I scarcely bother with nitrogen anymore, focusing on micronutrients and carbon. I've been very surprised how many fewer problems I've had since almost completely backing off on nitrogen fertilization. The university says it's the only major shortage of my soil. Bah humbug, I grow just about everything under the sun, fruit, vegetables, vines, bushes, trees... you name it and I live in Dallas, very tough weather. No infestations, no diseases, it's been a great learning experience defying conventional wisdom but totally fun. When I laid off the high nitrogen, I noticed, no more attacks. The purist approach for me never had anything to do with politics or an existential gaia angst, I'm a right winger, it just clicked in my head one day that organic gardening should be cheaper, easier, and superior in every way. I stopped trying to mimic conventional gardening by substituting an organic product for a synthetic one, I got out of this line of thinking. Proper irrigation helps enormously as well in preventing disease and attacks. Nothing has lead me to change this thinking as the results have whispered in my ear for quite some time, now.

I think that IPM man is trying to make a point, egrety, that the term 'organic' can be a difficult one to nail down. It truly means so many different things to different people. In the true chemical sense, the term 'organic' refers to substances with carbon atoms as part of their structure. Others use the term to indicate substances that are natural (not made-made). To some, the word means something that was once living. Lots of folks use it to indicate (so called) non-chemical pesticides, (so called) safe pesticides, etc. What do YOU mean when you use the word "organic'? Regarding the pruning question...luckily, boxwood is one of the many plants that respond very well to hard pruning, and can even be cut all the way to the ground in one fell swoop in what is called 'rejuvenation pruning'. Rejuvenation pruning is often more desirable than shearing or stubbing, which may result in deformed shrubs. Whether or not you want to take on the task is a matter of personal choice. Shrubs that have been cut all of the way back usually grow back robustly and evenly, often being far more attractive than ever. However, it may take awhile, depending on how tall you wish your plants to be. And plants aren't going to grow as rapidly in Woodbridge as they might in a warmer climate. And then there's the very real possibility (a likelihood) that the leaf miners will return again to wreak havoc on your recovering boxwood. It is very difficult to control a pest when you are providing them with THE plant they prefer above all others. Please do some research about the efficacy of neem oil. You'll learn that not only does it provide a barrier that may repel the adults from laying eggs and even reduce their life span and egg laying ability, but it also affects the life cycle of the larvae. It is considered an IGR (insect growth regulator) for those pests that feed on neem treated plant tissues. But be mindful of the fact that even a plant based, organic product such as neem still needs to be used with care. (This is true for anything you might use!) When used properly and according to label directions, it is safe and highly effective for the control of a wide variety of plant feeding pests...without providing a significant problem for beneficials. It also has some excellent disease fighting qualities, too.

Fire ants make mounds and not holes. The mounds start out small and become larger as the colony population increases. These mounds look rather innocent until you disturb them, and ALL of the ants boil out of the mound all at once. Again, there is never a discernible hole. I never worry about ants in my yard and garden, other than fire ants. Fire ants can be a problem for humans, pets, bird nests, beneficial insect eggs and larvae, and such.