We use a combination of Nickel Plus and K-Phite. It's working great. We spray with both, using a sticker-spreader we got at Tractor Supply. We also add their blue dye now, because it helps us see where we have missed a spot. It isn't very easy to see through goggles, with sweat pouring down in your eyes. Just avoid spraying any blossoms, unless you are really desperate for a blue daylily. We were advised to spray once a week for 3 weeks, then wait 3 weeks before spraying again. I've only sprayed once this fall, since it has been raining off and on ever since. Occasionally, I will have a plant that shows sign of rust, but nothing like it was before I started using the nickel. I wouldn't use anything else. Well, let me take that back. I am going to try some Actinovate on just a few isolated and unimportant plants to see how it works. The only thing I don't like is having to don all that protective gear, but I wouldn't have it otherwise. I'm very cautious. We use goggles, a special pesticide mask we bought at Lowes, chemical gloves (also at Lowe's), rubber boots and a yellow rain slicker. My hubby and our yardman refuse to put on a garbage bag drawstring skirt, but if I'm doing the spraying, I wear that, too. I'll have to get my hubby to take a picture of me in that fancy outfit so everyone can get a good laugh. When the weather is warm, we get very sweaty in all that garb! We start very early in the morning while it is still cool. We have a big tank sprayer on wheels we pull behind our riding lawn mower. It runs on the lawn mower battery. We got an extra length of hose so we can cover more territory. One of us drives the lawn mower while the other sprays. I could do it by myself, but it takes longer to have to keep stopping to move the mower ahead. We wash the tank out thoroughly after spraying and run clear water through the wand when we have finished. Aren't you cold climate people lucky??? Nancy

Hello Everyone, @orgmacdonald : I am glad your problem was solved, as I suspected it was caused by the basic sites on the hydroton which have now been neutralized. This is a very common problem with this type of expanded clays which is increased when they are stored for long periods. For the past two weeks I did measurements of basic sites and surface area of a similar product to confirm this, as I suspected basic sites increase with storage time as a consequence of oxygen presence (storage in an enriched oxygen atmosphere increases basic site regeneration rate). The fizz, as the rep mentioned, should a consequence of the decomposition of the surfactant you used which degrades as he mentioned not a product of carbonate reaction as this would have been observed earlier - upon acid addition - as james mentioned. @lucas : I do not wish to make a part of the argument currently being carried out (side-tracking this topic) but I do think I must encourage you - without any offense intended - to look at how you are negatively contributing to this forum. Calling names and initiating such pointless arguments does not benefit anyone and in fact removes any possible intellectual benefit people may take from discussion that may be carried out here. Instead of putting the blame on others you should review the discussions you have participated in and how this has affected their quality and their point. Provocation and personal discussions do not belong in technical forums, especially when helping others deal with problems. So - for the sake of discussion - I invite you to become less offensive and more geared towards listening and helping. I do not mean to offend or lecture you in anyway but I encourage you to participate in a more productive manner :o) I will however refrain from commenting any further as this is just an opinion I want to give, not something I want to make this topic about. Best Regards, Daniel

Zands, I agree that its not necessary to "Pug" any or all mango trees. I think "pugging" is only suggested for people that want to try and grow their trees "short and wide" trying to achive a shorter trunk...as opposed to letting nature take its course and letting the tree grow naturally. Pugging is best for people that grow in pots/containers or if they have a small yard and want to maintain a more Dwarf tree for easy protection from freeze and if the trees are short...an added bonus is much easier to pick the fruits. If you notice Harry's tree, it has a much taller trunk than what a "pugged" tree would have. But, it is definitely not necessary to "pug" mango trees at all. They will branch out on their own regardless if you pugged it or not. Main difference is it will grow much taller and will reach its maximum height. I pug mine basically because I want to keep my trees small and short so its easier to take care of.

A lot of comments here plus and minuses but Hurd is no longer so you can take Hurds name out of the picture . They were bought by Sierra Pacific which has almost 2,000,000 acres of land where they produce trees that make most of the window products that are out . Nobody mentioned in any of these comments that Sierra Pacific actually made all the wood in frames for Andersen Windows for years and others. They just need a facility that was set up for making windows. All their equipment has changed and one, I saw about the H3 window being three different materials that has to do with solar efficiency. It's harder for heat and cold to transfer through three different materials then one or two. Bravo Sierra Pacific! For the glass issue a bunch of people had , comments they're all made by cardinal glass , which is the same as marvin Andersen Pella Beechworth etc. etc. The problem they had with the glass is they had heat mirror which is two layers of glass with a filament to separate the glass which had air breathing strip in the corners that would separate hot and cold. That is where the condensation starter from . If you use a lighter and put up your glass and you have a Hurd window you'll see two blue flames and one red in the middle that means you have heat mirror . It was just a technology thing like everything else that failed in Products all over the world. It put them out of business but that does not reflect on Sierra Pacific. I've been in the window business for 30+ years and use to use Hurd installed service and sold all the time and have switched to Marvin but if I were to do it again I would choose Sierra Pacific H 3 . Try going outside in the winter and put your tongue on a metal pole weather aluminum or steel and see what happens. Try going outside and put your tongue on wood that's attached to vinyl that's attached to aluminum and see what happens . Heat and cold can't transfer through three materials nearly as fast as one or two. Common logic should be your decision. Thanks Dave ! A Marvin Anderson Beechworth Sierra pacific and not so want to be Pella Kool-Aid pusher