kasha - good to see you, and, oh my goodness! You sure got your brug groove going on, huh? LOL And I just might take you up on that offer come spring. How did your bananas do and other tropical type stuff do? Lucy - I wondered where you were. You are usually the first one to respond. Glad to see ya! And hope you have a great 2010 also! eloise - I don't mind being laid off so much, but having warning ahead of time would have helped. I can save money like nobody's business so lay offs usually aren't bad. In fact, they're often a great time to get done those little chores that we always put off. But man, I know kids are expensive, but my GS is like a high maintenance teenage girl. And I've got one of those, too! LOL Take care, people! I'll be back soon!

Actually lot of trail by error!!!LOL I mix a lot of this myself,Bagged cow manure,thats been composted with a lot of peat and coarse sand,and fine pearlite if I can find it,usually a 30/30/30 mix of all of them combined. About once a month I mix a little liquid iron in with the watering,really seems to keep everything green and lush!

I managed to get rid of some mealy bugs that were infesting a potted fern, both on the leaves and in the soil. It meant spraying the fern daily with half meths half water for a couple of weeks. I also drenched the soil in the pot with some Amway organic cleanser mixed with rainwater. Had to do this about 3 times, 1 week apart too. Finally won the battle! I don't know how this would work for plants in the ground though, because they would soon be back. Soap products aren't too good around frogs either. Might have to resort to a systemic like Confidor (I've never used it though.)

The Bayer 3 in 1 works as both a drench and a systemic. It’s supposed to keep working for up to 6 months. With a few thorough sprayings over the the course of a few weeks, you’ve killed off all adults and the young. There are none left to reproduce. Once inside, if there are no spider mites present on other plants, you won’t have an infestation all winter. Im not trying to argue. all I’m saying is the Bayer 3 in 1 works really well when it comes to spider mites. As I mentioned, I did state this stuff is for outdoor use only and that you should wear a mask when using. Im mainly saying this for someone to think about next late summer before their plants come in If they don’t want to battle mites. When the plant is already inside, you can keep their numbers down, but if it’s a large plant, you probably won’t get rid of them till they go back outside. This is is my personal experience with my large Ficus tree. Spider mites love it, no matter how healthy it is, they go right for it. However, the natural predators keep their numbers low enough during the outdoor months to not cause any problems. If once they come inside on a plant, into a dry house with low humidity where they have no predators, that their propulation explodes.