Thanks for the follow-ups. Alex, they are there all the time. I tried searching it on google, but was unable to find anything previous to my first post- I will look up "guttation" and see what I can learn about it. I don't see any aphids on the peach tree, but it is definitely sticky. I don't notice any damage to the young leaves, but I do have (perhaps from a caterpillar?) holes chewed in the leaves and bites otherwise taken out. This is my first time growing fruit trees, so I'm not really sure what the leaves on a peach should look like- they are generally folded together until they get larger and then unfurl and they have an arc shape to them (the spine arcs). Is this normal?

It looks like the beginnings of black spot, but the photo really isn't clear enough. Black spot can only be prevented not cured. If you start spraying now, the new leaves will be protected. None of the BS things you list will work at all on BS. If you choose to use organic means of control, horticultural sulpher is the most effective choice, at approximately 40% control in my trial. It can burn foliage in heat. Never mix it with any oil treatment any closer than a couple of weeks apart. The two combined will fry your foliage. As has been said, the most effective organic black spot control is your shovel and your willingness to use it to remove prime offenders from your garden. That's a 100% cure. There are plenty of fungicides that are discussed on the regular rose forum that also provide close to 98% control if you should decide to try to keep the plants you already have and want better control than organic means can provide.

I have not used it but intend to try. I see from previous posts that there is a lot of use of neem oil against aphids and perhaps fungus diseases. I suppose these may be valid uses and I may try for those later. My current outlook is for Japanese Beetles. Granted, this application does not apply to tomatoes but some of the information I have dug up may be useful. My motivation for trying neem against Japanese Beetles is that I saw a bulletin from Purdue University that suggests neem oil (with azadirachtin)!!! may be effective as a repellent. Continuing my "research" I found that there is a large variety of neem products, and that the formulations vary considerably. I also suspect that the variation in formulas may be a large contributory factor in reports I've seen that neem oil is ineffective. Now, back to the azadirachtin. This is a name for what is considered to be the principal active ingredient in neem oil. It derives from the species name of the neem tree, which is Azadirachta Indica. The compound can be isolated and has been synthesized. It is regarded as an insecticide and fungicide and according to the Purdue release as a potential repellent. If you look and consider carefully you will find that most of the "neem oil" products on the market contain none of this compound or as little as possible. It turns out that neem oil is routinely processed in such a way that its components are separated. In fact, there is an EPA standard for two products resulting from the processing One is the azadirachtin, which is removed by processing neem oil with alcohol. Don't ask me what happens to it after it is removed, where it is used or even if it is used because I don't know. The remaining product is known as "clarified hydrophobic extract of neem oil" and this is the fraction that you will find in almost all products on the market that claim to contain neem oil. Exactly what the benefits of this product are - again, I don't know but at present I take it to be little more than a fine grade of horticultural oil. Additionally, some of the "neem" products are even more vague in their specification of ingredients, where the active ingredient may be shown as "potassium salts of fatty acids" (Bon-Neem). I take this to be the same ingredient as the "clarified extract" but have no specific information on that assumption. There are other products available. One is Safer's Bio-Neem which actually is specified on its label to contain .09% of azadirachtin (900 parts peer million). You can also obtain products which are claimed to be something like the pure pressed oil of the neem seed and these are claimed to have an azadirachtin content of up to 1800 ppm. I'm trying to determine which product(s) to use and how. Aside from manufacturer recommendations, which I consider to be generally worthless, I find little other than hearsay. If anyone has done more research or has more accurate information, I would be delighted to see it Link: http://www.epa.gov/opp00001/biopesticides/ingredients/factsheets/factsheet_025007.htm For now, Rotsa Ruck!

That is not spider mite webbing. And the mites themselves are so tiny they cannot be seen with the naked eye.....unless you knock then off onto a sheet of white paper (they will show up as microscopic specks of dust :-)). If you suspect mites, the best thing you can do is treat your plants to a thorough shower.....in the sink, in the shower or outside with a hose if a large plant. Mites hate moisture and humidity and maintaining the humidity at an adequately high level - always a challenge with indoor houseplants - will go a long way in discouraging them. Just make sure you are very thorough - top and bottom of all the foliage and down into the stems. I don't find insecticidal soap all that effective against either the mites or the mealies and would prefer to use neem oil for this purpose. But if you do opt for the soap, I would use a proper prepared horticultural insecticidal soap, not something made from household ingredients. They are not at all the same.