rhizo: Just in case you or any one else might be interested in the recipes that I was given for getting rid of spider mites, here is the list I was given: �Soap & Water - Mix a dilute solution of non anti-bacterial dish soap and water, and spray (fine mist) the leaves of your plant, particularly the underside where the mites like to live. May require multiple applications depending on how well you can cover each individual leaf of the plant. Make sure to rinse off the leaves with plain water 20 minutes after spraying in order to prevent the soap from clogging up the stomata on the leaves, which will stunt plant growth if not cared for. �Soap & Water Plus Version 1 - Gather 1/4 cup baking soda, 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 2 drops dish detergent & 1/4 teaspoon Epsom salt. Take one cup of hot water to dissolve Epsom salts and pour into a clean 2 liter container with the rest of the ingredients. Add water to fill to 48 ounces (a 2 liter bottle will be 3/4 full) and shake well. Put into a spray bottle and cover your soil/medium with plastic. With the lights off, mist the plant all over concentrating on the underside of leaves. Wait 20 minutes and spray off with clean fresh water, shaking as much water off the plant as you can. Solution is alkaline and rinsing is important in order to remove mites and eggs, and to prevent the solution from burning the plant leaves. Test on a small portion of the plant and wait 24 hours to observe before dousing the whole thing. If you see plant damage, dilute with more plain water and test again. �Soap & Water Plus Version 2 - Gather 1/2 cup baking soda, 1 cup vinegar, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 drops dish soap, mix and dilute with plain water to 40 fluid ounces. Use in the same manner as Version 1. Shown to work both indoor and out, with success on spider mites, thrips, aphids, clover mites, grass gnats and mosquitoes. �Soap & Water Variations - Since all plants will have varying degrees of sensitivity to these sprays, you can try to create your own by mixing water with a small amount of dish soap, as well as garlic, cinnamon, clove oil and lemon juice. �Rubbing Alcohol - This poisonous liquid can kill mites and evaporate relatively quickly in order to reduce harm to plants. Varying degrees of success have been reported with solutions ranging from 1:3 (light) to 1:1 (strong) ratios of rubbing alcohol to water. �Predatory Mites - These mites do not feed on plants but on other mites. Predatory mites can be mail-ordered from a horticultural warehouse or purchased online from gardening vendors. Three of the most common mites used to kill and control spider mites include Phytoseiulus persimilis, Metaseiulus occidentalis, and Phytoseiulus longpipes. The Phytoseiulus persimilis variety is nice because these guys cannibalizes on themselves after eating the problem mites, thereby reducing their own population naturally after they've finished their work. Phytoseiulus longpipes can stand higher temperatures, so if your grow space is above 89�F, you should try to find this variety. �Miticides - When all else has failed, miticides will be one of the most effective forms of spider mite treatment. You should generally try not to use these more than necessary, as they are considerably more toxic than all of the above treatments, and can also cause resistant strains of mites if used repeatedly over time on the same population of mites. Pyrethrins are natural organic compounds that provide potent insecticidal activity. While pyrethrins are slightly toxic, they are not very dangerous to humans and have been used as an organic crop dusting agent in agricultural farming as well as indoor agriculture for some time. You can also find them in some shampoos designed to remove lice/ticks from humans and pets. Riptide 5.0% Pyrethrin is a common solution that works well. Hope these may help others, Sheila

What is your soils pH? How much organic matter is in your soil? How well does that soil drain? How well does that soil retain moisture? How well dose that soil clod and also how well does that soil break apart from that clod? What kind of animal lif is in that soil? How balanced are the nutrients in that soil? Start by contacting your local office of the Michigan State University USDA Cooperative Extension Service about having a good, reliable soil test done so you know that your soils pH is and what if anything you might need do to correct that and what nutrients are in your soil and in what balance. You can also dig in with these simple soil tests, Structure. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. A good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top. 2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up. 3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart. 4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer you soil will smell. 5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy. to aid you in knowing more about your soil. Here is a link that might be useful: MSU CES

I gave up growing bells when HEB started selling those big red ones for 98 cents. Then a couple weeks ago they had them 2 for $1 and I went hog wild! Some got frozen, the rest I hickory smoke-dried and turned into chili powder, Those will be blended in with whatever hot pepper powder I end up with at season's end. Man what a great year this is turning out to be. :)

This article written by Evelyn, at Weidners, Southern California. Fuchsia Gall Mite is a West Coast fuchsia problem. You go out one day and notice that the growing tips of your fuchsia looks thickened and curled, maybe furry and reddish looking. Somehow it reminds one of a cancerous growth. What you are looking at is the results of a tiny microscopic mite called Aculops fuchsiae. This mite came in from Brazil into the northern California area in 1981. You need a good microscope to see this mite so don't bother looking for it. When the mite feeds it inject saliva into the leaves and they get this swollen distorted look, a little like peach leaf curl. Some fuchsias are supposed to be more mite resistant than others. We will have a few of those this summer but until we try it we don;t really know if they are more reistant or not. Fuchsia gall mite seems to be much worse in cool weather. How did you get this nasty little mite onto your beautiful fuchsias and what can you do about it. We'll try to help you with your problem. This mite is spread mostly by hummingbirds, but also by hands, wind and passing insects. Be careful as you are looking at your other fuchsias. I can see you now with a friend in the garden. . "Look! this fuchsia has gall mite, You hold the branch up to see it better. See the twisted leaves." You then walk over to another fuchsia, lift a branch up and examine the tips. "This one looks just fine. You triumphantly proclaim to your friend." Well, it may have been clean before but now you have spread a few mites onto your new fuchsia. You need to take off all the affected foliage, wear throw-away gloves and put your foliage in a plastic bag and throw it all away. Then you need to start to spray. There are a number of sprays that are supposed to be effective miticides. At the end of this page we will list all that we know about. We carry most of them at Weidners. Lots of nurseries will tell you to just throw away your plants. Thanks to one of our customers who tried and succeeded in solving her fuchsia gall mite problem with the spray Sevin. Here are her tips and she says they really worked. She used the spray called Sevin. We carry Sevin and also Isotox. We used to have 'cygon 2e but that is no longer available so Isotox is the next best. Both are good miticides. The new spray by Bayer called Rose Advance is also a possible spray. Now comes the important part. The four day schedule. You need to spray on a four day schedule at least 3 times. Think about it....the gall mite has a 21 day life and the gestation period for baby mites is 4 days. By spraying on a 4 day schedule you catch the little tiny baby mites as they hatch. If you wait to spray or only spray once then the mites can grow up and lay moreeggs and start to work again. After you have cut off the bad parts you need to spray thoroughly all the fuchsias that you have. Only fuchsias, this mite doesn't bother other plants. Watch carefully for any re-infestation and deal with it immediately. Here is a list of some of the other materials that are available to fight Fuchsia Gall Mites. Sevin, Isotox Insect Killer by Ortho, Bayer Rose Advance, Ultra Fine or other light Horticultural Oil sprays, Hot Pepper Wax. There may be other miticides out there that I do not know about. We have not tried these particular sprays so we are not making any recommendation. Always read the directions all the way through. Wear gloves, long sleeves or other protective clothing and wash up afterwards. When you have to spray it is better to spray thoroughly and only spray the plants that need it. A light spray can allow the insects to more easily develop immunity. Good Luck. Attack of Fuchsia Gall Mite