" and think the antiseptic approach is possibly based on research in the field of human medicine and the somewhat perilous logical leap of faith that it applies to plants in the same way, although their defense mechanisms have almost nothing in common with animals." Harvestman...I suspect you are spot on about this or at least mostly so. I too have always had a hunch this was the case. I am sure however that viruses and bacterial infections could be spread by dirty pruners. I say this because I've seen open wounds in trees I've had become infected. We know the viruses etc exist because we can see them under high power magnification. We also know for a fact that these "bad guys" can be killed with disinfectants because we can see that too. There is an apple breeding video on YT (12 part Lubera in Switzerland / Germany) in which they describe how fireblight resistance is quantified. The trees are simply inoculated with the viral strain and then they see what the results are. Videos and literature always prescribe pruning shear/tool disinfecting. Having said all that, when watching production professionals pruning/grafting I rarely see them disinfecting their tools. My take on the whole thing is this: I think disinfecting pruners almost certainly lessens the likelihood of cross infection whether bacterial, fungal or viral, but in high speed production pruning it's benefits are probably not great enough to warrant the significant amount of extra time required to carry it out. Professionals (like yourself) have recognized this through a lot of experience and so dispense with this time consuming step. I, like copingwithclay, also disinfect everything (hands, fingers, knife, shears, levering tools etc) and act as though I'm doing open heart surgery on a human in my every move. All the while in doing this though, I know I'm probably just wasting time. Thing is...it's time I have usually so I don't mind. Like you, I too would like to see data on this and I have to think somebody somewhere probably have done such tests, but I've never seen or read anything about it.

I'm kind of surprised this subject and discussion is being tolerated in an organic forum. Alcohol is a disinfectant - meaning it kills "germs," like beneficial bacteria and fungi. The organic approach is to grow healthy plants with a healthy supply of bacteria and fungi that are resistant to the sucking insects. Down here in San Antonio we find that foliar spraying every two weeks with liquid seaweed (3 ounces per gallon of water) strengthens the plants to resist most sucking insects including (if not especially) spider mites. I'm experimenting with a milk spray (3 ounces or less per gallon) to see if it works as well for a whole lot less hassle and cost. I know the organic approach works on aphids. My roses suffered 8 years of aphids before I went organic. Since 2001 I have not seen an aphid on them. Your mileage may vary, but that's the no-kiddin truth at my house. All I do is topdress the rose beds with an inch of compost every spring and fertilize with a handful per plant of ordinary corn meal every month. We had been composting during the years of aphid infestation, but when we added the corn meal, the aphids disappeared. Another example of organic approach working is from a local organic experimenter who gave me a tour of his greenhouse. He pulled out three small plants in 4 inch pots. The three plants were all touching pot rims and the plant canopies were intermingled. He slid the tray out and showed me that only one of the three plants had aphids on it. It was pretty well covered while the other two plants were aphid free. The only difference was the soil. All three were growing in Wal-Mart potting mix but the two without aphids had been amended with compost, greensand, and ground basalt sand. I realize that three plants do not make a very serious experiment, but in the entire greenhouse, there was only one plant with aphids. Before that I had assumed that once a greenhouse was penetrated by aphids, the entire place had to be quarantined. Guess not.

Unfortunately, alchohol doesn't touch PM, but Lysol does. Just hold the can away from the plant and spray above it, so the Lysol settles, rather than spraying directly on the plant. One caveat; Lysol *will* damage the flowers. I've never tried the milk. I believe it changes the pH. Once you get rid of the PM, you need to look into your culture. Either there's too much humidity, not enough air circulation, or both. Fix it to help keep it away. Good luck. Korina 'Give her hell for us, Peeves.' -Fred Weasley (or was it George?)

Some folks, like my mom, only make ice cream with a custard base. Mom thinks anything else is not worth eating. I, being the modern, cutting-edge, foodista (that's a joke folks!), have made ice cream with such exotic ingredients as Greek yogurt, eschewing a cooked custard base. Below is a cooked custard recipe from The Kitchn: Basic Custard Ice Cream Base 3 cups dairy (whole milk, heavy cream, or a mix) 1 cup sugar 8 egg yolks pinch of salt 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional) Have a strainer in a bowl ready over an ice bath. Bring the dairy to a simmer in a medium pot over medium-high heat--about 5 minutes. Watch it carefully so it doesn't boil over. Remove from heat as soon as you see bubbles forming and let sit until it's cooled to room temperature--about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, beat the eggs, sugar, and pinch of salt into a thick paste. When the dairy has cooled, stream it in while stirring the egg mixture. Once combined, return everything to the pan and cook over medium-low heat. Stir gently in an "S" shape, being sure to scrape the bottom of the pan. The sauce is ready when it looks silky, has thickened so it coats the back of a wooden spoon, and has reached a temperature of about 170-degrees. Strain it into a bowl set over an ice water bath and stir in the vanilla. When cooled, freeze mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Here is a link that might be useful: Custard Base for Ice Cream from The Kitchn