You're more forgiving and tolerant than I am. It did take me 3 tries to get a Bountiful Butternut to grow but they are the only place that has a self-pollinating "butternut" and one of those tries had more to do with the motorcycle running over it than Stark. One more try and I would've called it quits on them for nuts. I would either give up on them and try someone else or give up on that fruit. I've decided bare root grapes and strawberries were not for me from Stark or anyone else. I had given up on grapes for close to 15 years because of my trails with bare roots.

LIme sulfur is rather hazardous in the undiluted form but not once diluted. It is however bad for your sprayer to leave it in the sprayer - gunks up the little parts with crystals. You should always cover your skin and especially your face when spraying anything. Anything. Then change your clothes and take a shower with any kind of spray other than soap or oil. Lime sulfur is used to wash dogs to kill mites so how hazardous can it be?? all these dogs would be dropping dead. My dog groomer DH uses no gloves when he does so, not my recommendation but he's done it for years with no apparent ill effects. There could be subtle damage but obviously nothing severe, nothing I'd lose sleep over if I only used it occasionally in the garden, with gloves and face mask! Which is what I do. Do not dump undiluted pesticides down the sink. Professionals discard their unwanted pesticides by diluting and spraying them. you could also wait for your local trash handlers to have a Hazardous Materials collection day, which are organized specifically for things like pesticides and paint and batteries so they don't end up in the landfill or the sewage treatment plant or the local surface waters. But I think you're over reacting. I am very cautious with pesticides but I routinely use lime sulfur and I don't put the dogs in when I do. But I do wear gloves and rain gear and rubber boots and a face mask! and shower afterwards. I also prefer copper sulfate for peach leaf curl but lime sulfur is the dormant spray of choice for roses, and I use it in more dilute form during the growing season for blackspot. I consider it much less hazardous than Funginex or Daconil! As for the labelling differences between here and Oz - probably due to differing legal requirements. There are different kinds of toxicity. Environmental versus applicator, as you have noticed. Also concentrates differ in toxicity from diluted sprays. And different nontarget organisms will be affected differently by the same chemical. And something that might be known to cause immediate and irreversible eye damage in concentrate form might not be hazardous when diluted spray mists the skin. That's why the labels go into so much detail. And when they're talking about flaggers and mixers/loaders, they're talking about people who spend a 40 hr work week in close contact with pesticides, not the home gardener with brief contact on an occasional basis.

Maybe because of all the work you put in to keep them safe and sound for the big day. I do worry a bit when they first fledge, as that is when they're the most vulnerable. But so far, the babies have always been back. I'm sure your recent fledges will be back to visit you in no time, and you'll have that wonderful sense of having helped bring them safely into the world. For me it feels like such a gift to everyone to help bring more Bluebirds into the world. So pat yourself on the back and know you've done good!

OMG!! And here I thought that the '70's were long buried and growin' moldy!! How hilarious!! Didn't own any of those things myself - I was a college hippie-type who lived in jeans, Dr. Scholls sandals and whatever top came out on top of the heap in the dryer. H-m-m-m-m...come to think of it, that sorta still describes me....LOL!! Pat