Please note spinosad though it approved for organic farming doesn’t mean it can’t be harmful. For example sulfur is approved for fungal issues but you don’t want to eat or drink it or get it on your skin, body, eyes. etc. You have detergents, things like floor cleaners, alcohols, bug sprays for indoors, etc but they will make you sick or kill you if ingested. Doesn’t mean because it’s approved for home use that it’s safe if used off label directions. People buy stuff all the time and never think to read the label or check the website for complete instructions. SPINOSAD is highly toxic to bees and I worry about it around any pollinators or even my hummers — anything around the flowers or pollen. I would never use when bees etc are active. So I use it before sun comes up and after sunset when most bees etc have gone to nests or settled for the night. Keep in mind besides the bees which you need to pollinate your veggies and fruits or even to get seed pods for self seeding plants or for seed to harvest and re- plant — if you are a butterfly lover — spinosad will kill them. So don’t use it around butterfly plants where they will lay eggs. Know the butterflies you want to keep, what plant they lay eggs on that then feed on the same plants as they become bigger caterpillars that then grow up to be beautiful butterflies. Check the National Pesticide Cemter for this synthetic man made chemical. Note — Spinosad topical suspension is a novel neurotoxin indicated for the treatment of head lice in children 6 months and older. I’m sure it’s effective but we need to keep in mind this is a relative new product (2003 I believe) and we haven’t had the time to see what it might cause 50 years down the road. I would use it in some cases but just know the way it works - some of the bugs still have to chew on your plant to get it in their system. Others like bees can be effective by just contact spray at that moment. Others have to eat the leaf etc and it stops their digestion and they die from starvation. It’s registered in Canada for example and as in other countries more careful with their citizens who can’t use even a fraction of the chemicals we are allowed — but in Canada it can’t be used for organic gardens or farm operations. S. spinosa was isolated from soil collected inside a nonoperational sugar mill rum still in the Virgin Islands. There are 20 natural forms and over 200 synthetic forms. We are all smart enough to know we are no longer getting the natural forms at this point. It’s all commercially produced synthetically produced. I don’t know how they get away with saying it’s natural whether it’s organic or not. It’s used all over the world for many issues.

Search on gardenweb, there have been many previous threads on this. How big are these pots? What I've done in the past that seemed to have worked is to raise the pot significantly off the ground, and then submerge it completely in water for an hour or so. Add some hydrogen peroxide to minimize anoxia for the roots. If you can't move the pot, then watering it continuously with a forceful stream of water for as long as possible, using soapy water (insecticidal or castile soap is preferred)as a drench, and/or using a hot pepper tea drench. Don't use orange oil in a pot, as it it will possibly kill your plant.

Hello Cath, Thanks..would you happen to know what ant eggs look like? Color, size? lol Well, aside from freezing, I'm okay..And you? How are you getting along? Cath, do you have Fish Emulsion on hand? I swear it kills Scale. Several years ago, the owner of Harris Citrus, Ruth and I were discussing citrus. She told me, the best way to 'prevent' and 'kill' scale was to add 1 cap of Fish Emulsion in a 16oz sprayer filled w/water. Not long after, I purchased an Olive tree, 'different online nursery.' It arrived by mail, delivered at night. I removed the tree from its box, and set in-between two citrus trees. Just so you know, I inspect plants religiously, usually while misting. For some reason I didn't get to the olive for days.. Then, while spraying, I noticed a brown bump on the olive's leaf. On closer inspection, there were a multitude of brown bumps everywhere, upper and lower leaves, stems..gross looking things..Scale. I recalled Ruth's suggestion about Fish Emulsion, made up a bottle. By the way, two neighboring citrus branches had scale up and down branches nearest the olive tree. All three plants were thoroughly sprayed. The next day, all signs of scale was gone..Every last one. I checked and rechecked all three plants. She also recommended to apply a second application a week after the first. I did as told. Cath, this happened, I believe, in 2000; never had a scale problem since. My plants are foliar sprayed w/FE twice a year. The second dose, in autumn, before plants are brought indoors. However, I must warn you, FE has a fishy smell that lingers 2-3 days. There is an odorless type, but I've never used it so don't know if it's truely odor-free. I'd rather deal with a little smell than Scale devouring my plants. lol. FE is organic, so it won't burn leaves..It's actually a fertilizer, but since organic, it doesn't burn roots either. Since I don't fertilize during winter months, I figure spraying in autumn is plants last meal of the year, and a scale preventative. If you dare, lol, try the FE. It can't hurt, right? I too can think of plenty adjectives regarding our weather but would get the boot from GW. lol.. Good luck..hope you rid those suckers..Toni

Thank you all so very much! You know, I was away for several days and when I returned, I was astounded to find that my rosemary is now actually really perky looking with lush looking blue green needles and the first ever signs of new growth! I must say, that MG Moisture Control potting mix has been delivering some pretty amazing results for me so far. As for what you all have advised, yes you're right - time to leave it alone now and let it build a good root system. Hopefully I'll be successful with keeping it alive over winter so that next year I can start harvesting some of it.