I actually make my living managing home and estate orchards so maybe my opinion will carry some weight here. No, I don't completely agree with your approach. Using herbicides to speed establishment and increase productivity is acceptable to me, although it is not something I do in managing home and estate orchards as a general rule. Mulching accomplishes the same thing and more- although the extra work is a negative from an efficiency stand point. Your expressed reason of eliminating pests by eliminating all other plants in the vicinity of your trees is what I disagree with, because all major pests will have no trouble finding your trees from longer distances. I don't understand the fall application of herbicide- I should think mid-summer would be the time to end such applications or maybe late summer for latest ripening fruit. Mid winter oil would be a waste of time for me as the only reason I have to apply it is to help control mites, scale and pear psyla and they are much more vulnerable when trees first start growing in early spring. Immunox is only useful in spring. It is not affective for summer fungus on apples or brown rot on stone fruit- use Monterey Fungus Fighter for brown rot and maybe Captan for fly speck and sooty blotch if those are your summer apple fungus pests. I don't know what the Bayer product is but I'd stick with Triazide if I was you. Your program seems arbitrary and not based on a complete understanding of the pests you are trying to control or the efficacy of the material you are using to control them. You need to monitor your pests and figure out what they are specific to your site. Perhaps you can get some help from your cooperative extension or a nearby experienced grower on this. I can't speak for your pests and I know you need much later insect control where you are than where I am in southeastern NY, but I doubt you need to spray until a couple of weeks before harvest. I usually don't need any insect control during summer as worst pests have finished their cycle by then.

deanna, I think that butterflyman means 'don't buy ladybugs' (rather than aphids), lol. But he's right...ladybugs (adults and larvae) are quite happy to feed on the eggs and small larvae of butterflies. I'd be hesitant to apply one of the commonly suggested remedies for controlling powdery mildew on host plant foliage. Such products as baking soda, oil, and (naturally) Neem oil would be harmful to eggs and small larvae. However, many people don't know that if you spray the foliage of these plants with plain water, that you can keep the PM spores washed off before they infect the cells of the plant. PM is one of the few pathogenic fungi that does not need water in order to spread or propagate, and is even hindered by it. So, a little action with your water hose every day could help keep the aphids AND the PM at bay. And you're doing exactly the right kind of housekeeping chores to help prevent re-infestation next year.

ladybug pupa -- that is, not yet a ladybug adult. Relax; be happy. Bio-control is alive & well in your garden. No treatment needed beyond tolerance.

After much research, we built with Correctdeck CX . That is the relatively new mold resistant version. We live on the peninsula south of San Francisco, CA, about five miles from the ocean so we get lots of moisture, even in the summer. and it does freeze in the winter. We have oak and eucalyptus trees near the deck that shed leaves (the euc. stains) and get lots of bird droppings, raccoon tracks, etc. We also get two large labs who visit. After about eight months, the deck looks great. During the summer we got black spots in a large area but realized it was from the oak. They washed off with plain water, as does everything else. The dogÂs nails do not scratch. You definitely can scratch this material (itÂs harder than other composites though) but it takes an effort. So just put pads on the bottom of your metal chairs. Some worry about the shiny surface of CX. As the website tells you, that shine all but disappears in a few months. It has a sleight sheen, about the level of satin paint. For the railings, we used the correct deck posts, then their dimensional lumber for the rails, and aluminum powder coated balusters. Our aim was minimum intrusion on the view, and it worked. We love the deck. Yes, in direct sun it can get hot but since the color is gray, less so then the previous dark wood deck. It feels wonderful under your feet. Everyone remarks on how great it looks. If we were money-heavy, we would have gotten Ipe and had people in once a year to re-stain and treat it. As it is, weÂre quite happy with the result.