bboy, I have followed your posts for years and have to say for the first time I am extremely disappointed in your response to dorothy, particularly There is nothing useful or helpful about repeating falsehoods. This amounts to giving bad advice. and especially the blast from the past, over used GW condescending response Book burnings draw crowds, too I really want to believe is below you. As I know you are aware but may have temporarily forgotten this form is not strictly for professionals. One of GW's best assets is the regional contributions from homeownerÂs trial and error. I happen to live in a climate of contradictions (zone 7a Massachusetts) and have come to terms through trial and error in my own landscape that anti-desiccants regardless of their inflated cost are a valuable tool in protecting some evergreens. I wonder if you have ever sat down to consider that comments as abrasive as yours contribute to the overall ever shrinking GW population. Now please don't feel you can run to the patronizing opinion that dorothy and anyone in defense of her is just posting with the overall intention of receiving hugs and kisses, because the only one you would be fooling is yourself. There are times in all of our lives where we need to/should swallow hard and say out loud those two simple words I am sorry and bboy I think this is your time. Your GW groupie Katy

If it works it probably acts as a barrier like super fine horticultural oil or fish emulsion heavy with fish oils. On aphids it would smother them. None of these products are dependable if disease pressure is high. They would need to be reapplied often and would quite possibly burn in extremely hot sunny weather. My thoughts; If these types of products worked they'd be much more popular and everyone would be using them. So far I see no one rushing to buy them. Much ado about nothing! With Aphids, they're gone as soon as lady bugs appear or if one has a good bird population. If I get aphids in my greenhouse, I set the infected plants outside and the aphids are gone within a day.

One of our best growers here used half-strength WP with a bacterial product applied every two weeks for some years in NW Arkansas, where BS pressure is medium high. It worked to some extent, but she wasn't fully satisfied and eventually went to a synthetic fungicide-- may or may not be still using the WP as well. Another expert grower in upstate NY recommends full strength (or more) WP to control mildew on once-blooming Gallicas. Anti-transpirant used routinely at full summer strength will reduce growth (maybe not a concern on once-bloomers). In a study, anti-transpirants such as Cloud Cover that use acrylic resin rather than pine resin were found slightly more effective, apparently because WP develops microscopic cracks. Half-strength anti-transpirant definitely has some effect on mildew and blackspot, and it may be in the ballpark with other organic remedies such as sulfur, oil, or oil plus bicarbonate. (Do not combine sulfur with the other treatments, as the combination will burn foliage.)

Chili thrips has been the diagnosis for roses here in Hawaii. If buying roses from the big box stores, which are usually supplied by local nurseries who get bare roots from the mainland, one must make sure to isolate their purchased rose and get rid of whatever problems it has (usually chili thrips and spider mites) before introducing to one's garden. Unfortunately our choices on the islands is limited if on a budget. Monterey has a smaller concentration of spinosad and is more readily available and affordable than the more expensive Conserve. I had mixed results with Monterey because I was following a regime of what i now consider chemical overload (imidacloprid, insecticidal soap, fungicide). Eventually split cost of the Conserve but have only resorted to using it once. I am half convinced though that using it plus the severe hot, humid sun and sporadic rain had caused damage to my generally healthy leaves. These past several months, since Feb or March actually, I've resisted spraying insecticide or fungicide at the first sign of trouble to let them get back to their natural state of defense. For me a steady schedule of chemical warfare doesn't make sense anymore so am glad I am off that cycle. If I get severely infested with chili thrips, I'll cut off the infected sections and use the lower concentration Monterey first. I prefer a foliar spray application because the damage is generally on the new growth and buds.