Hang on a dad-gummed minute here..... I've gotten a lot of great advice on this forum and through the collective sharing of its members, found methods that work and those that don't. I believe that most of the information came from people whose real names, credentials, and education backgrounds are concealed behind the anonymity of their forum names and I am CERTAIN that 99% of them haven't been doing tests in laboratory environments or subjecting their findings to a scientific peer review board. I have also read complete silliness here. The point is that I could claim that drenching my roses in maple syrup makes them not only delicious, but has successfully prevented chili thrips in Illinois. You can post whatever you want on the internet & if you scream "LOOK AT ME" loud enough, some people [as Kim said] will take your word as gospel. On the other end of the spectrum we have scientists who require hard facts and evidence. I believe the majority of people are somewhere in the middle of those 2 extremes. In the last year I've seen a number of common household items touted as THE best cure for Omigosh-Fungus-Nightmare-Kill-It-Now, and I guess you can try them if you want, but seriously---I know what happens when I accidentally spill some of those "cures" on items inside or outside the house and I figured the risk was not worth the untested reward. If other folks want to venture into that realm, so be it, but at least fair warning has been given.

Ichabod, "I formerly used Consan 20." So what do you use now? Was there some reason you discontinued the use of Consan 20? I think Consan is what I used on my zinnias about 30 years ago in my Fort Worth garden. I haven't seen it on the shelves of garden stores in recent years. This year I used GreenCure® with excellent results in preventing powdery mildew (I had none this year), but apparently GreenCure has no effect on bacterial leaf spot, which ran amok in my zinnias as cool, wet weather set in. I am thinking about using a copper-based bactericide in addition to potassium bicarbonate next year. But perhaps Consan 20 would have been effective in preventing my bacterial leaf spot. However, there are conflicting opinions as to the safety of Consan 20. MM

I began having problems with my tomato plants a couple years ago, so this year I decided to visit my local Ag Agent, first thing he had me do is get my garden soil tested , i did, he viewed the results ,said it was fine and just to use 10-10-10 fertilizer at initial planting. Then he suggessted I buy plants that were disease resistant, so at his advice I bought Parks Whoppers tomato plants for my garden, also for my daughter who does not have room for a garden , I planted patio variety tomato plants in 5 gallon containers that were drilled for drainage and used Planting MIX not soil in those. Now, where the questions arise, the Ag Agent has over 50 years in the business and probably "Assumes" a certain amount of knowledge on my part using chemicals, however I have NEVER used them before. He told me to buy 2 different Fungicides and apply one every 2 weeks alternating brand /type, he also said after heavy rain to apply.He said to get Fungo-Nil and Mancozeb, I did. So...heres my questions. 1.) Plants have been in ground and daughters containers for 2 weeks, we have had 2 very rainy weekends already, do I need to begin applying Fungicides NOW? Or wait a few more weeks? 2.) Exactly how do I need to apply ( I Know by spraying) do I apply the fungicides? heavily? I presume to apply when not windy etc. 3.) Do I apply to tomatos growing on plants or try and avoid direct application to tomatos? 4.) If I have applied the Fungicides to plants and a tomato ripens, should I wait a few days before harvesting as a safety measure? 5.) How do you clean the Tomatos before eating ?? 6..) is there a point in the growing season when you stop application of the Fungicides.Here in East Tennessee, I have had Tomatos thru September in the past. 7.) if heavy Rain is forecast only a few days after scheduled application... is it OK to wait a couple days after the routine schedule and just apply after the rain? 8.) What else have I forgotten to ask? Addittional thoughts or suggesstions, as you may glean, I am willing to use the chemicals, but want to be very sparing and cautious in their application and very carefull to clean the tomatos before eating. Thanks Everyone for all the wonderful advice I know I will receive!! Ed Spangler East Tennessee

Whatever your reasons are, it's your decision. Nobody's trying to tell you what to do. But if you recommend it as being completely harmless to the ecosystem, you are not making a correct representation of the situation, period. I don't know what you consider "creditable" if study after study on ladybugs, bees, and parasitoids isn't enough. Granted, there are many more beneficial insects that haven't been studied on this issue, but since we understand quite a bit about what neem does to a wide spectrum of insects which are considered pests, there's really no reason to think that just because humans classify others as "not-pests" that neem is going to treat them differently. stevie: besides, it's whats more safe for me. i would rather ingest some neem oil with my kale than BT, or many other pesticides that might be considered organic (copper?) BT is a harmless bacterium to humans. In addition, any residue washes off very easily unless you use a sticker. Copper is toxic in high doses, yes, but the amounts you'd get even if you didn't wash vegetables would be well within the margin of safety for most people, and organic formulations wash off very easily. Neem, meanwhile, is not always harmless to humans. Plus, neem is an oil, which won't rinse off easily with just water, so you're much more likely to consume neem residue than BT residue or copper residue. In the end, none of these choices is likely to harm you, but you'll be consuming more of the neem than the other applications. Once again, you decide the way you want to decide. But don't misrepresent facts out of ignorance to other people. People need to be given accurate information so that they can make their own decisions. stevie: there are far worse things your next door neighbor might be using. I try not to use what everyone else does as a basis to rationalize choices that I personally feel I shouldn't be making.