Irina, I responded to your last post, accidently hit a button, and lost the entire page. Sheesh. I keep saying vinegar when I mean Rubbing Alcohol. Vinegar was stated numerous times. AGE!!! I've sprayed and swiped with alcohol. Rubbing Alcohol. 91%. Last night, we went to Walgreen's...remember RA was about .79 a bottle? The least expensive, Walgreen's brand is now 2.99.. Anyway, I did NOT use vinegar for mealy..lol. I'll have to check HD for Bayer's Tree & Lawn. 'no nearby Lowes.' What's the difference between concentrate and ??? Irina, we don't use chemicals, so when it comes to none-organic products, I'm clueless. What exactly is Bayer's Tree & Lawn used for? What does it do? Before purchasing, I'll have to read all ingredients. With birds, dogs and an iguana, we must be extra careful. A loud noise startles birds, next thing they're off and flying, sometimes landing on plants..Our little dog, Coco, finds everything interesting, and iguanas LOVE plants. Especially munching leaves. How do you determine dossage using Bayer's on indoor plants? Also, this spring I'm repotting or refreshing soils/mediums in all plants. I started this project about a month ago. If I decide to use Bayer's, it's best I wait until plants are potted in their new homes. Irina, I have Peat Pellets/Pots, and a little seedling green house with dome and vents..Includes heating pad. Four of the violet leaves rooted. They're small, too tiny to set in pots. Do you think my violets had soil or foliar Mealy? When violets were unpotted, I didn't see pests. However, violets that once had a healthy root were gone, like something devoured them. Mealy was on foliage. It was this forum I learned of soil mealy. Before reading threads here on African Violet Forum, I didn't know soil mealy existed. Irina, I soak plants in winter out of love. lol. It's a lot of work, but afterwards, tropicals look like they just came from Fl. Succulents are only soaked once during winter. It's relaxing, and IMO, plants enjoy it. It might not be something that needs to be done, but I feel better after their bath and shower. Thanks for the prayers..We can all use them. You'll be in mine, too.. Thanks again for all your help, Irina. I swear, you're a Saintpaulia encyclopedia..lol. hugs, Toni

Sumac (Rhus lancea - a common landscape tree in the low desert) leaves should be fine, although don't use the leaves of 'poison sumac' (Rhus vernix or Toxicodendron vernix). Even eucalyptus and oleander leaves can be composted. Here's research from the University of Arizona - The Sept/Nov 1999 issue of the trade journal Southwest Horticulture had an article about compost made with oleander and eucalyptus. Dr. Jimmy Tipton and Libby Davison from the Dept. of Plant Science University of Arizona conducted these tests. The following are quotes from that article. "There was no apparent phytotoxic effect of either eucalyptus or oleander compost. In fact, plant characteristics generally increased with increasing portion of either in the medium. Plants grown in a medium containing either compost were not significantly different from, or were superior to, plants grown in CM (commercially-available medium)." "These results suggest that whatever phytotoxic compounds that may be present in eucalyptus or oleander were destroyed by composting."

What litter? The leaves are so small. Do you have lawn? The "litter" mulches very well with a mower. Let it lie where it falls from the mower. It is easy to sweep and pick up on the patio and throw it on the lawm to mulch with the mower. This tree is VERY forgiving of bad pruning, butchering. You can cut it back to fence posts and start over. Rhus lancea is also fire retardant and drought resistant. This is a beautiful weeping tree. Pruning should be for thinning and shaping and to remove any dead branches. Happy gardening

Palmdale,my birth place,is plant Hell. They committed suicide.The climate can go from 75 during the day to 30 at night.(NO moisture or cloud cover to hold heat stable.)We frequenlty have 40-60mph winds that are HOT! I have not tried Sumacs or Champhor. I've heard that Sumacs will live here.Don't be discouraged if 1/2 of all the plants(same kind!) die. Eventually you will find the hardy ones that will live. Plant sales are really good.I don't reccommend alot of chemical fertilizers. The ground is fertile,just hard and dry. Compost at least 6-8 inches down for anything.PJ