Greenhouser, I hope you are still reading. You wrote: "As you may recall I bought every insecticide people recommended save one... too expensive with no guarantee it would work any better than those I already had. I used both chemical and organic sprays and powders. The infestation consisted of white-fly, known to resist almost every spray out there. Spider mites that were also almost totally resistant. Then mealy-bug joined in the feast. " And then you wrote: "Our Ag agent told me the insects and bugs are developing strong resistance to all these OTC insecticides. Our Ag agent did the best he could for us. When there is nothing left that kills the pests.... well, there is nothing left to do but admit they won and get rid of their food supply = the plants." I say baloney. The one thing you didn't try that's guaranteed to work is to invite in the natural predators to your bug problem. By using all these sprays and such, you're ensuring that will never happen. I live in Central OH, with a large greenhouse. First year last year, and by September, bugs were everywhere. Since it's not heated I knew eventually the cold would get them, but the eggs and lava would be back next year. And then the frogs & toads showed up to the feast. With a week to 10 days, the bugs were unnoticeable. I should note that I use no pesticides or insecticides. I am not strictly organic, but I know enough to know that what your AG said first -- that they're gaining resistance -- will only mean eventual immunity. I just disagree with the AG's concept of defeat. And, the toads are still around. They like being underground of all places (probably all the manure!), but they peek out from time to time when I am in there. I also find them hiding under the strawberry leaves :) And no bugs. Remember, everything has a natural predator. You just need to determine what it is.

Good Morning, Everyone! Thank you all for the "welcome back". I missed each and every one of you. Stormy here today on this Good Friday. Dark and a bit chilly out. Good weather for gardens though. Glad for the rain though. We've had high temps and high, dry winds this past week and wildfires every day. Nothing close to here, but close enough that I could smell the smoke. My dogs erupted in chorus with every firetruck that passed by over on the highway.(hehehe). I took pictures of the gardens on the 31st. Glad I did, as the hot, dry winds dried out all the pretty yellow Jonquils later that day. Blasted hot winds ruined them before our Easter Sunday family picnic and egg hunt. They were magnificent in chorus with the yellow forsythias, white Bridle's Wreath, and Redbud trees now in full bloom all over the garden. My beloved Jane Magnolia is breathtakingly beautiful this year and smells so wonderful. I planted out some Orange Perfection Phlox yesterday. Tried them last year, but they didn't make it. This rain may ensure these do. I dug around in the bin at the store until I found one, just one package with moist peat inside. Holding it up to to sunlight, I could just make out something possibly alive in that dark green plastic bag. Makes me mad to pay five bucks for dead rootstock. They are not the best looking root stocks I ever saw, but think they will make it. I only need one to survive to establish a nice clump this year for next year's blooms. I also planted a package of purple Liatris and a package of Freesia bulbs for summer blooms. I love the smell of Freesia. Yummy. All the Peonies are up and beginning to make tiny flower buds. Hopefully the red ones and deep magenta ones will bloom this year too. If they do, it will be their first time. Some deer came into the yard this winter and ate the top branches off the one surviving River birch sapling, but it is recovering nicely now. I caged it with a tomato cage and for now they are leaving it alone. They are "camped" up on the hill, hiding in wait for my juicy, delicious roses to start blooming, no doubt. :[ I've been taking the dogs for walks up there every morning and hopefully their pee and poop will make them think twice about coming any closer to the back yard. My English Shepherd could easily take down a whitetail deer. DH said this weekend he would finish stretching field fence around on the inside of the existing barbed wire fencing to keep out critters. That won't keep deer out, but it will keep our dogs in, so we can let them run loose on the property. That will be great. They need the exercise and I need them to do their job protecting the place. They love it, too. Hopefully the raccoons & coyotes will take the hint. Keep Out! Anyhow, so far so good. Gotta go check on my chicks. They poopy up their water really fast and will be ready for breakfast. :) Talk to you guys later. ~Annie

Sherry, I haven't been here long enough to notice whether I'm seeing all the notifications from things I've commented on. Either that or I'm just forgetting what I commented on. You can go to your profile and check your own activity and see anything new. Sherry and Ali, I have noticed some very rude comments on here by a certain few. Many, sadly, are by "pros". I try to tell myself that I'm reading them with the wrong tone, but after reading many comments from the same people I'm not so sure that's the case. They seem to think my way or the highway. Think how boring the world would be if we all had to follow one set of "rules". We'd live in a world à la Stepford.

In sandy and calcareous soils, foliar applied fertilizers are 4 to 20 times more effective when compared with soil applied fertilizers. (Lingle & Holmberg, 1956.) https://citrusagents.ifas.ufl.edu/archived_presentations/fall_prg2010/Citrus%20Agents%20Web%20Site%20-%20Nutritional.pdf Citrus foliar fertilization has been an industry standard practice in citrus groves for over 50 years. https://crec.ifas.ufl.edu/extension/trade_journals/2014/2014_April_citriculture.pdf Where soil PH is too high or too low, resulting in 'lock up' of nutrients (frequently micronutrients) in the soil, foliar application of those nutrients will ensure rapid response in the trees and prevent growth from being restricted. Effect of irrigation water acidification and soil pH on citrus nutrient availability https://citrusresearch.ifas.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/7.-Morgan-Expo-2019.pdf Four winds growers sells over 50 varieties of citrus nationwide. Here is what they say about misting, "In winter months, heated rooms may need additional humidity. Placing the pot on pebbles in a saucer will elevate the tree above the drainage area, and improve airflow and humidity for citrus. Misting citrus foliage with a simple spray bottle is another way to help citrus cope with insufficient indoor humidity in winter." If you have new leaves and new shoots it is really beneficial to mist those. Because of the VPD they loose moisture much faster than mature leaves. Flowers are also very susceptible to losing moisture and misting can help them set fruit.