We use a combination of Nickel Plus and K-Phite. It's working great. We spray with both, using a sticker-spreader we got at Tractor Supply. We also add their blue dye now, because it helps us see where we have missed a spot. It isn't very easy to see through goggles, with sweat pouring down in your eyes. Just avoid spraying any blossoms, unless you are really desperate for a blue daylily. We were advised to spray once a week for 3 weeks, then wait 3 weeks before spraying again. I've only sprayed once this fall, since it has been raining off and on ever since. Occasionally, I will have a plant that shows sign of rust, but nothing like it was before I started using the nickel. I wouldn't use anything else. Well, let me take that back. I am going to try some Actinovate on just a few isolated and unimportant plants to see how it works. The only thing I don't like is having to don all that protective gear, but I wouldn't have it otherwise. I'm very cautious. We use goggles, a special pesticide mask we bought at Lowes, chemical gloves (also at Lowe's), rubber boots and a yellow rain slicker. My hubby and our yardman refuse to put on a garbage bag drawstring skirt, but if I'm doing the spraying, I wear that, too. I'll have to get my hubby to take a picture of me in that fancy outfit so everyone can get a good laugh. When the weather is warm, we get very sweaty in all that garb! We start very early in the morning while it is still cool. We have a big tank sprayer on wheels we pull behind our riding lawn mower. It runs on the lawn mower battery. We got an extra length of hose so we can cover more territory. One of us drives the lawn mower while the other sprays. I could do it by myself, but it takes longer to have to keep stopping to move the mower ahead. We wash the tank out thoroughly after spraying and run clear water through the wand when we have finished. Aren't you cold climate people lucky??? Nancy

I just came in from the fire (so, clearly, I decided to go to it anyway) and it is still 65 degrees here at midnight. A long hot day here, and the humidity eventually dropped to about 8 or 9%. I guess I need to go back outside and carry the brugs and potted tomato plants inside even though the temps here will stay above freezing tonight. If I leave them out on the patio, the deer are likely to eat them (if they haven't already). I have just a couple of things to say briefly about our 1,000 acre + fire. THANK YOU to all of you in central OK who have incredible fire departments who traveled 100 miles or more, one-way, to come help Love County fight this fire and save the homes. I know I spoke with firefighters (while I was giving them hamburgers, sandwiches, drinks and snacks) from Norman, Wayne, Purcell, Dibble, Lexington, Battle Axe, Ringling, Washington, Cedar Country, Lone Grove, Wilson, Dillard and so many other locations that I cannot remember them all. I know 15 fire depts. came from McClain County alone and we had 33 fire depts. out there with more firefighters and trucks than you could count. The Salvation Army and Red Cross brought food and drinks as well. This fire is likely to burn for days, but the worst of it is over and the homes were saved. On a hot, windy day like this, that's about the best you can hope for. Our hearts are overflowing with gratitude. I'm kinda looking forward to the cold now--today was just too hot! Dawn

Hi Ya Ya, If your pants had gotten too hot ... you'd have been yellin', "Ya - ya", for sure ... at high enough decibel levels to have brought Twinkie a runnin'!! They say that there are rules governing the kind of materials that can be put into (mattresses?) - not rapidly flammable. But the same can't be said for the materials that go into upholstering and fabric of furniture, carpets, clothing, etc. That many of them catch fire much more rapidly, burn faster and hotter, and throw off more noxious fumes, than do natural materials. That, due to that, if we get a fire in the home ... when the smoke alarm goes off ... we have about 3 min. to get out of there. Or be done in by much more rapidly developing/moving fire ... or nasty fumes (e.g. cyanide). Just a word to the wise. ole joyful

I'm in Wisconsin and while it been soupy hot here, we've had lots of rain. We've had so much rain that I now have waterfront property, lol. Seriously though, there is nothing worse than a drought and hot, hot weather. I hope you get lots of moisture soon. Our lakes are finally back up to where they're supposed to be. We have had dryer than normal years lately and the lakes and rivers were down. While I'm a bit sick of all the rain we've had, I'm glad that we got it this year. BTW - the humidty has dropped and it's down to 67 while I type this. Very nice if I do say so myself.