Thanks for the responses. Let me clarify a bit on why I have had to use copper. I am growing vinafera grapes. The number of people successfully growing vinafera grapes organically in the entire mid-atlantic region is, to my current knowledge, one -- myself. (Well I am sure there are a few more but it must be very uncommon). There are a few people growing vinafera organically in NY and other somewhat less disease-ridden places. Anyway even if my soil were the best in the world there is no way to grow vinafera here without a significant spray regimen. My current experiment is to spray copper plus Surround plus Nufilm on the undersides of the leaves; the Surround seems to physically interfere with the downy in some way which tends to start on the bottoms of the leaves, and since it is on the underside and plastered on with nufim, the spray stays there a long time since the rain can't get to it. I am hoping that I can double or more the length of time that a spray lasts with this technique. Maybe I can even cut back on the copper strength. I tried milk, bicarb, sulphur, and others with no luck at all. They work fine on powdery but downy gets into the leaf tissue itself and these sprays just don't work. I am also experimenting with different varieties, I have several dozen. I have found a couple vinafera that seem to have much better disease resistance. My favorite so far is an obscure Portuguese variety called Tinta Pinheira which is known in Portugal for its resistance to diseases. I was out looking last night and it is completely clean of diseases now. I also have many hybrids, but none of the red hybrids make a good wine as far as I am concerned. Well they make a fine wine but its just not the kind of wine I like to drink. The white hybrids on the other hand make some very good wines and all my white wine grapes are hybrids. This whole effort is still in the experimental phases, I have already gotten rid of a half a dozen varieties that seemed to be too disease-prone and I will probably be getting rid of several more. Anyway with regard to copper it sounds like most people here are not using it at all - ? Scott

Don't you think the "worms" are the larvae of something that came in the hay? I know few larvae that are attractive... The term "canker" covers a lot of ground, Melissa. It can mean a disease-caused injury to the cambium layer, or it can be the result of mechanical injury to the cane from insects all the way to wind damage. I'm always shocked how well roses do with cankered canes if the injury is mechanical. In truth, if it is one lone mechanical injury down low and if the cane is healthy and producing, I don't always remove it. I do have a rose whose canker appears to be disease. I deduce that from the fact it is widespread, every cane, everywhere. In that case, I pruned the rose to a nubs, but I can't say it helped much. The rose will be removed this winter.

Tiny insects that prefer plants won't really care what medium you use... they'll go for your plants regardless. The key is to keep watch for pests, and be ready to eradicate them before they multiply into a problem. In winter, spider mites are a huge problem because they prefer dry air and dry conditions. Keeping the humidity at a decent level helps, as does making sure you keep leaves clean, by wiping them every once in a while with a damp paper towel or rag. This also helps the leaves to gather sunlight and aspirate naturally. Mealy bugs and scale can also be a problem. It's handy to keep a spray insecticide near by, just in case, and give a few spritzes if you happen to see any pests crawling around. I keep a bottle of Schultz's 3 in 1 spray, and also a bottle of Ortho houseplant bug spray handy, just in case. I'm glad you're trying out the clay pellets as a medium, though. You will have to water and feed more often, but the roots of your bulbs will thank you! Another medium you could look into is a bonsai mix... normally, these contain larger particles of pine bark, turface or granite chips, and I'm not certain what else, but the medium doesn't decompose very quickly at all, and allows for very fast drainage and aeration for the root system. This is what I use as the base for my own medium. I either use straight "Al's Mix", which is very close to a commercial bonsai medium... or, I use a bonsai mix, and I add perlite, crushed charcoal pieces, a pinch of vermiculite, and a dash of high quality peat or potting soil. The mix turns out to have larger particles than normal potting soil, does not decompose fast, and keeps tiny spaces between the pieces, which helps the roots breathe. When using a medium like this, a good fertilizing schedule must be maintained as there's not much nutrition in it. I use a dilute mix of liquid MiracleGro and micro-nutrients every other watering. So far, so good! I used to just plant my bulbs in whatever potting soil I had laying around, or in the medium that came with the bulb kits, but I learned the hard way that many Hippeastrum and other tender bulbs are prone to rotting and fungal issues. Mediums that decompose quickly, or hold onto moisture for any length of time, are not healthy for root systems or for the bulbs, themselves. Once I understood the concept of perched water tables, drainage, and how roots and different mediums react in a container environment, I knew that the way to healthy plants was through the root systems, and to grow healthy roots, I needed to change my medium of choice.

One advantage of using organics is it benefits earthworms and soil microbes. Chemicals, be it Bayer spray or chemical fertilizer can upset the flora of soil microbes, giving rise to pathogenic fungi. Even gypsum (23% calcium and 17% sulfur, salt index of 8) caused rust on the metal scoop. It's corrosive and killed soil bacteria, resulting in rust and black spots when I applied too much on the surface. Organic fertilizers nourish beneficial soil microbes. Here's an excerpt from the below link on organics fertilizers: "Yum Yum Mix 2-1-1 Alfalfa Meal: Nitrogen; Vitamins-A, B, E, carotene, thiamine, biotin, pantothenic acid, niacin, riboflavin, folic acid, choline; 16 amino acids, co-enzymes, sugars, starches, protein fiber Cottonseed Meal: Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium Kelp Meal: Nitrogen; Potassium; Vitamins-A, B, B2 , C, calcium, pantothenate, niacin, folic acid; minerals-barium, boron, calcium, cobalt, copper, fluorine, iron, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, sodium, strontium, sulfur, zinc; 17 amino acids Greensand: Iron, Potassium, Silicate, Phosphorus, 30 trace elements Rock Dust: Calcium, Sulfur, Magnesium, Boron, Cobalt Rock Phosphate: Phosphorus, Calcium, Trace Elements Humate: Salts of Humic Acid ��" improve soil characteristics and aids in releasing other nutrients to plants in usable forms Dry Molasses: Carbohydrates, Sugars, Trace Elements ��" feeds and attracts beneficial soil organisms." *** From Strawberryhill: When I research on endo and ecto mycorrhiza fungi that access nutrients for plants, they thrive at pH below 7. The sugar in molasses feed these fungi that help plants to utilize nutrients in soil. Here is a link that might be useful: What's hiding in your organic fertilizers?