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ok lopaka....lol I have to call you on several statements you just made...

"boric acid is odorless and that is why it kills" I think it is because it is acid that it kills -not because it is odorless! Water/rain is odorless but it doesn't kill! I wish it did-be cheaper!

"Termites eat thru steel and concrete" Ok-I actually googled that one and saw no evidence of that -in fact they recommend using steel barriers when building a house in termite infested areas...I did learn that you should not use hollow concrete slabs as that provides hiding places for them, and that you should let the dirt settle before you lay the slab down beneath the house!

Boric acid kills by making the pest dehydrated and acidotic.

Maybe I missed it, but does anyone know if there is an "absolute zero" root temp for Plumies? That is to say, is there a temp below which the roots stop taking up water and nutrients?

Also, what is the "Optimum Temp" for Plumies?

SB

SB, I don't think that anyone has determined those figures yet. Here in Southern California, many growers keep their plumerias outside all year long, and we had record cold temps this past winter. Many had several sustained hours of 27F and reported tip damage and even death of large trees. I had several nights of 32F and a two-hour period of 28F but sustained no damage except for two tips. I did throw a tarp over most of my plumerias during that night of 28F.

Normally, the nighttime winter temps don't go much below 40F here. It might dip down to the mid- to high-30's for a few hours in the early morning before the sun comes up. With these sort of mild temps, most of my plumerias don't go dormant, keep their leaves, and need water. With the cold temps that we had this winter, 95% of my plumerias lost their leaves. However, I continue to water when the soil looks dry, which is about every other day. That said, I have things in my yard which create warm microclimates, I'm sure. Such as three-quarter rock instead of grass, aluminum side paneling on the house, and a six-foot surrounding concrete retaining wall. I'm also up against a major four-lane street with street lights and more concrete.

I haven't found an optimum temp for plumerias, but it seems that the more heat they get, the better that they do provided that they have plenty of water. They thrive in places like Australia, Thailand, Hawaii, Mexico, India, Indonesia, and Panama; however, they need good drainage and will not do well in those places where there is too much rain. Growers grow them successfully in places like Arizona, Nevada, and Texas, where there is a great amount of heat. It seems that, as long as water and/or humidity is present, maximum heat is preferable. HTH

Edited to fix spacing.

This message was edited Mar 30, 2007 11:23 AM

I know that a lot of flowering annuals, and plants for that matter don't take up or process fertilizer under 40-45 soil temps. I would think that plumerias would be at that range, or above-maybe 50 degrees.

Lol ok tiger..
Forgive me i posted late and i am a member of other forums and tend to write my post in a short hand manner to save time and space..
First what i should have said was Boric Acid is oderless and very effective as a bug killer because it is known as a non-repellent versus a insecticide that has odor and is consider a repellent..
Termites are not dumb and if they smell danger they avoid it but because Boric Acid is odorless it is the prefer method of preventive measures..
When i had my house tented the termite guy told me they seen Formosan termites eat their way thru concrete brick and cinder blocks..
Do they eat their way thru solid concrete slab doubtful however my statement about steel was a typo (blame it on the thai beer) i should have said copper and lead..
Anyways the Bora_Care product is a special heat-treated borate, designed to penetrate and protect wood.

Here is a link on the bad eating Formosans which talk about what they eat..

Lopaka,
Thanks for the information about termites but here they are very hard to get rid of here. We tried everything but gave up and had the house drilled. They drill every 6 inched and inject stuff below the slab. They even ate card board boxes we used for storage.The really good termite killer had been pulled from the market but the one they used on our house is working so far. They just make a barrior around the house. It depends on were you live, some areas are worse than others. My friend has had her house done every year. It's a mess too! The termites ate the pressure treated wood that my husband used when he rebuilt the deck the last time. Termites don't eat concrete, they crawl through the microscopic cracks that are there.
Mickey

Lopaka,
We don't have Formosan termites...these are dessert termites. Formosa termites I think are tropical termites.
Mickey

Mickey we posted at the same time please read my reply..
:)

I have friends in the termite biz..
They told me it is a waste of time to tent your house unless your problem is severe and you want a quick knock down way to kill them..
I have seen houses in my hood infected again by termites 3 months after being tented..
You have to understand one thing about the bug biz and that their main goal is to make money!!
What i mean is they water down the fog and the boric acid they use does not last long..
I have 2 gallons of what they use and it is called timbor and it is good but doesn't last longer then Bora-Care.
If you spray BC again in a month it will penetrate the wood even deeper and from my friends they told me it last 3-5 years longer then any other Boric powder..
Check out this link!!
Call them and ask them about the products..
They will tell you what works and doesn't i know because i had a 30 min call with them last year..
http://www.pestproducts.com/borate.htm

The pressure treated wood we are getting down here is being treated with a different poision now and is suppose to be really effective against bugs..
In fact if you go to home depot and ask them to cut the wood for you they will refuse because of the toxic contents..
As far as your deck is concern why don't you guys use this?
http://www.plasticlumberyard.com/

PS
For a cheap and really good quick kill product that you can buy in a grocery store..
Try Raid Fumigator, before you laugh hear me out :)
This stuff is excellent because not only does it contain the chemical found in most pesticides but it is delivered as a smoke and not as a wet spray..
What does this mean?
Smoke much like any smoke will rise to the ceiling and fill any crack or crevice..
Termites need to breathe and they leave many holes in the wood..
The best way to use this stuff is to double up on it and really saturate the room..
You will have to leave the house for a few hours but this stuff kills EVERYTHING that breathes it..
http://www.killsbugsdead.com/fop_fum.asp
I see they make a newer version of this product but i never tried that one..
This stuff really works if you want a cheap method..
Once every 6 months i drop one of these in my shed and nothing is alive..


Oh i too had my house drilled this is the normal practice down here..
They injected Timbor into the walls and flooded my attic with the stuff..
FT are the worst ones so if they can be killed or control so can your hungry little critters..
The only termites i have yet to deal with are dry wall termites thank god they are not around..
Red ants are the arch enemy of termites and they will wipe out a entire nest of termites just to get to the queen because she is high in protein..
Anyways my lizards love them too :)

This message was edited Mar 31, 2007 2:23 AM

I've heard Talstar is also very good for forming a barrier around the house from termites.