Propagation part V based on my own experience

Hi:
I believe Jim is using the additives from http://www.super-grow.biz/Products.jsp
I get the Kelp/Fuvic Acid from them. I also get the pirahna & Terantula from Sunset-hydro I mix them all together in gallon jugs. I have been watering all my inside plants (seedlings, cuttings and stock plants) every time I water them.
I use the spoon super-grow sends with the orders. It is a small spoon, very small. I mix 5 spoons full per gallon of water.
I use 1/3 hydrogen peroxide and 2/3 of my mix as a seed soak. I have seen my daylily seeds sprout while floating in the mix.
The terantula and pirahanna runs about $12.00 per 5g dry product @
Pirahanna http://shop.sunsethydro.com/product.sc?productId=323&categoryId=54
Terantula http://shop.sunsethydro.com/product.sc?categoryId=54&productId=322
Kelp/fuvic acid http://www.super-grow.biz/KelpFulvic.jsp

I know jim uses a slightly different mix and I am sure its a good mix. I guess it all boils dow to not wanting to change when its working for me. I have yet to try out the gibb that he recomends. I will start a program some time soon and let you know how it works for me. I have to do more research on it so I have a good understanding of it before I use it.
Dave

Good evening:
I was wondering if anyone has a home recipe for fungus gnat controll. DW has outawes the use inside... I kinda see her point, but she hates the nasty ity bitty gnats. Please help.....
Dave

Dave, I just use the yellow sticky flytraps, but I put them up BEFORE I see any gnatts, so that they don't get out of control.

I mistakenly thought I would be able to keep them at bay this year. It seems they had another idea. I did find the home remedy from a thread on dg. I am not sure who's recipe it is. Its pretty basic and I will give it a go this weekend. I hope no-one will take offense but her it is. the thread said it might be hard on seedlings but I have to get them under controll now so I am going for it.

Recipe of death
Fungus Gnats:

Mix one teaspoon of household strength peroxide to 8 ounces of non-chlorinated water.
Put into a clean spray bottle. Spray liberally onto potted soil and bottom of stems' of the plants. You will hear popping and crackling in the soil as it kills the bacteria & Gnats eggs. This will not hurt you plants. Chlorinated water can burn your seedlings' tender leaves.

You can also use Diatomaceous earth because it will cut them up going through it when they try to pass into the soil.

I will let you know what happens.
Dave

Hi everyone:
I know its been a bit of time between my last post and now. I apolagize for the soap box in the next few paragraph's. Please read it all. I would feel horrible if someone on this thread to suffer chemical exposure & I did not chat about this in detail.

Proper Handeling of Chemicals :
(fungicides, herbicdes, insecticides)

I will try to pass along the training I recieved from my how 2 talk from the department of Agriculture in the state of florida. We are all (or most of us) grown adults. I am in no way to be the one and only bearer of information in the use of chemicals. Read all labels completely (yea I know ...we don't need no instructions...YES YOU DO). A momentary lapse in using our brains will be the time you are over exposed and might be injured in a number of ways, including death. As you can see I take chemicals very seriously. Anyone with breathing issues will tell you its impotant to give the chemicals their full respect.
The chemicals and active ingriedents can enter the body in several ways.
1. Through the eyes
2. Ingestion
3. Inhaled
4. Absorption through the skin
Whith this in mind common sense must make us handle all chemicals we use, Not linited to what we use in the garden, green house and landscape. Most garden chemicals tend to be odorless. What we small is an additive that has been incorperated to let the user know it is present and to act as a warning if you will. This is not to say all chemicals are odorless, but to let you know the manufacturer takes careful and correct use of chemicals is highly important.
Everyone please look up the local hospital, poison controll's phone number address and where they are located and post the information in a few locations where you know the info is located. By taking a few moments of time to list this info in a visable location might be the difference in how bad the outcome may be if you are accidently exposed and or get them into your system.
The major things we need to do are fairly simple. Have an old set of clothes to use while spraying. Keep these clothes seperate from your other clothes so you don't accidently get chemicals on your other clothes. Long sleeved shirt, full pants (no shorts) rubber boots, a mask to avoid breathing the chemicals, eye protection, hat and chemical resistant gloves. A full set of coverall chemical suits can be purchased from the local feed and grain store or here for $6.00 each.

http://www.uline.com/BL_982/Tyvekreg-Protective-Clothing

You should be able to buy a breathing mask that is specificly used in the handleing of chemicals. Most of us that stick to an organic approach will still want to see about getting some of this equipment. It should cost under $100.00 for everyting. If yu are on a budget like myself I would at a minimum buy a half face respirator can be bought for under $20.00 through

http://www.uline.com/BL_992/?pricode=wg689

Gloves should be unlined and chemically resistant. They are also available for under $10.00 through

http://www.uline.com/BL_1010/Neoprene-Chemical-Resistant-Gloves

Be sure to wash your hands before and after all uses of chemicals. One of the most frightening thing I have seen is a nursery worker stopping the spraying for lunch. There they are all suited up and eating a sandwhich with the gloves on the table next to them.
If you happen to get a splash of chemicals in your eyes. Imideately take the hose running slowly flush your eyes out several times and get to the emergency room. Take the bottle of the chemical you were using that splashed you.
When you need to clean your seperate set of clothes DO NOT wash them with your other clothes. You might want to go to a local laundry mat and wash the clothes you use.
Nothing can replace good ole common sense. please please please protect yourself if you are applying any chemicals to your landscapes, gardens and turf.
Any questions?? I like to use chemicals as a last resort, because chemicals do not care if its a lady bug or and aphid. I am thinking about getting some praying mantis egg cases this year. When I was in 1st or second grade I had collected egg cases not knowing what they were, I put them into a shoe box in my clothset. My mom found them when the young were making noise. I had thousands of them. It was a neat experience.
One of my favorite home remedy for aphids and catterpillars (is that how its spelled???) is to mix Dawn liquid dish soap and water. Spray it directly on the insects. The chemical forms a layer over the body of the aphids that keeps them from breathing through their outer body, which in turn causes them to suffocate and die. It works on Aphids and oleander catterpillar.
After any questions on this last post I will move us to a new thread. part VI.
I hope this helps
Dave

Dave, back to the gnat control. What did your wife outlaw the use of in the house? I thought you said peroxide and water???

Jeanette

Hi Jeanette: LOL sorry about that
. I get on a rant and sometimes don't think straight. She has outlawes Disistron. Its potent stuff. Systemic and will kill all bugs that might cause damage to the pant. I found the peroxide recipe and I want to give it a whirl. My fear is that some of my daylily seeds might take a hit and that would be very sad for me. I will try it on one and give you the esults. I just have to get out and refill my supplies. I have been useing hydrogen peroxide a lot. I mix it with my grow mix to soak my seeds. HMMMM so if the seeds will sprout in it why would it not be fine as a spray/soak to kill gnats.
I really agree with the ban as it can and might be a hazard from inhalation of the fumes. I guess the question is how much of the fumes are directly related to the strength of the odor. just to be safe I am going to stick to the organic approach.
So how are your spring seedlings doing??? I just split my gazania into 3 plants per cell. I just planted some lettuce for salads. I will be planting more week after next.
I will be away for a few days at the end of next week. My mother is haveing a proceedure done to her heart. It seems to want to beat unregularly. It really rocks her world when it happens. Scary stuff
I hope everyone is doing well. Have we planted any new seeds or seedlings? Oh yea I have a lot of Daylily hybrids pokeing their little heads up in the Green House. Its kind of cute to see all the little green leaves above the soil line. Last years seedlings have more than quadrupled in leaf mass. they are huge and more like a typical daylily, where the seedlings look grass like the first year. I am hopeful that some of the day lilies will bloom this year.
Some of my winter sowing of cuttings seem to be rooting as well. I have some yaupon hollies andfosters holley that are starting to root out. I hope everyone is haveing as much fun this spring as I am having.
Dave

Dave, have you tried Tapia's recipe for kind of a "kill all" "get all"
type stuff? I used it on spider mites once and it looks like it might have gotten them. Here it is:Looks like I will have to type it and get back to you. Jeanette

Jeanette: I would love any suggestions on home remedy for bugz.
Dave

The only one I have heard of for the fungus gnats is the peroxide and water.

Linda, Tapia's is :

Al Tapia’s spray

1 pint rubbing alcohol
1 pint very hot water
1 tsp pure, cold-pressed neem oil
3-4 drops Murphy's oil soap

Add neem & soap to hot water & shake well. Add alcohol. Spritz plants thoroughly, covering all surfaces - especially underside of leaves & leaf axils. Be sure to shake vigorously as you use the spritzer to keep the neem mixed with the solution. Works great - the neem oil renders all the insects it contacts unable to complete metamorphosis or reproduce, while the alcohol provides reasonable knock-down for current generations.

Jeanette

Linda, Jeanette:
I am going to try the peroxide thing 1st as I am on a strict budget for a while. I will have to find the neem oil, which I should be able to locate easy enough. I will let you know how it goes.
Dave

Dave, Logee's has neem oil and the instructions add water and dishwashing soap. Shake well. Then spray on the plants. I only make up a quart at a time and you only use 1 1/2 tsp. of neem and same amount of dishwashing soap to a quart of water.

I use it for mealy bug and it works wonders. I do not use anything else, except,once in awhile, to save money i will use just alcohol wipes (which I have on hand for my birds) if I see just one bug and am sure they have not spread. This kills eggs and all and is cheap. The Tapia spray sounds great and is basically the same as the neem instructions from Logee's. I would think it is cheaper for me to stick to my Logee recipe because I would have to purchase murpheys oil and rubbing alcohol. It sounds like something I want to keep on file. JB












find just a few on a plant I do not feel like spraying, I will wipe it with alchol
wipes just where the bugs are.

I didn't have any murphy's oil soap so used Dawn.

Jeanette

Dave, I understand the " budget thing" right now too. Things are really slow. I will try the neem oil, but I will do the peroxide first.
Does anyone know what will kill scale on camellias that isn't dormant oil spray?
Thanks, Linda

Probably neem. There is also a Super Fine oil I think it is called, that you can use. check with the gardening stores. If it were me I would use the neem. Jeanette

Scale is one of the toughest critters to get rid of, short of wiping each leaf you will need something to smother the tough outer shelll. I will do some looking and get back to you.
Dave

You can certainly see what happens when you get interrupted while writing one of these posts. I see an unfinished sentence at the end of my last post. I apologize for that. I usually review each post, but I was in a hurry yesterday and the phone kept ringing.

I have a question, what does "scale" look like and does it like any particular plants?

I am not sure what I am looking for. The last time the State Inspector was here I was clean of all problems, but I want to keep it that way. I can not do that if I do not know what I am looking for. Thanks in advance for your help. JB

JB , I found this and hope it will explain it to you



scale
Scale insects
Hosts
Scale insects are common pests of many trees and shrubs, but not of vegetable plants. Homeowners can have difficulty controlling these insects, because scales are often overlooked since they remain immobile for most of their lives and do not resemble other insects.

Heavily infested plants are often covered with small, disklike or waxy coverings, and underneath each covering is the scale organism feeding on the juices of the plant. Examples of trees and shrubs that can become infested with scale are arborvitae, azalea, birch, boxelder, euonymus, honeylocust, juniper, magnolia, oak, pine, yew, and many others.


Figure 2
San Jose scale.


Damage
There are two general types of scales: armored scales (e.g., oystershell scale, San Jose scale, euonymus scale and pine needle scale) and soft scales (e.g., cottony maple scale, magnolia scale and tuliptree scale). Trees heavily infested with armored scale often look water stressed. Leaves turn yellow and drop, twigs and limbs may die and the bark cracks and gums. Armored scales can kill trees and must be controlled when their populations rise.

Soft scales also reduce plant vigor, but usually not enough to kill the tree. The main problem this type of scale causes is that unlike armored scales, they produce large amounts of honeydew (like aphids) that can cover leaves and fruit and act as a growth medium for black, sooty mold. Honeydew also attracts ants, flies, wasps and bees, whose populations around infested plants can become a nuisance.

Biology
Armored scales usually have several generations a year, while soft scales typically have a single generation. Scales spend most of their lives underneath a covering feeding on the same spot of the plant. Eggs hatch underneath the mother's cover into "crawlers." At this stage, scales are motile because they have legs. New plants can be infested when crawlers walk or are blown by the wind to other plants. Armored scale crawlers settle down permanently after a few days, molt (and lose their legs), and begin to form the species' characteristic cover. As the scale continues to grow, it remains underneath its waxy covering. In a relatively short time, winged adult males crawl out from beneath their covers and mate with covered females. Adult male scales are tiny, winged and seldom seen.

Soft scale crawlers move about the plant a little longer after hatching before they settle down at a permanent feeding site. Some soft scale species move around during their immature stages and retain their legs for life. Their covers may be smooth or cottony, but they are firmly attached to their bodies. Soft scales tend to be larger than armored scales. Mature scales never move once they firmly attach themselves to the plant.

Scale control measures
Biological control
Natural enemies, such as the predatory ladybird beetle (ladybug) and small parasitic wasps, can play a major role in controlling many scale species. You can estimate the extent of parasitic wasp activity by checking scale covers (a small 10x hand lens would be helpful) for round exit holes made by the emerging adult parasites. Before any insecticide application is made, check the plants for the presence of the natural enemies and make sure that they are not already reducing scale numbers. If pesticide treatments are warranted, confine the applications to only those plants most seriously infested; this will help conserve the natural enemies.

Cultural control
Keep your trees and shrubs well watered and fertilized. Scales will thrive on plants that are under stress. For plants that are fast growers, pruning out heavily infested shoots or limbs will help reduce the population and foster the growth of uninfested shoots. Scales can also be rubbed off plants by using your hand or a toothbrush. When adult scales are rubbed off, their mouthparts are broken and they will not be able to reinfest the plant.

Chemical control
When natural enemies are not abundant enough to provide effective scale control, insecticide applications are sometimes needed to prevent further plant injury. Many scale species on deciduous trees can be effectively controlled with a dormant spray of a refined horticultural, superior-type oil. If during the growing season you notice light leaf discoloration, minor production of honeydew and branch dieback from scales, apply an oil or insecticidal soap spray. Oils and insecticidal soaps work by smothering the insect, both adults and crawlers. In addition, such alternative pesticides are less harmful to natural enemies than conventional insecticides.

Because of their protective covering, scales can be fairly resistant to many conventional pesticides. Broad-spectrum insecticidal treatments are most effective when applied during crawler emergence. Make a thorough search of the plant to determine crawler activity. This can be aided by wrapping two-sided sticky tape tightly around some branches throughout the tree or shrub. Emerging crawlers migrating to new locations will stick to the surface of the tape. These crawlers will appear as tiny, pale yellow specks on the tape.

Nearly all scale species go through a crawler stage in late spring and early summer. But by midsummer, some scale species (especially armored species) can have overlapping generations, and the population may contain scales in every stage of development. In such a case, multiple spray applications, such as 2 to 4 applications at 10-day intervals, are needed so that the scales are killed as they reach the susceptible crawler stage.

Scale coverings may remain harmlessly on the plant for some time after the death of the insect. To evaluate the effectiveness of treatments, slide your thumb across a group of scales. If scales are dead, they will be hollow and the coverings will flake off easily. If still alive, the crushed scales will be wet from the body fluids.

Table 1 provides a list of insecticides (both conventional and alternative) that should be effective in controlling scales on trees and shrubs. The chemicals listed should be, with few exceptions, readily available to the homeowner.

Please check the label to make sure that the type of scale and the name of the host plant are listed before any insecticide application

Good Grief, that certainly does explain it. I wish I could cut and paste it but it will not permit it. Can you copy and send it to me privately to my email? JBerger431@aol.com
If not, I will try and make some notes. I will never remembet that. Thanks so much. That took so much time to prepare I do appreciate it. JB

JB the message is on it's way. Check your email.

FF: great explination. Scale often look like dandruff on a dark shirt. Scale will attack any and all plants as far as I know. they often don't go for the softer veggies and annuals because they are probably attracted by a more desirable plant. Scale is on, one of the toughest insect because of its hard outer coat, the crawlers are not as protected. I have seen nurseries use rubbing alcohol to wipe the scale off each leaf before its sent out, Not a practice I agree with but some people as like nurseries do some of the sneakest things.
I have to say FF has out done herself. I am amazed at how well and the completeness of every detail.
Dave

Dave, there was a co-op for Neem oil a month or two ago. It's always possible that Roger will still honor a DG member's discount - he gets a *lot* of business from us.

http://www.growerssolution.com ... tell him Sheryl from Gainesboro sent ya!

Sheryl: Thanks for the tip. I am going to look local tomorrow. If I don't find it I will contact them.
Dave

Hey Dave if you have a Lowes close to you they carry it.

Oh yea... we have 3 and 4 home depots. Its funny how many there are and the town is still growing. I see the national news with all the doom and gloom and scratch my head wondering why we seem to be still building homes, target super center hospitals etc. I guess we are lucky here.
Dave

I haven't bought any as of yet but I know they do have it and it isn't all that expensive and sure would save a bunch buying there as you wouldn't have to pay shipping.

Flower, I have been checking my email and it has not arrived. I am so sorry to bother you again, but could you resend it please. JBerger431@aol.com/ thanks.

JB LOL when I put your address in I forgot the 431. I am so sorry. I know it isn't funny but just laughing at my stupid mistake . You should get it now.

Carolyn, Honey, thank you so much. We all do goofy things at times so don't worry about such a small thing like forgetting part of an address. Wait until you get to be my age and you will be lucky to remember to get out of bed in the morning. LOL I always laugh at my own mistakes. It makes me feel better. Thanks again I will read and digest all that wonderful information. Hugs.

Oh I laugh at myself all the time. Even DH laughs at me, but I laugh at him too LOLThats what makes life a little easier to take is when you can laugh at yourself. Also if you can laugh at yourself you never get bored LOL.

A big thanks for the scale info from me too. I have a beautiful camellia that really needs some help. I used an organic based insecticide in the fall, but it hasn't seemed to have helped.

I will try the rubbing alcohol trick to clean them up and then see if anything else needs to be sprayed.

Hope everyone is having a good almost spring week. It was in the high 60's yesterday. It will get cold again on Sunday, but today, i can get outside. LOL

Everyone is very welcome I was glad to help. Hope you get rid of this pest !!

I was told we hit 80 on wednesday. then they were calling for flurries overnight thursday. I do love it when the weather cooperates. Monday I managed to go without any pain meds. Its a banner day when that happens.
I planted some mescalin salad mixed greens wednesday and they already have sprouted. I am so excited. If I can grow enough to offset the $1.50 per head at the grocery and I know whats in it, all organic.
Its on to round VI. I hope we manage to keep the chat going. I love having so many friends here.
Dave

I love having a place to chat with people too.

Ok here is where we are headed. Please check in because I am always afraid we will loose some one.

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/957642/

Dave

bump