Greetings Again Sherry, and to everyone else...
My apologies, I neglected to include the info on the oil
I use. There are now several types of Horticultural oils
on the market, with different viscosity's, that allow for use All Season.
One that would available "over the counter", would be Cotton seed oil.
I think you can find at gardensalive.com and other places on the web.
You are right, in the old days around here, we didn't dare spray oil, when the temperature
was over 70 degrees.
If I may get off the subject briefly, Here in the Midwest, Gardeners and
Grounds keepers used to spray a light coat of oil on Baltic or Boston Ivy, or other
groundcovers, to give a shine after a garden cleanup, or before a party or garden walk.
Jonathan made an excellent point on the crawlers. It is possible to have hundreds
or even a thousand or so of those little buggers, sneaking about if you are not careful.
That was why I mentioned the addition of an insecticide with the oil.
As John pointed out, Imidaclopird will do an excellent job when incorporated
into the soil or potting mix. Several variations of Imidacloprid I have used are Merit=AE 2.5 G granular
insecticide, and Coretect=AE, systemic fertilizer "marbles". Both of these are from Bayer. The Merit is applied either
on the surface, or worked into the surface with a trowel, and watered in.
The Coretect looks like a small marble, and incorporates the Imidacloprid, at 20% ingredient
content, and slow release fertilizer in one product. You can use one of these fertilizer marbles
for a 1, 2 or 3 gallon container. With larger size pots, several in a container, will last for many months.
Like Devin, I have used Azamax, that seems to works well on Spider mites. For me, here in
Illinois, Spider Mites start showing up, when we have hot, dry weather, from Mid June onward.
These can be tricky to control. Another product which is excellent for all types of mites and Whiteflies,
Is another Bayer product. Forbid=AE. the active ingredient of Forbid 4F is Spriomesifen 45%,
and is a newer product available to professionals.
The product has translaminar action, but to completely effective, Bayer recommends spraying all plant surfaces.
But don't rush out for this one, it comes in a pint, and can run over $250.00 dollars. I use about
1.8 milliliters per gallon of water. I use it sparingly. However, saying all that, I have eliminated mites and Whitefly
from many different types of plants. Bayer suggests 3 applications, spaced 14 to 18 days apart, often I have obtained
control after 2 treatments. Like most infestations, the sooner you see those rascals the better control you get.
My apologies for the long winded post, I hope this has been useful to you all.
Michael Kolaczewski
Elgin, IL
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