Newbies pay attention.......

greerhw

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This was my first Shimpaku, bought 10 years ago at Brussels. I didn't know a soul doing bonsai, didn't belong to a club, I thought I could learn everything I needed to know about bonsai from reading, after all, I bought a juniper at the mall 1 month earlier and it was doing fine. So on a trip to a few Civil War battle sites in the south and eating lunch at Corky's BBQ in Memphis, which is now my favorite BBQ joint in the south, we stopped by Brussels, after reading their ad in a magazine. I brought my treasure home in the back seat of my wife's car, while see sneezed for 500 miles, later learning she was allergic to the damn things ( helps to keep her out of my shade house so she doesn't recognize any new trees). But alas it never got styled, didn't even make it through the next spring, this is the tree that taught me about spider mites, expensive lesson. Right then and there I decided I needed to join a club, now I check my trees once a month after it warms up and spray if necessary.

keep it green,
Harry
 

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treebeard55

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Good post, Harry. It's said that the depth of one's wisdom is indicated by the ability to learn from the mistakes and trials of others. Let's hope some newbies have that wisdom.
 

mcpesq817

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Nice looking tree Harry.

Also glad to see that you were able to turn a negative (your wife's allergies) into a positive (she doesn't go into your shade house) - I might have to use that one to my advantage too :D
 

yenling83

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Ha ha... Harry that was a great post. I'm glad you shared that!
 

BonsaiSteve

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About the spray you keep handy, what do you use? I've lost a few trees to those pesky bugs. I've heard lots of things being used, and I've tried Dawn dish soap (just a touch) mixed in with water. I would like to stay away from really poisonous pesticides/insecticides. Can anyone recommend an organic soap or something similar?
 

Kirk

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About the spray you keep handy, what do you use? I've lost a few trees to those pesky bugs. I've heard lots of things being used, and I've tried Dawn dish soap (just a touch) mixed in with water. I would like to stay away from really poisonous pesticides/insecticides. Can anyone recommend an organic soap or something similar?

"Safer" soap is an organic insecticidal soap available retail. You can also do as you have done and use something like Ivory liquid and water. You will really need to be observant for infestations. They are not systemic treatments.

I use the organic soap products in my Horticultural Therapy program at Emory so that I won't have patients coming into contact with too many pesticides.

Kirk
 

Mark59

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About the spray you keep handy, what do you use? I've lost a few trees to those pesky bugs. I've heard lots of things being used, and I've tried Dawn dish soap (just a touch) mixed in with water. I would like to stay away from really poisonous pesticides/insecticides. Can anyone recommend an organic soap or something similar?

When I water my junipers I use a good spray nozzle that has eight patterns, set it to horizontal, which is a fan shaped spray not a mist mind you, a solid spray and hit every part of the foliage from all angles including underneath being careful not to wash away soil. I've never had a mite problem. If you do this regularly, you should never have a mite problem because they'll never get established on a tree to do the kind of damage that did in Harry's tree.
 

snobird

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You had an eye for good things even back then.
 

jjbacoomba

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(So on a trip to a few Civil War battle sites ) I try to go to Gettysburg every year. I've been studying the Civil War for the past 6 years. I hope to visit a few more soon.
 

greerhw

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(So on a trip to a few Civil War battle sites ) I try to go to Gettysburg every year. I've been studying the Civil War for the past 6 years. I hope to visit a few more soon.

It is fascinating when you get into it, you can't read enough about it. See if you have a Cival War roundtable in your area, it makes even more enjoyable.

keep it green,
Harry
 
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