Seasonal do's and dont's

[dick benbow]

Having my hands into multiple japanese hobbies has caused me over the years to find things that they have in common.
Yesterday, I was thinning out third year needles on a REALLY healthy mugho when I discovered one really big grey aphid. So after the job was finished thinning, I sprayed to get rid of my little visitor.
The event got me to thinking....in Koi one of the fall practices to get them thru winter is to check for any paracites and rid them of them. That way as they settle in to a more reserved existence, they're not bothered and can easily get thu the cold with strength and vitality for spring.
Usually I deal with tree insects/problems as I find them. So my question is do others do anything at this time of year as a general principle to spray or treat prior to going into winter?

 

[Neli]

I dont come from your area but know that people spray as week lime sulfur solution when leaves fall.

 

[Eric Group]

Yeah, what Neli said... Many people treat with a heavy lime sulfer treatment in the late Fall/ winter after leaves fall. That stuff should pretty much take care of just about anything biological you do not want present on your tree from bugs to many diseases... It is nasty stuff though!

I used it some this past winter just before leaves came out and noticed that it did seem to reduce mildew issues. My crepe Myrtles and sometimes Maples were prone to getting a powdery wilder or a black sooty mold sometimes, and I saw none of that this year. I also saw that it completely eradicated the mildew issues a large azalea I have was struggling with... After a few good rinses I don't think it does much for bugs any longer, but just about everything except Elms were treated with a systemic the first time this year and it has wiped out all aphid and "sucking insect" issues I Was having.

 

[Tieball]

Why not the Elms?

After a few good rinses I don't think it does much for bugs any longer, but just about everything except Elms were treated with a systemic the first time this year and it has wiped out all aphid and "sucking insect" issues I Was having.

Curious.....why not the Elm trees?......and along with that did you mean Chinese Elms, Water Elms or American Elms?

 

[Dav4]

I apply a dormant oil spray to everything in fall and again in late winter...a tree coming out of dormancy without insects will likely be healthier then one breaking dormancy with pests already on board.

 

[mcpesq817]

I apply a dormant oil spray to everything in fall and again in late winter...a tree coming out of dormancy without insects will likely be healthier then one breaking dormancy with pests already on board.

Do you use an oil product for your pines or other conifers? I heard something about the oil potentially clogging pores on pine needles, so the recommendation was to avoid oil products.

 

[Dav4]

Do you use an oil product for your pines or other conifers? I heard something about the oil potentially clogging pores on pine needles, so the recommendation was to avoid oil products.

Yes. I use the Sunspray Ultra fine horticultural oil. I've even applied a dilute mix to my junipers in summer during a pretty bad mite outbreak. The worst I've seen it do is affect the color of the juniper foliage. All the trees had no health repercussions after the application(s). I always was very careful to follow the dilution rates precisely.

 

[Paradox]

I sprayed everything with neem oil when I brought them in for winter storage late last fall.
Will probably do the same this fall. It makes the garage smell funny for about a week and some discoloring on some junipers as Dave mentioned, but otherwise no problems.

 

[steve27]

I have that stuff in spray bottles pre mixed.

I sprayed everything with neem oil when I brought them in for winter storage late last fall.
Will probably do the same this fall. It makes the garage smell funny for about a week and some discoloring on some junipers as Dave mentioned, but otherwise no problems.

glad your around Paradox havent seen you on here in a few days!

 

[Paradox]

glad your around Paradox havent seen you on here in a few days!

Been fighting a nasty head cold the last week or so. Been mostly reading. I did submit my box store contest entry on Thurs/Friday.

 

[steve27]

feel better!

Been fighting a nasty head cold the last week or so. Been mostly reading. I did submit my box store contest entry on Thurs/Friday.

yes I as well .do YOU know when we will hear the results?

 

[cmeg1]

For me,I make sure not to over water the soil when temps do not rise above 80 degrees until around 1:00 PM.Usually late August or sept.1st.
And especially since my moss is quite dense by then.I am up to 3 days between watering now.Although I do mist the top of soil on the second and third morning to keep the moss moist.Great root growth.

 

[Eric Group]

Curious.....why not the Elm trees?......and along with that did you mean Chinese Elms, Water Elms or American Elms?

I have just read that it causes leaf drop and sometimes death if Elms are given certain systemic insecticides... Don't know why and since reading that I have never tried it so I cannot speak from experience here... Normally when I give a warning about what will kill a tree it is because I have done it a time or two, but this is just something I read about in a couple books. I went to the net to do some research and there were recommendations to use certain systemics on elms, so perhaps it was just one TYPE of systemic that needs to be avoided. I will check on it further to see if I can find one of the books where I read that.