Regular pesticide & insecticide regimens

We have some unique pests to deal with in Australia. Post your experiences and treatments here for others to learn from.
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Action Jackson
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Regular pesticide & insecticide regimens

Post by Action Jackson »

Hi all,

Tried to do a search on fellow enthusiasts regimens to PREVENTATIVE treatment but only found posts on specific pest/insect treatment.

As a newbie, there is plenty of information available to treat specific issues but not much available around regular 'maintenance' approaches

Would love to hear your approach to preventative treatment or proactive application if you like:
- what you use and purpose
- when you use it (including how often)
- how you use it

:reading:
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Re: Regular pesticide & insecticide regimens

Post by EdwardH »

Good draining mix, plenty of direct sunlight and fertilizer keep your trees healthy and they generally do not get attacked by too many bugs, fungus etc. Also grow trees that are suited to your climate as trying to grow trees totally unsuited to your climatic conditions is asking for trouble. I do use a systemic insecticide like Folimat quarterly on azaleas but that is about it.
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Re: Regular pesticide & insecticide regimens

Post by shibui »

Personally I do not believe in using chemicals as a preventative. There are already too may chemicals in our environment. Why add more unnecessarily? I prefer to treat specific problems with an appropriate treatment as they occur - reduce unnecessary chemical use, waste as well as cost.

If you are determined to spray even when there may be nothing you could try these recommendations:
I remember that Grant Bowie has told us he uses Confidor, Mavrik and Pest Oil as a preventative for everything viewtopic.php?f=6&t=10444&p=172700&hilit=mavrik#p172700
Leigh Tafe has also posted that he uses that mix at home and at the NBPCA in Canberra viewtopic.php?f=7&t=7532&p=84721&hilit=mavrik#p84721
http://shibuibonsai.com.au/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Action Jackson
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Re: Regular pesticide & insecticide regimens

Post by Action Jackson »

Hi Edward and shibui - appreciate sharing your knowledge and experience.

Now it makes sense why I couldn't find much around about this topic - I was of the impression that this was the norm and a regular practice. Kind of glad to know it isn't as I too am not happy about chemicals and try to avoid using them wherever possible.

Thanks for the advice good to know I'm hitting the right marks so far
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Re: Regular pesticide & insecticide regimens

Post by RogerW »

I agree with Shibui, unnecessary use of chemicals is dangerous for the environment. Also, Folimat is an organophosphate and as an anti-cholinesterase compound is a dangerous chemical that is absorbed through the skin. Absorption can be very rapid if the chemical is splashed on the eye. It is toxic to bees. It falls under poison schedule 7 and 6. I was under the impression that Folimat had been withdrawn from sale. Personally, I will not use organophosphates because of the danger to myself and the potential for co-lateral damage to essential insects.
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Re: Regular pesticide & insecticide regimens

Post by LLK »

Great subject. Always a useful thread to read.
There is only one preventive insecticide I use, and use only once a year, and that is Confidor against lace bugs on the Azaleas. The time for it is NOW in Canberra; I don't know about other regions. I applied it during the few cool days we recently had and watered it off the tops of the bonsai a day later, being careful to leave the underside of the leaves intact.
As a systemic treatment for insects, mites and fungus, I found that Yates' Rose Gun for roses and ornamentals works well.

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Re: Regular pesticide & insecticide regimens

Post by clet10 »

Hello,

Hi all, Tried to do a search on fellow enthusiasts regimens to PREVENTATIVE treatment but only found posts on specific pest/insect treatment.
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Re: Regular pesticide & insecticide regimens

Post by Grant Bowie »

Full sun and plenty of breeze makes most preventative spraying unnecessary. But otherwise Condidor , pest oil and Mavrik together do a good job on pests, scale, powdery mildews etc. Di-pel for caterpillars,

Cheers,

Grant
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Re: Regular pesticide & insecticide regimens

Post by wrcmad »

With all due respect, I notice that most of the responses claiming the unnecessary evils of preventative chemical application are coming from our more southern members. I used to get away with this too when I lived in Sydney, but since moving further north I don't have that luxury.
In the local area where I live in northern NSW, annual average rainfall sits at around 1800mm and annual average 9am relative humidity is near 80% - both well above say Canberra or Melbourne. Annual average daytime temps are around 26 degC, so it is nearly always warm too.
Under these climate conditions, it is near impossible rely solely on drainage, breeze and sunlight to prevent all your trees ailments. Yes, you could restrict yourself to growing species like ficus..... or ficus?, but that is not where my head is at, so I bring in the chemical cavalry by necessity.
Action Jackson wrote: Would love to hear your approach to preventative treatment or proactive application if you like:
- what you use and purpose
- when you use it (including how often)
- how you use it
1. Daconyl - a must for pines during candle-opening through to hardening-off - otherwise needle cast is a near 100% certainty the following year.
2. Annual copper sulphate spray for general as a general fungicide.
3. Quarterly Copper fungicide application to the trunk and branches of anything with a textured or thick bark that holds moisture - the shadow cast by a dense or ramified canopy, coupled with the warmth and damp/humidity, causes fungus (as well as moss) to grow on the bark.
4. One or two applications of Cleary's 3666 in the warmer months seems to protect new buds on maples from any fungus. As well, I have never had any die back, browning, or fungus problems with Junipers since using this fungicide.
5. Locusts during summer :evil: - these locusts have, in the past, stripped maples, elms, bougeys, figs, and even new needles on JBP's. I have tried all sorts of off-the-shelf caterpillar/grasshopper preventatives and killers, to which these locusts thumb their nose to all of them. I now nuke them twice or 3 times each summer with Rogor - it's the only thing that seems to keep them at bay.
6. The dreaded black tips and leaf curl on tridents - I have a couple of tridents inflicted with this problem since moving north, and have been systematically working through potential causes and solutions for the past 4 years. There has been a lot of debate on this forum as to the cause of this seemingly common ailment, yet no one has really put their finger on it yet. One regularly touted theory is that it is due to thrips - but I am fairly certain this is not the case. This year, I am pinning my hopes on phytopthora being the cause (as I am out of ideas if it is not phytopthora :lost: ). So, I have managed to source Aliette, and will apply to the symptomatic tridents over the course of this year. :fc:

Some may gasp in horror at the chemical munitions stored in my shed - I'd prefer not to have to use them, because quite frankly it is a pain in the rear end, and more work I could really do without. But in some microclimates, it seems a necessary evil.
Last edited by wrcmad on August 18th, 2018, 10:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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