New to Bonsai bugs

[Scollops71]

Hi all - just really starting out with bonsai. I have two junipers, I was told to bug kill monthly and feed monthly. So I have Mavrick, lime sulphu and seesol fertiliser.

My question - how do I de bug ? Silly question maybe but do I just spray the leaves or actually soak like watering but with correct concentrate of maverick ?

Same goes with lime sulphur - winter only use just foliage ?

Seesol - not really seeing much health with this any help appreciated ?

Sorry for the newbie question but Wasn't sure if spraying meant everything etc ??

Thanks

[Scooter_pimp]

White oil is also good for killing insects... Works by suffocating the insects so bigs must be coated


I use rogor and confidor as a systemic protection against insects in all my plants... Bonsai or not




Seasol is good for root growth.... Powerfeed is better for leaf growth... Liquid fertillizers are able to be used fortnightly... Will give the plants a more instantaneous kick as opposed to slow releaae

[Bougy Fan]

G'Day and welcome. Seasol is just a tonic - not a fertiliser. You can apply it over winter with no ill effects and it is not wasted. Basically Seasol can be applied every 2 weeks if you like all year round. Don't bother with fertilisers until August or September as it is wasted over winter. Don't just use one fertiliser - vary it with some chook poo and a granular as well if you like. Look at the NPK values as well - not all fertilisers are the same.

[Scollops71]

Thanks guys good tips - any thoughts on the use of maverick etc is it just spray or actually water the tree ?

[bodhidharma]

You mist it onto the leaves top and bottom. Dont pour it into the soil. Do you have bugs? It is not set in stone that you should spray your trees whether you have bugs or not. Sometimes there are good bugs around. Check your tree visually and see if you have any, if not dont spray.Also, Welcome to A.B.

[Scooter_pimp]

Thanks guys good tips - any thoughts on the use of maverick etc is it just spray or actually water the tree ?

Maverik is stronger than confidor but not as potent as rogor

Good idea to regularly spray plants such as azaleas viburnum gardenias etc with systemic insecticides as protection against future insect attacks because with certain plant types the damage to foliage can be irreversible depending on the type of insect....

[Scollops71]

So how does this work against potential root bugs if just spraying foliage. ? Is Rodor a good alternative to mavrick for qld.

[kcpoole]

Thanks guys good tips - any thoughts on the use of maverick etc is it just spray or actually water the tree ?

Maverik is stronger than confidor but not as potent as rogor

Good idea to regularly spray plants such as azaleas viburnum gardenias etc with systemic insecticides as protection against future insect attacks because with certain plant types the damage to foliage can be irreversible depending on the type of insect....

I have lots of azaleas, and find that if I spray with confidor 3 times a year, the Aphids will be under control.
I use Yates anti rot, on my deciduous trees also about 3 times a year to control fungus and rot.
White oil occasionally if a see anything not covered above.

Chemicals are OK to use if you have a problem to solve, but should not used to Fix a problem that does not exist or "just because". They are generally bad things and the less used the better

Fertilising is a topic on its own but check this wiki page as a start https://www.ausbonsai.com.au/wiki/index. ... Fertiliser . Some good links on there to threads about ferts used.

Scooter mentioned laef damage from insects, Which is a bummer when about to show a tree. this can usually be solved by defoliating the tree if affected, rather than applyiing chemicals just in case

Also the Bugs in the soil, either change you soil to something that will not harbour bugs, or Soak the pot in water for a few hours to kill them.

Ken