Need a cheaper insecticide

Discussion in 'Trees, Shrubs and Roses' started by bradleyheathhays, Feb 25, 2023.

  1. bradleyheathhays

    bradleyheathhays New Seed

    Joined:
    Mar 21, 2021
    Messages:
    6
    Likes Received:
    3
    I've got some boxwoods I have to protect from miner bugs every spring, and right about now is time to do the annual insecticide drench, and lo and behold the stuff has doubled in price just like everything else. I'll include a pic of what I've used up til now. It used to be a concentrate that you watered down and applied, but now the new and improved version is undiluted and very $$. The main ingredient is 1.47% imidacloprid after it's diluted.

    Any suggestions for a cheaper insecticide alternative with the same active ingredient?

    Thanks!

    [​IMG]
     
  2. Loading...


  3. Pacnorwest

    Pacnorwest Young Pine

    Joined:
    May 16, 2018
    Messages:
    2,295
    Likes Received:
    5,054
    I use a systemic granules. Protection from leaf minors , Gypsy moths , beetles etc . … for the weeping elm and tri-color stripped bark acer. Several other pines firs and myrtles…
     
  4. MIKE ALLEN

    MIKE ALLEN Seedling

    Joined:
    Sep 20, 2021
    Messages:
    199
    Likes Received:
    435
    Location:
    Eltham. London. SE England.
    Apologies for the delay, but life has been a bit of a struggle recently.

    I did previously offer to dot down a few words regarding roses.

    ROSES! Those prickly damn things. So sad that some gardeners and non gardeners hold that view. Although I might be said to, eat, drink and sleep roses and have grown them for a lifetime. I continue to browse the bookshelves for more titles. Despite most writing being a bit repetative, each writer has their own way of expressing things. Here often lies some new snippet of learning.

    So did you know that the rose is believed to be the oldest recorded flower on the plantet.

    Next. The rose has the longest flowering period of all plants. Right from spring to first snows.

    OK. So some have problems growing roses in their location. There are many ways you can cultivte a good collection.

    Building your collection. Rose breeders work hard to produce so many new varieties. Did you know? It takes some twelve years for a new rose to be put on sale.

    Some steps in production. Seeds are collected and sown. A likeable seedling might come about. This is then continued, plus hand pollinating can take place. A promising new flower might or might not come about.

    Now for us. The gardener. So comes the time when we, I want to have a go at this rose breeding lark. Hey! slow down. Lets get some practice in with increasing what we have.

    Shared with the experts. We have various methods available. The simplest is cuttings. Next is budding. This different from GRAFTING. Budding one uses a simple bud. Grafting is a horticultural term for basically, splicing a piece of the parent to another.

    Budding is where, a live bud is taken from a stem and is inserted under the outer cambrian layer of the host plant. The host, is usually a rootstock. These can be produced from seedlings or purchased. Most gardeners are familiar with budding. Then there is, 'chip budding'. This is a bit different. Here you can forego the footstock and use an existing plant. Perhaps it's slowed down in growth or whatever. Here you obtain a bud, then make your cut on the green stem, rather than the brown buried rootstock. Following the take. The upper stem is cut off. Now here, I am adding my own bit. IMHO. Using this method should be available to. Rejuvinate a tired wornout old rose, or simply to make use of the root stock.

    Standard roses are usually budded at the top onto Rosa Rugosa. Hope tis helps.
     
    Pacnorwest likes this.
  5. Pacnorwest

    Pacnorwest Young Pine

    Joined:
    May 16, 2018
    Messages:
    2,295
    Likes Received:
    5,054
    Great info. Learned a lot.. Thanks for posting appreciate your advice.
     
    MIKE ALLEN likes this.



    Advertisement
  6. MIKE ALLEN

    MIKE ALLEN Seedling

    Joined:
    Sep 20, 2021
    Messages:
    199
    Likes Received:
    435
    Location:
    Eltham. London. SE England.
    A note or two about roses.

    • I had typed these notes a couple of nights ago. Silly me, I couldn’t have pressed send or post. So let’s try again.
    • Roses loved by some, hated by others. For many gardeners, the rose appears to spend most of it’s life as a bare prickly garden shrub. In actual fact. The genus rosa has probably the longest overall flowering season.

    • Mentioned in history books. The rose has been around for a very long time. Those of us who have grown roses probably have a favourite or two. For instance. Rosa; Ena Harkness has for many years been considered one of the best red HT roses, sadly it has a weak neck and the blooms often hang down. Rosa. My Valentine is a favourite of mine, the blooms lasting many days before showing signs of wilting. Teasing Georgia is a very good yellow climber. Compassion really outgrows most i.m.o, it makes thick strong wood so fast and the blooms are a delight.

    • So, are roses easy to grow. From experience I’d say, even with experience you wins some and loses some. Here in the UK we are fortunate to have good all-round growing conditions.
    • Browsing the catalogues, it’s good to remember that it takes some twelve years for a new rose to hit the market. The various stages are. Cross pollinating, growing the seedlings, selecting favourable looking plants. These need to be grown on to see if their offspring remain true.

    • Then rootstocks are required. Times past, rosa rugosa and rosa canine were used, then breeders started to grow and develop seedling stocks of their own. These are normally field planted, although growing on a much smaller scale, pot culture can be used. Given time to establish the rootstock is then cultured. Come mid summer, established rose trees are checked for stems with good strong buds. From a selected stem, using a sharp knife, a bud is removed simply slicing it from the stem. Careful removal of unwanted wood so that the back of the bud is visible. The soil is scraped back from the crown of the rootstock and gentle scraping will remove the outer cambian layer A T cut is made and the edges layed back, now the bud shield is inserted and the union is sealed with a suitable tape. The next season the plants have their top growth removed. Commercially, the next season plants can be lifted for sale. Due possibly to the covid pandemic, growers really hiked their prices up. Now they are offering reductions of around 50%. So that is basically how we get lots of roses.
    • There are other methods of increasing stock. There is also ‘Chip Budding’ This is where a bud is budded onto a green part of the stem. Cutting also are a common practice.

    • Cultivation. Roses like mainly an acid pH, plenty of feeding and cosmetic care.
    • There is so much more to say but. Night night.
     
    Pacnorwest likes this.
  7. MIKE ALLEN

    MIKE ALLEN Seedling

    Joined:
    Sep 20, 2021
    Messages:
    199
    Likes Received:
    435
    Location:
    Eltham. London. SE England.
    YE GODS!!!!!!

    I have just noticed my previous post is on the forum. So sorry.
     
    Pacnorwest likes this.
  8. Pacnorwest

    Pacnorwest Young Pine

    Joined:
    May 16, 2018
    Messages:
    2,295
    Likes Received:
    5,054
    No worries.. It’s all good info.. thanks.
     
  9. Dirtmechanic

    Dirtmechanic Young Pine

    Joined:
    Feb 6, 2019
    Messages:
    1,816
    Likes Received:
    3,050
    Location:
    Birmingham, AL zone 8a
    Acephate (Orthene®), imidacloprid (Bayer's Tree & Shrub Insect Control™, Merit®) and dinotefuran are all systemics and somewhat different than what you show. Pyrethrin works too- on the surface, but it is also used inside homes which is one less bottle to keep up with anyway.

    Remember too that like watering with fertilizer more frequent weaker concoctions are better than a one time treatment. There is only so much a plant can take up at a time. This is even more true for the slow growing varieties like buxus..

    Another strong topical spray is Spinosad. Its pretty safe and used on pets.
     
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2023
    Pacnorwest likes this.

Share This Page