Insecticide for Range of Different Bonsai

[sm314]

Hi guys,

Hope you are well.

I was wondering if you guys can help with suggestions for a brand or type of insecticide to use on my growing bonsai collection.

I've got a 1 half year old Jbp, a 6 week oldish collection of Cali Redwoods,Jacaranda, Pomegranate, Cherry Blossom, and a Baobab (growing indoors so not too worried about this one).

They're now attracting quite a lot of interest from insects and sadly a.snail.managed to eat one of the trees.

Just wondering if there's something you can suggest which will work for all of them.

Thx for any help.

Sam

 

[TomB]

Pretty much any spray you buy from the garden centre should be OK, though I'd advise only spraying if you see clear evidence of a pest (aphids, greenfly) to limit damage to bees etc.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Make sure you read the labels and put plant health first. Reading labels implies/means you positively ID'ed and know your pest and spray against it with the right stuff, and NOT showering your plants with everything you can find while hoping it will work.

My pines have aphids, but no damage from them. For the sole reason that they're healthy. I have no need for treatment, because they're hardly visible and have no lasting bad effects.

When picking the right insecticide, it helps looking at the msds, and the wikipedia page of the active ingredient (if you can: try different languages because my native wikipedia pages hardly ever mention how much cancer your kids and grandkids will get if you breathe the stuff before you make babies). Try to use the lightest application first, of the least dangerous stuff.
This helps prevent breeding insecticide resistance. If you go nuclear immediately, when the insects get their resistance.. You will have no options left.
I said when, because it's not a matter of "if": agricultural spraying will do that for us.

 

[Paradox]

It really depends on what is munching on your trees. There are some broad spectrum insecticides but you really need to ID the critter and buy something that lists that critter on the label.

 

[SgtPilko]

Here in the UK my go-to is Rose Clear Ultra - it does all the usual pests plus some fungus control for powdery mildew, blight etc. Scale and mites are a bit of a different ball game so if you have those (less common) come back for more advice later.

You can buy a small bottle of concentrate for £10 that you then mix up yourself in a pump-action sprayer (good investment too, only about £10 ish) much more cost conscious than the pre-mix sprays - with those you are paying for 95% water innit

 

[SgtPilko]

Oh and don't take this the wrong way, but your pre-bonsais there are very young small plants, that means they are quite vulnerable and a snail can devour one in a sitting. When you have something a bit more established losing a bit of foliage to slugs and caterpillars won't be so bad!

 

[awarrenj]

How about any 3:1 from any brand

 

[sm314]

Thanks for all the input guys much appreciated ... Taken onboard