Milli -

what you are talking about is a systemic insecticide. How it is delivered - I didn't see the sticks yet , I use MARATHON granules I add to the soil. Works for 3 months, you can add it to the top of the soil. It gets absorbed by the roots and goes up the stems and leaves. The concentration is not enough in the buds to kill thrips. Doesn't kill mites.

There are sprayable systemics - Judo, Pylon. Ungodly expensive though.They kill mites and insects.

There is no magic bullet, sorry. No matter if it is on sticks or in a bottle. It is way more practical just try to keep the sucking bugs away from your collection - just as Fred always reminds us - isolate, isolate, isolate.

Spoilsport Irina

Hi Irina!

Thank you very much for that information. I think I would be very happy to use the Marathon granules.

I haven't added any plants to my collection for about 6 weeks or so, and I believe that the aphids I have occasionally come from insects like flies, or maybe they just come in on their own little space ships ;-)

So far I have had only one plant with aphids that I treated with something from a red spray bottle. It worked very good. I kept the plant separated for 14 days in which time I repeated the treatment 2 or 3 times. After putting it back I kept inspecting all my plants very carefully - and I mean CAREFULLY! - and hadn't any for several weeks. Yesterday I noticed only a few aphids on 2 or 3 plants so I now want to treat all my pants because inspecting them every day becomes pretty time consuming.

I read in an other post that cutting all buds and blooms will deprive any sucking insects from food, and maybe together with the Marathon granules this will keep the plants clean.

I'll look up where to get the granules. And btw, I also have the 'Green Light' Neem concentrate which I haven't used so far but after reading the manual I understand that that works on mites and insects.

I have grown cacti and succulents and I believe there will always be this competition with the unwanted creatures no matter which plants we grow.

Thank you again very much!

Kind regards,
Milli.

Before I started using marathon granules (is it Violet Gallery that has the smaller quanities for sale?) - I used what I think you are talking about. They were like the the little jobes fertilizer sticks for houseplants only it also had insecticide in them. I couldn't find those anymore, didn't think they still make them. then one day at Lowes I found some pellets you push down in the soil, they are like a large oval asprin..I think Peters made them. They were in a flat blue foil package about 6" square, and the packages were attached to one of those hanging strips they attach to the shelves. As I'm now using marathon, I haven't been looking for them.

tish

Hi Tish,

Those sticks with fertilizer are widely availably where I am. Those sticks looked from afar as if they are round and are blue-ish. Those are not the one I was describing. The ones I tried to describe are flat cardboard, they have a shape like the top of a picket fence to make it easy to push them down, white flat cardboard and I must have mistaken the 'Sticky Sticks' with those. Because I cannot find them on the web anymore, anywhere. It was a different country and a different time and it has been a while, so maybe they're not on the market anymore all together.

Anyhoo - I'm almost too afraid to ask - how smal are the 'smaller quantities' you are referring to?

And an other thing just occured to me. If the fertilizer in those fore mentioned sticks doesn't come from urea would it be okay to use them? My guess is that they would give a dose that is way too high for av's or does anyone use them?

Thank you for the information!
Milli.

No, I've never heard of or seen anything cardboard. Sorry.

There is controversy over urea. Some say never use fertilizer made with it and others say it doesn't matter. I know a couple people use those sticks in their violets. I think they break the stick in 1/3rds. I just use a little liquid or powder fertilizer anytime I water except for two weeks that I just use plain water. I use different fertilizers every couple months because they all have different nutrients and trace elements...some have urea, some don't.

Ok, it was Cape Cod Violetry (spelling?) that sells the small amounts marathon, they have a downloadable catalogue, small I mean small enough to be reasonably priced. Someone told me if you phone him and ask, he will sell you a smaller amount.

tish

Thank you very much, I'm going to contact them!

Milli.