Tell that person to point the business end of that sprayer towards his face and let her go.

What a mentality that exists in this country. Let's put a little poison on a plant that is exhibiting no symptoms of stress, insect infestation, etc.

Let's just spray the hell out of it, because that's the American way and after all what's good for Monsanto and the Ortho's of the world is good for America.

Molly, I don't do any preventative spraying.

Have you had an insect problem on other shrubs in your garden that concerns you?

The best defense against insect damage is a well tended, well grown shrub that can hold its own - an occasional chewed leaf isn't worth an insecticide. Now if something specific were to come up that was causing more damage than you or the rhododendron could tolerate, let us know.

Birdsong, we were posting at the same time.

She did ask before acting to make sure she had the right information; no need to deadhead her :)

Morz, I was directing the post to her "so called meaningful friend".

My rhodies aren't picture perfect. I doubt that I'll ever reach for a chemical to spray onto ANY of my plants. If I don't have a well balanced environment that can't provide the needed checks and balances with beneficial insects or the proper healthy and native environment that I'm striving for, I'll give up on the plant.

And I've yet to LOSE a plant to any foreign invader, blight etc. Just the dumb Mexicans who felt it was OK to step and break off limbs of a Rh. Heritage Salmon, a Kalmia Sarah, Ilex Veritcillata, Magnolia Tripetela, and numerous ferns, epemdium, and forget me nots as they were on my property last week installing a fence for the neighbor who just installed a pool. Stepped all over and broke limbs left and right. My neighbor has promised me $200 to cover the damage as he took it off the Fencing Contractors bill. I won't hold my breath on seeing any $$$, but it was a nice verbal gesture.

Morz, in a nutshell, I've got NO tolerance for stupidity. Either my personal scenario as cited above or Molly's fried.

Stupidity is comparing spraying Ortho on a rhododendron with harming a human being. Saving the planet is not a reason to spread hate. Education is much more productive than hate and threats make education very difficult.

IÂm in agreement to a *certain* point with birdsong (on the spray thing); and I can also see where rhodyman is coming from. The part that I agree with birdsong on is that people *do* spray pesticides/insecticides Âwilly-nilly  with no thought whatsoever.

I would much rather put up with some bug damage rather than ever spray any of my plants with chemicals. IÂm not going to risk harming myself, or anyone else, with pesticide sprays. ItÂs a scary thought when someone might spray just because someone else told them to do it. IÂll go as far to say that IÂll take out a plant if they seem to be a Âbug-magnetÂ, and IÂm going to be spending more time, than I want to, trying to keep the plant looking good. I just took out a purple leaf sandcherry a couple of days ago because year after year it got semi-defoliated from these green catepillars.

IÂve had great success using just plain old soap and water in a spray bottle. But, I donÂt even spray soap and water unless I actually see a harmful bug causing damage to my plants.

The reason people are quick to spray pesticides and the same reason they are quick to take pills is a lack of consumer education. They want a quick solution without understanding the problem. Unfortunately Ortho, Monsanto and the drug companies cater to this desire for a quick and simple answer. When I started growing rhododendrons and azaleas and also had a Christmas Tree farm, I was a licensed pesticide applicator. I could buy the most deadly stuff available. I had a spray for just about everything. What I soon found out was that once you start spraying, you are just creating problems. The sprays that "cure" one problem frequently cause several other problems.

One easy example is Sevin. It kills lots of bugs and is quite popular. However if you use it on Spruce, don't be surprised if some of the spruce branches become defoliated and never get their needles back. That is because Sevin kills the parasites that control spider mites. Without these parasites, spider mites will defoliate branches and kill them. The branches are dead and will never come back. When you are driving around, look at spruce trees. You will see these dead branches every once in a while. And the homeowners have no clue as to what caused them.

In my garden now I may spray about once every 10 years for a specific problem. And then I usually do something else to resolve the problem like moving the plant to a more optimum location. However, by not spraying, I find that I don't have problems. The chemical companies have a good thing going. The more you spray, the more you need to spray.

I am not an organic gardener and don't think the word 'natural' has any magic to it. All of the pests known to mankind are natural. Many things that are natural are not meant for human consumption and are quite poisonous. However, I do appreciate the concept of creating an environment where things take care of themselves. I would say that the best garden is the one where you don't have to do anything. It would run on automatic pilot. I don't know anyone that has achieved this but it is what I strive for.

The closest I have come to this is my pond garden. I use no filters, one chemical once per year, and just let it go. My rhododendron garden is almost as easy; I basically just spread a little more mulch each year. The thing where I spend most of my time is battling the deer. I put up deer netting every fall and take it off every spring. I have some deer fencing also in a couple areas.

"Rhodyman - What I soon found out was that once you start spraying, you are just creating problems. The sprays that "cure" one problem frequently cause several other problems."

I totally agree, Rhodyman. I think 'nature' has its own checks and balances; and once you mess with that, all kinds of problems can occur.

I was perusing the garden today (kinda like everyday...) and found that some of the new growth on my rhodies is being eaten. Some of the leaves are almost completely gone! I should check to see if I can find what's eating them - I think it's either those little green catepillars, or beetles that see occasionally on my rhodos.

"Rhodyman - I do appreciate the concept of creating an environment where things take care of themselves. I would say that the best garden is the one where you don't have to do anything. It would run on automatic pilot."

That would be great! Right now, the weeds are starting to take hold in my unmulched beds (where slugs are a problem)... I only wish the weeds would take care of themselves, too. Thankfully, I don't have any deer problems - just slugs and earwigs... and whatever is eating those rhododendron leaves.

Unfortunately, many of the caterpillars that fall out of trees will eat most anything that is green, but this too shall pass. It is a temporary road bump and really doesn't have much of any effect on the big picture. Eventually the birds that eat those caterpillars will prosper more than the caterpillars.

Thank you for all your responses, especially morz and birdsong. I am new at gardening so I really appreciate your responses. I promise I will not spray my rhodie. Of course, now I am afraid to (LOL). Thanks again.