I'm very impressed, Mike! I wish my trees looked as nice as yours! How much fertilizer are you providing them now, and how often? Thanks, Mike.

Josh

Hey Josh! Thanks Pal!

Believe it or not but I have not fertilized them for weeks, if at all since they have been in that cool room.

I will start fertilizing them starting at the beginning of next month since that room will start getting very warm by then.

Those flower buds have been building up for weeks now because the temps are kept cool...Every time it gets warm in there for a day, they swell bigger.lol

The awesome thing is that they are sitting ducks for mites as long as they are sitting there, but not ONE has fallen off after all this time. I use to worry..lol Exciting pal! At this time I would never even think of spraying Neem which seems to cause bud death, but the Rosemary does not harm them at all even at this stage of the game.

The plants in the very light and warm greenhouse I fertilize regularly. Those are always hungry because of their rapid and active growth. If I held back on those, they would suffer for sure in a very short time.
I fertilize those either once a week like you, or every time I water with a 1/4 of fertilzer working my way up to 1/2 strength by April.

Mike

This post was edited by meyermike_1micha on Sun, Feb 17, 13 at 15:07

WOW, Mike, those look GREAT! Sheesh, beautiful and it looks like you have it down pat. Were you using the Rosemary oil for pests?

Hey, thanks for the answer! I think I'll get some rosemary oil for my trees as well.

Josh

Nice buds, Mike! Lots of them! Can't wait to see pictures of your trees in bloom!

Was just talking to you a little bit ago, but we lost the connection... don't know if it was my phone or yours... ya gotta love technology! :-)

Call me when ever you want... I'm usually here! Hugs to you and Mom! :-)

Hehe, hey Jodi! Mike's phone is notorious for dying...! But mine is, too ;-)

Josh

Beautiful photos, Mike! Amazing amount of flower buds. My two container citrus are also filling up with buds, too. Where did you buy your Rosemary Oil? Can you share the brand name? I'd like to order this to have in my arsenal.

Patty S.

Mike,

Your trees always look great!

I bought some rosemary oil a couple of weeks ago and mixed it with neem. My trees have also responded positively.

I purchased mine from Amazon, Now brand.

OMGosh Mike, my trees want to look like yours when they grow up! The leaves have that rich, green glow ( the botannical equivalent of smiling, lol!) I'm so glad that I shared about the rosemary oil and now thanks to your taking it to the next level, I'll feel confident trying it without the Neem as well...my trees are doing so much better!

What "recipe" are you using for your rosemary oil spray? What are you doing about the sunlight, same as with Neem? I keep my trees out of sun 18 hours or at least the rest of the day.

It would be great if anyone who tried the rosemary essential oil solution would report back...is it working with other insects as well? A group project!
Don't forget this is an oil...don't spray in direct sun etc.
Mary

Hey Mary! Thank you. I swear your trees are looking just as nice:-)

I use 20 drops in a 32oz spray bottle with soem sort of emulsifyer. I mix it with either Pro-Tek from Dyno-gro, or natural soap, and or coco wet.

I wonder about other insects too. I have never had any others on mine and hope I never do. I could swear that FisH Emusion has done the trick for me each year.

What I do is spray my trees at sundown, night, or on a cloudy day to be safe.
I hope it works well without Neem for you too. I found that Neem at times will inhibit good growth on my blossoms, ruin flowers, and or deform many of my new leaves and Rosemary has doen neither!

Mike...You too. I love the looks of your trees and the fact that you have come so far with your success.
Mike, I am using the very same Essential OIl as you. I looked at the label and I forgot, but I think that's it.

Patty, it's called 'Now' from G.N.C. I think you can get it at any natural suppliment store. It smells wonderful!

http://www.gnc.com/search/index.jsp?kwCatId=&kw=rosemary&origkw=rosemary&f=Taxonomy/GNC/13200328&sr=1

Thank you for your kind comments. I am hoping things are ok with you and your family. Been thinking of you.
Would love to see some recent pics of your containerized trees too:-)

Hey Josh! Yup, you are right..lol It died!
You must get this stuff for your arsenal:-)
By the way, how'syour trees doing thus far. I can't wait to see them in bloom:-)

Jodik! Hello! So good to see you. Yup, that is what happened. I was sitting in the mall parking lot when the phone just died. So by the time I got back home, I was so pooped, I fell asleep. We'll catch up soon.
Thank you for stopping by and your compliments.

Steve! I received your e-mail and had to run this a.m but I will get back to you either tonight or tomorrow. Thanks Steve.
By the way, I have been using the oil specifically for mites, but not sure how it does aganist other pest. I have been told it works against all others, but I have not had the opportunity to prove it to myself yet.

Mike

Thanks Mike. Looking forward to your reply. ANYONE, are pine fines called anything else? I've called every nursery around here and they are dumbfounded as to what they are.

Hi Steve,

Just responded to your other post, but for the pine fines, if you can't find anything else you can use Timberline Pine Bark Mulch, and screen it through 1/2" chicken wire. Works like a charm and its incredibly cheap.

Thanks Bacon. I'll head over to Home Depot and look. I called every nursery and no go. However, one does have a mix of Pine and Spruce, "but mostly pine." Anyone have an opinion on mixes like this?

Steve, Pine and Spruce should work alright.
Pine, Fir, Spruce, possibly Hemlock...these are workable conifer bark. *Do not use* Cedar or Redwood. Other terms for bark are mulch, decorative bark, fine-grade "Orchid Bark," et cetera.

Josh

No biggie, Mike! My phone is notorious for dropping calls, or just losing the signal if I stand in certain spots in my apartment. No rhyme or reason to it!

Yep. Josh... technology is great... when it wants to work right! At least I started remembering to keep my phone charged!

Pine fines are otherwise known as fir bark or pine bark... most often as fir bark within the orchid or bonsai communities.

"Fines" might be a bit confusing as "fine" is something we're trying to stay away from in the size of our medium particulate.

Well, Mike... as you know, I'm around most anytime. So, call whenever the notion hits. I'd call you more often, except I'm never sure of your schedule, and I don't want to bother you while you're working! :-)

Have a nice day, everyone! Mike, be sure to say HI to Mom for us! :-)

Hey Josh!:-)

Jodik, you are so kind. I will make it up to you and probably call sometime this weekend.

Thanks for the info on fines and we shall chat soon my friend. Mom says hello right back at you!

Mike

Mike....newbie here! I have new citrus trees on their 2nd season and they are starting to grow and get buds. I have become obsessed with growing citrus, preventing leaf minor and fertilizing! I was planning on spraying them with fish emulsion after reading some of your posts. How often do you use the rosemary oil and do you still use fish emulsion?
Beth

Thanks Mike, now I get it! So I bought that Rosemary oil for my outdoor trees! Oops! Well I'm sure I'll find a use for it. It sure smells better than the fish emulsion. But If FE makes my trees looks like yours I'll be happy! The fish emulsion doesn't prevent or treat leaf minor though does it? My neighbors tree looks horrible with with the signs of leaf minor and although she gets tons of fruit, part of the enjoyment of the trees are the looks of trees like yours!

Lol...You would need quite a bit of it for outside!

Don't they have some sort of sprays or safe natural insecticidal solutions to spay all over your yard, other than just your tree?
Have you ever tried to catch slugs to see for sure if you have any?

Thanks for your kind compliments from sunny Calif.! You are too kind!

Just to let you know, there is a very kind and knowledgable member here named 'Patty' who lives in your state that might be able to give you idea on the leaf minors. Her trees are beautiful despite all the challenges there.

MIke

Ok thanks...I'll be on the watch for Patty! Learning lots!