Topic: Question For You

[Bonnie]

If you were going to wash your trees with plant soap, what would you use and how would you do it?

[Tina]

Are you talking insecticidal soap, Bonnie? There are  hand-held sprayers for feeding and for spraying. If they are very tall trees you might not get enough pressure to cover. But smaller trees will be easy enough. You need to follow the directions on both bottles on ounces per gallon.

[Tina]

I should have said hose end sprayers.

[Patty S]

Bonnie, why do you want to wash your trees?  Do you have buggies on them?  I use SaferŪ Insecticidal Soap on my shrubs when they get pest bugs on them (& even on the veggies, when I have a Whitefly problem).  It's organic/non-toxic, so it's safe around pets. 

It's a tad on the spendy side, but unless you're in the middle of a rainy season, it's worth the money you'll spend.  You can buy it in ready to use in spray bottles, or in concentrated form, if you want to mix up larger batches of it for big jobs.  I buy the concentrated, cuz it's cheaper in the long run.  Directions are on the label for use in pump sprayers, spray bottles, or as Tina mentioned, hose-end sprayers. 

The only tip I can think of to give you, is to be sure to spray ALL the plant/tree... which means the under sides of the leaves, as well as the tops.  I also spray down the stems/branches (all the way to the ground), cuz bugs will hide anywhere the solution isn't.

[Wrennie]

Houseplant trees? Fruit trees? Ornamental outdoor trees? For bugs? Fungus? Smelly trees? { }

[Bonnie]

They just look like they need a bath. They are hanging their heads in shame, Patty.

I have a bottle that fits on the end of hose. I never thought of that I will give it a try. (when Jim comes down)

[Tina]

Ahhh, I rinse my trees fairly often in the summer when water is plentiful. We live on dirt roads and they get quite sad looking. Lot's of air pollutants are not good for trees either. I use plain water and spray them down with a power nozzle. The trees love it and it feels refreshing for me too.