Re: mites and dry air

Reid Family wrote:
As always, Moira's advice is right on the mark. I had 3 large Brugmansias on the deck: 1 yellow, 1 peach, and this double white. They were all troubled with mites on the deck 3 years ago. I have since moved the yellow and peach to enormous pots (the soil is uncultivable where I moved them) under the shade of a large Aleppo Pine where they are in only dappled sun from 10 am on, and where the surrounding foliage of the tree, the vines on the back fence, the pool 5 feet away, and the other potted plants have all combined to create a more humid environment and to make gorgeous plants with no mites. It's only a matter of time before the double white is going in a bigger pot under a tree out there. I just have to wait until I can corner my husband for help (!) as the size of these pots makes it unwise to attempt alone. And BTW, my mint is in a large pot under the dappled shade of a Eucalyptus nicholii on one side and a Gejeira parviflora on the other and it does just beautifully with no insect damage. - And the tea IS delightful!
Hi Karrie
Glad I could be of some help.

Do continue to be careful about moving heavy pots though. Backs are such delicate things and once damaged may never be the same again.

it always rather irks me that men naturally have so much greater muscular strength than we do. When I was running my very energetic gardening business while my husband sat in an office all day I still could not develop anything like the power in my muscles he had in his without even exerting them, and now we are both ancient and retired I have to depend entirely on him for a lot of "strength" things like opening bottles and jars and undoing tight screws<G>.

At least we now have an electric lawnmower which I can start without help. The last one had a pull cord which I was too short to pull out fully and simply could not get it going - desperately frustrating, (especially when Tony once landed in hospital and I had to go in search of a kindly tall male neighbour to get the thing going!)

Moira
--
Tony & Moira Ryan,
Wainuiomata, North Island, NZ. Pictures of our garden at:-
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/cherie1/Garden/TonyandMoira/index.htm
NEW PICTURES AND DIAGRAMS ADDED 20/Feb/2005

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