Re: Rosemary Problem

Before using any pesticide, you need to verify that you have a
specific pest and that the spray is the best way to deal with that
specific critter.

"Fuzzies" could be mealy bugs or powdery mildew or some type of
fungus...hard to say without seeing your particular 'fuzzy':-)

If it turns out to be fungal in nature, you can try cinnamon or
baking soda mixed with food grade cooking oil and a drop of liquid
dish soap....the same recipe used for blackspot on roses only using 
more 'food grade' ingredients (recipe calls for hort. oil).  If you
don't have that recipe, post and I'll dig it out.

I would not use any pesticides on an herb I intended to use in food
prep!  I'd even be a bit chary about spraying with hort. oil or
Safers - two sprays that are fairly benign.  If I'm gonna eat it, I
don't want it to have been sprayed with anything but water:-)

Best take it outside and hose it down and leave it outside.  I would
put it in a somewhat shady spot for the first week; gradually
bringing it into more sun until it's in full sun.  Having been in a
darkish house (lights notwithstanding) it needs to be hardened off so
the foliage doesn't burn.  Of course, if you're having the same cool,
rainy weather I am, you can leave it totally exposed in a spot that
would normally be sunny and by the time this weekend's over, it will
probably be used to outside again.

You said you keep it sitting in a tray of water.  If the bottom of
the pot is actually in the water, that's not super - will rot the
roots eventually.  To increase humidity, you want a tray full of
pebbles - they are kept topped up with water not quite to the top so
the pot is not sitting in water.

Oddly enough, Rosemary, who is a Med. type plant an deals with very
dry conditions outside well, wants a fairly high humidity in the
house - too dry air is the major cause of most of their demises
indoors.   OTOH, if it is ever enclosed in plastic (like trying to
take cuttings) it will rot on you real quick.

Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@hort.net
Editor:  Gardening in Shade
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----------
> From: Melissa Hellen <melissahellen@horizonview.net>
> My rosemary has the fuzzies; erm, let me 'splain . . .
> 
> It isn't warm enough in the winter here (SW Ohio) to grow rosemary
> outdoors all year, but I like to cook with it and a few other fresh
> herbs, so I try to keep a few pots going in the window for culinary
> purposes. The problem is, nearly always some sort of disease
attacks
> one or all. One year it was those pesky white flies. This year,
it's
> fuzzies on the rosemary.
> 
> My current pot of rosemary started being overcome by  some sort of
> white-ish fuzz soon after I bought it, which was about 3 weeks ago.
> The herbs sit on a window sill in a tray of water which is topped
up
> pretty regularly.  Any idea if this is mould, a fungus of some
sort,
> or a web-slinging mite of some kind? 
> 
> I've got a pyrethrin spray here, and some malathion--I hate using
> stuff like this though. My first thought was to harden it off
outside
> for a while to see if that cured it.
> 
> Would a vigorous wash help? Maybe a wash and a bit of sun?
> 
> Currently it's sitting in an east-facing window, in a kitchen with
> only one small-ish window. However, I do keep 4 full-spectrum
> flourescents burning most of the time in there to ward off SAD and
> keep the kitchen plants from croaking--it's a pretty dark room
> otherwise. Our spring's been pretty overcast and wet so far too,
> averaging about 69 degrees. Also, I tend to keep the hygrometer in
the
> house reading 40-50% because of having string instruments in the
> house.
> 
>  That's about all I can think of at the moment to help clue you in
to
> current conditions here . . . any ideas what's up and what I can do
> about it? So far the thyme is unaffected.
> 
> Melis

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