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Well-stated. It will curious indeed to observe how all the interested parties work together to manage this. Thank you for your input.

John, that smell is normal. is a slight fermentation and with it beneficial bacteria that activate and serve as "sparring" the immune system of the plant. Regards.

Jason, Right on, Left Leg, Brother! You're a DIY-er to the max! The hardscape is really dialed in and the landscape speaks for itself! Nice varities, groupings, and separations of plantings! When that stuff gets big, look out! That will be a massive canopy! I'm one to be very familiar with a shovel, and I know that must have been a lot of work! The house looks so much better, too! You're an inspiration to all of us, and keep up the good work, thanks for setting the bar high, my wife will never let me away from the yard now! FINS UP! -eric

Jason, You've been busy! That yard's going to be really awesome in a few years. How many palm species in there?

You don't mess around Jason! That's a lot of really nice work you've done there, and the variety of species you're growing is really amazing! Thanks for sharing. I'm stealing your half circle path idea. Thank you.

I am not so sure I would be quite so alarmist about nicotine. The LD50 of 50 mg is about what you would find in 5 cigarettes or maybe a half of a cigar and applies only if the entire amount is ingested at one time. Patrick was going to use 1 cigarette (extract); as it is unlikely that all of the extract would land on him, it is true that many of the intended victims and unintended as well are killed. Given that the plants are infested with harmful beasties and are not being controlled by beneficial insects, it is likely that no real damage to anything beneficial would occur. As to TMV, unless he has tomatoes, cucumbers or the like (it is true that there are some ornamental flowers also susceptible), that if the tobacco, which has probably been inspected, and certainly cured, would not transmit TMV into his garden. With TMV in the environment for such a long time now, if it was easily transmitted into gardens, it would have been so for some time. I hope that anyone considering using nicotine as a pest killer knows about these things and evaluates them as to their appropriateness in the garden. While I am not a smoker, I do not fear its presence. There are many successful, smoking, gardners that I know. I was just trying to add to the general knowledge, of course. The organic gardeners around here would have an infarction if anyone who even said the word malation in their presence. I use malathion all of the time to douse ant colonies...... Also TMV can be created in the laboratory, it is a chemical mutant rather than a virus it is so simple.......and so potent. Of course, Patrick, you could take the baboon solution and they would pick them one by one and eat them....but baboon rentals are quite expensive!

That's why my yard is bug-free...I just breathe on 'em!

Had not heard this method before and will give it a try. Smokes are good for getting rid of humans so they must be GREAT for clearing out the spider mites.

I am not so sure I would be quite so alarmist about nicotine. The LD50 of 50 mg is about what you would find in 5 cigarettes or maybe a half of a cigar and applies only if the entire amount is ingested at one time. Patrick was going to use 1 cigarette (extract); as it is unlikely that all of the extract would land on him, it is true that many of the intended victims and unintended as well are killed. Given that the plants are infested with harmful beasties and are not being controlled by beneficial insects, it is likely that no real damage to anything beneficial would occur. As to TMV, unless he has tomatoes, cucumbers or the like (it is true that there are some ornamental flowers also susceptible), that if the tobacco, which has probably been inspected, and certainly cured, would not transmit TMV into his garden. With TMV in the environment for such a long time now, if it was easily transmitted into gardens, it would have been so for some time. I hope that anyone considering using nicotine as a pest killer knows about these things and evaluates them as to their appropriateness in the garden. While I am not a smoker, I do not fear its presence. There are many successful, smoking, gardners that I know.

Rafael, If I see any pests on a palm or have a certain palm that is repeatedly susseptible to pests, I thoroughly spray that palm down, all the leaves upper and lower surfaces. It does not harm the palm or leave any residue from what I have seen. What I do is take the liquid laundry detergent bottle, once I finish all the detergent out of it, don't rinse it out, and then add 2 more squirts of dish soap to it and fill it back up with water. I then use this to fill my spray bottle.

Thanks for the info., Jay. Duly noted. I will move along, then. Maybe I'll give MattyB's technique a try....

hahaha, I've had more luck with soap and water this year than any miticide or insecticide. Especially since the mealy bugs have a waxy coating, the soap and water just melts them. I can spray as much as I want in the greenhouse with the fans blowing and I don't have to worry about melting my bone marrow.

You suck Jay. I just got back from Costo with 50 cartoons of smokes.

Dear Sol lovely poll ! i have 2 colours at the moment..i.e Red & yellow.yet to collect the blue ones_but its on the cards,soon i will ! since iam a palm collector,i do not differenciate which one looks good...all the 3 should be collected... love, Kris

??? What are we talking about? New fronds? Dick