North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Dale Burkholder <dburk@planetcomm.net>]

I am getting ready to apply oil spray to my orchard (250
trees) and would like suggestions on what oil to use. I bought some of a
Ortho product labeled "Specially formulated for residential
use".  Just wondering what that means.  I take it to imply
the product is a practically worthless imitation of the real thing, being
sold to people that will use it on a few trees, hoping it will help, and
never having the slightest idea if it killed any bugs, and the buyers are
coming back the next year with their credit cards to try it again. I'm
skeptical of many of the products on the market, and worse than skeptical
of the big corporations that operate with a completely different level of
integrity than small, local, know-your-customer suppliers. Heard too many
comments from professional growers about junk products. 
Is this stuff worthwhile to use or is there a better way to do this?
Either a good cheap homemade product like vegetable oil and Basic H (even
if I have to apply it twice) or go buy up a 10-year supply of something
expensive that really works - the local Ag. Co-op dosen't have any
commercial product. What do you all recommend?

Dale Burkholder
Shenandoah Valley, VA
Zone 6


The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.  Psalm 14:1