I went out early this morning to check on the tree. I see many bugs have died off since yesterday, but I still found many that lived through the first spraying.

I cut off any buds that were yellowing/browning to make it easy to reach the middle of the tree. I do find the mealies collect around flower buds on the tree.

I have a smaller 4 foot gardenia that was about three feet from this infected tree that seems to be bug free.
shouls I spray it down just to be safe, or wait till i see something-then spray?

{{gwi:100207}}

I would throw it out and grab another insect free..
Please don't take any chance with mealy...If they even for once spread to any of your healthy trees now and then for this winter, it is over for all that they dwell in.
Don't take the risk for this one plant.
Mealy are very hard to rid of. They will always hide and come back, that is of course unless you think of using a systemic, which I kind of avoid for mine.
Hope it all works out for ya. Throw the tree away now,and don't even give a mealy a chance to grab on to another plant, is what I would do...;-)

Mike

BATS-Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub applied as a drench for OUTSIDE plants. Works well and last for months. If you decide to use this product read the directions carefully-it is a poison.

Around here gardenias are known as "indicator plants". They will be the first to get whatever is around: scale, mealies, aphids, whitefly.

Is that product, laura1, labeled for containerized plants? I don't believe that it is. If not expressly labeled for container use, it must not be used for that purpose.

greenchic, if you decide to keep your plant, be sure to remove the stake and ties. They could already be causing problems for the plant.

I dont want to throw the plant away. It wasnt cheap, and really,its pretty and grows well considering its a gardenia. Im not bringing it in the home until late october, so I have enough time to try a few things to get rid of the buggies.

Ive been washng it down almost daily with water, soap, and neem. The bugs have died back alot-i have to look for them and the ones I am finding are small (babies). No one is getting the chance to make it to adulthood if I can help it!
Im on a mission to save my plant. Someone advised me to cut off the blooms and cut the plant back to help expose the bugs that may be hiding. This is easier said than done, but gives me an excuse to grow cuttings.

I wouldn't use neem every day. Let it do its work. Just be sure to follow the directions for dilution. Another remedy you can use alternatively is one part rubbing alcohol to three or four parts water. Mist that solution along all of the stems and nooks and crannies. It will kill adults and nymphs quickly. Alcohol sprays are great for soft bodied insects and spider mites. But you shouldn't use it every day, either.

rhizo-yes BATS is listed for use in containers.

Here is a link that might be useful: more information on BATS

Squishing whatever adult mealies you see probably wouldn't hurt things either. I don't know if it'd do much good, especially if you already end up using neem, but it might, at the least, be somewhat cathartic.

Thanks for the information, laura1. It is NOT listed for indoor use, though, which means that greenchic can't drench the container with it and bring it inside for the winter.

Bayer Advanced for Trees and Shrubs is NOT listed for container use.
Bayer Advanced 12-Month Tree and Shrub Protect and Feed Concentrate
IS listed for container plants AND those plants can be brought into the house as soon as the soil dries.

I called Bayer to find out this information. There doesn't seem to be a full label available on line so that I can link you to it. However, if still in doubt you are free to call Bayer yourself with any questions 1-877-229-3724

I found a label, laura. Lo and behold, it DOES mention that that particular product can be used for indoor plants. I HATE that! Exposing people and pets to those kind of fumes can't be a good thing.

Rhizo-it is funny that you would mention exposing people and pets to "those kinds of fumes"
BUT we do it ALL THE TIME! If you use Advantage on your pets for fleas it is the same active ingredient as the Bayer plant insecticide: imidacloprid (excuse spelling)

Laura, I know ["But we do it all the time."] That's one of the reasons we shouldn't add to the physical burden by using something we don't have to. Our body has to deal with potentially toxic fumes in every room in our home, in the car, schools, places of work, and in stores. We can do ourselves a big favor by eliminating some of the sources and avoiding some others. That alleviates a bit of the pressure put on our nervous system and liver.

When chemical exposures add up without any relief, the body can experience a toxic overload. Most of the time, we can recover from such a situation without even knowing what happened. The long term effects, however, are less understood. Liver damage may become accumulative, especially as we age, or are very young, or on medication, or ill, etc.
As far as pets go, if I had a dog rather than an indoor cat, I might be forced to use Advantage. If so, you can be darned sure that I would never bring yet another source of imidacloprid into the home, as well.

I think that greenchic, as observant and vigilant as I expect she is going to be, will have no problem getting her pest population well under control. Without the need of a heavy duty system pesticide.

greenchic, do you have a nice COOL room to over winter your gardenia? Gardenias can sometimes be temperamental when brought inside the average home. You might consider leaving it outside during all but very cold days and nights. They can easily take some freezing temperatures.

If you do decide to bring it inside, you'll need to find a way to provide plenty of humidity. Be sure to give us updates every once in a while....your gardenia is a beaut!

Sorry that this has turned into a bit of cross talk. I understand that nobody wants to use toxic chemicals unless there is no other way. As Rhizo says we get overloaded from all directions!
I would not have suggested the systemic except that Greenchic will be bringing the plant inside over winter. Having dealt with mealybugs/soft scale type insect many times over the years I know how difficult they are to eradicate. You think they are gone...and then you have them again. So, I thought that it would be better to get rid of them NOW for sure than have an outbreak in the house over winter. That is my reasoning.

Sorry, laura. I tend to get stubborn when it comes to pesticides. (Can you tell?) I know from personal experience the dangers of seemingly innocent exposures. I hope that I haven't been too overbearing. I think that we were BOTH the voice of reason, though on different sides of this particular issue. I appreciate your patience with me.

Hello everyone!

Thanks for all the feedback. Im not using anymore chemical pesticides (I have tried in the past) because they dont work, they smell bad and i worry about the kids playing in mommies plantpots (not in that order of course). I admit I am sometimes drawn in by the promises made on the labels.

Me and the gardenia are comming along. I think I will leave it outside for the better part of the year and let it overwinter in the garage on cold nights. Theres a window in there and although it wont get the best light ever, at least it can spend time outside during the day most days this winter. I think i will get one of those rolling potholders to make that job easier.

I continue to spray and water with neem, as well as with a blasting hose. It looks much better than it did before. I will post more pics soon. It continues to flower almost all the time. And its a thirsty bugger too....