Hello,
You really need to spray. I'm sorry the lady bugs let you down. Aphids can be a host to disease and virus and mites aren't helping either. I can appreciate you not wanting to put stong insecticides out, still you need to spray. Try using a pyrethrin based spray. It's derived from chrysanthemum plants and should be quite effective on both the aphids and mites as well as many others.I've seen this product at Wal-mart and homestores.

I am attaching a link that will show you the bug and resulting damage. This also is great for disease and virus ID.

Here is a link that might be useful: INSECT DAMAGE PLUS

Woops I didn't completly answer you. I spray a product called Soap Shield about every 7 to 10 days and again after a heavy or prolonged rain. Soap shield is a copper based fungicide spray that controls a good majority of the bad stuff i.e. anthracose,bacterialspot, septoria and early and late blight. Many people use a product made by Ortho I think it's ortho garden disease control. It's mentioned in many of the threads already posted im sure you can find them. I wouldn't hesitate to use it but so far the Soap Shield is doing great.
Here's what else I do
About every 3 to 4 weeks I use a fish emulsion folage fertilizer and kelp spray. Lots of people use Miricle Grow. If you decide to use it I'd apply at half the instructed amount of MG to water.

I also sucker my plants.I don't get them all but pop them off when I see them.

I like to keep the bottoms stems off the ground and sometimes that means pruning them. This cuts down your chance for soil borne disease and makes it a little tougher for those bugs to climb on.

I also use mulch around the base of the plant.

I water based on the rain fall. So far watering hasn't been an issue here. About an inch of water a week is enough I think.

When you do water do so in the morning so that the plant can dry off(wet plants invites bad stuff)and try not to wet the whole plant. Ideally use a soaker hose.

In addition to this I do what your doing. Look for problems and ask someone if your not sure what to do.

Yeah, aphids, whiteflies and other insects suck the life out of your plants and spread disease. You can try to spray them off with a forceful stream of water. I handpick them , too. Yuk. Soap spray is good stuff; I make my own but also use a commercially produced product that I think is more effective. Just keep at it, becaus they reproduce so quick.

I really don't know about the fungus issue. I don't spray for it.

seahorse

nctom,

Thank you for your reply. I just want to clarify, you use both a copper based fungicide spray and a different spray for the insects?

Yes. The copper based fungicide is just what I already have here to use. I wouldn't hesitate to use the Ortho Garden Disease control(instead of copper based fungicide). I also have heard and read lots of good results with Serenade(chemical free biofungicde). Whichever of these three you choose for disease control you still need a different spray for the bugs.

Thank you ntom. I will try this.

I use Daconil, by one name or another, in a preventive program due to the high humidity in this area. If I add a little dish detergent to the mix will that help deter aphids?
The Ortho product is getting scarce around here because the big stores are carrying other brands.