4/3/2025 – Given the aphids found in some of the daylily clumps, we bought more Imidacloprid and added it to the daylily feeding drench we used (called it The Concoction) before finding the 13-6-6 slow release bought at the fertilizer plant. We left out the Miracle Grow. The 4-gallon recipe below was applied to all clumps other than those we treated a couple of weeks ago.
Our modified Hooker Formula – 4 gallon version derived from the 5-gallon recipe so it could be poured into the watering cans. See the 5-gallon recipe pasted below.
1/4 cup Peters or Miracle Grow (Crystals)DID NOT USE AS NOW USING 13-6-6 SLOW RELEASE GRANULAR WITH MINERALS- 1/4 cup Epsom salts for Magnesium
- 1/4 cup liquid iron – [Our first batch used Ferti-Lome Chelated Liquid Iron with Other Micronutrients. Copper 0.05%; Iron 3.25%; Soluble Manganese 0.15%; Zinc 0.16%]
- 1/4 cup fish emulsion [5.28 Tbs so it is 1 Tbs/gal, i.e. standard dilution]
- 4 gallons of water rather than 5 so it could be poured more easily into the watering can.
- 1/4 Cup Quali-Pro Imidacloprid 2F
The process we used to try to reduce the amount of walking was:
- At table beside the greenhouse, added about 2 gallons of water to each 5-gallon bucket in the wagon.
- Added 2+ oz. of Imidacloprid to an 8-oz. canning jar and poured about half into each bucket. Mary stirred it with a stick to reduce its coagulation. Later used a spray nozzle to fill it with violent agitation and had no coagulation.
- Add 8 oz of fish emulsion to an 8 oz canning jar and poured about half into each bucket.
- Add 8 oz of iron to an 8 oz canning jar and poured about half into each bucket.
- Added about 1/4 cup of Epsom salts to each bucket.
- Pulled the wagon to the location near a hose bib.
- Finish filling each bucket with a spray nozzle for extreme agitation–so the Imidacloprid did not congeal–to about the 4-gallon point.
- Poured some into the metal watering can. Mary poured over each daylily clump and a band around the base of each rose bush.
Our modified Hooker Formula – 5 gallon version by others with our notes – Ready to Apply – Not Hooker’s Stock Solution
- 1/3 cup Peters or Miracle Grow (Crystals) [5.28 Tbs so it is 1 Tbs/gal, i.e. standard dilution]
- 1/3 cup Epsom salts for Magnesium–Not needed in our soil per 2018 soil test. In 2021 we resumed including Epsom Salts as the plants seem to like it and do well, especially the roses.
- 1/3 cup liquid iron – [Our first batch used Ferti-Lome Chelated Liquid Iron with Other Micronutrients. Copper 0.05%; Iron 3.25%; Soluble Manganese 0.15%; Zinc 0.16%]
- 1/3 cup fish emulsion [5.28 Tbs so it is 1 Tbs/gal, i.e. standard dilution]
- 5 gallons of water
