Jim Murphy told me that it is very important WHEN you apply the Cleary 3336. You have to do the first application when the foliage is about 6" tall and the 2nd about 3 weeks later. The first year I waited until seeing the leaf streak and at that point the cat is out of the bag. Its too late to be very effective. This year ( although honestly I hate to spray) I was better about getting 2 sprayings early and it has done better. Jim and Margo have now moved to using organic methods. He used to be ( and maybe still is) a certified ( some title given to those who are experts on spraying chemicals - I forget ) Before Jim took his current position managing the grounds at UVA, he took care of some large estates around the Charlottesville ( VA) area.
However this year, I am REALLY noticing a problem with leaf miners and have reached a frustration point with that. Finally broke down and applied a systemic granular ( the same one I use for roses) which seems to be helping the new foliage to come in better, although the old foliage looks icky. I don't know if the systemic will keep the leaf miners from attacking but will be watching. Nothing else I'd tried had worked.
