Well lets see, my spray schedule THIS year went like this according to my records: Kocide 2000 @ just prior to pre-bud swell @ 9 lb rate + dormant oil. Since I could not find and procure Immunox until full bloom, that's when it first was applied. I should have started prior to tight cluster. Five days later was the next Immunox app.. This was done in only 5 days as a "catch up" according to some university recommendations that I can't site currently. Being a group 3 fungicide with resistance problems, I wanted to use it early and the 3336 later if needed. Also, 3336 is a group 1 fungicide, resistance development will be lessened using it following the Immunox. Idealy it is best to mix a protectant fungicide with the Immunox (it's a systemic) according to literature that I've read. Fourteen days later, started with a 3336 + captan mix on all trees. Seven days later, applied Mancozeb to my non-bearing trees as we had alot of rain with more forecasted. Mancozeb has a 77 day harvest interval and is cheaper and supposedly effective for scab. My other tree has good resistance to CAR and scab so it was left out. Seven days later, as several trees had a little bit of scab, and because I was concerned about it spreading (more rain forecasted) I sprayed one more round of the 3336 + captan mix. Then the rains finally stopped and so did my spraying. Maybe that was smart, maybe not. I have no summer disease problems YET, and the CAR and scab are non-existant. Immunox is for the scab and CAR where I am and the 3336 is for CAR and summer diseases (black rot, flyspeck, etc.). I haven't had any PM problems at all ever. Maybe next year! My basic approach as far as fungicide selection goes is 1) use a systemic mixed with a protectant especially up thru 1st cover and then evaluate from there. 2) avoid resistance by both tank mixing a protectant and systemic of different groups, and not using the Immunox more than 2 sprays in a row and no more than 3 times in a season. If you do that you'll quickly find that your options are very limited. 3) hopefully, decrease rates and/or intervals as environmental and disease conditions permit. 4) Learn as much as possible as soon as possible and be very, very observant. 5) Keep good records. Mine last year were horrible, but then, I didn't do much and it showed. This year was far better, time will tell if it shows, so far all is well.

hoosierquilt is not correct - citrus mites (and there are several species) are just a form of spider mite common to citrus. They are microscopic - most sources indicate magnification is required to see them as they are about .15mm in length, immature forms even smaller. Dunno what he/her was seeing but it wasn't mites! Stippling of the foliage is the typical damage, caused by the sucking out of the plant juices, although some mite species can damage the fruits' appearance as well. Not all mite species will produce webbing but that is what you might see - not the creatures themselves. Growing citrus indoors is not an easy task :-) They dislike the low light, overly dry conditions and often high heat of an indoor setting. There is a strong tendency to overwater to compensate for this and that just creates more problems, especially with a not very good quality potting mix, like the MG. I'm sure repotting with a less dense, less moisture retentive soil will help. And I'd try misting often to bump up humidity. A glass of water in close proximity will help also or standing the pot in a saucer of pebbles with a small amount of water. This is the easiest method to keep mites at bay. Just be on the look out for other insect pests, which are all too common with indoor citrus (as mentioned). Citrus also tend to be heavy feeders, so fertilize routinely. I would use MG's Miracid (3-1-1 ratio) or FoliagePro by Dyna Gro (3-1-2 ratio) -- the nitrogen component (first number) should be the highest. Nutrient deficiencies and improper watering/drainage are more likely to be the cause of your foliage problems than insects or any fungal issues. The most important notion I can leave you with is not to make assumptions on what the problems might be and start spraying. Even attempting an online photo diagnosis is tricky at best. Take the plant (or samples of the issues) into a local nursery that specializes in houseplants or to your local extension service for an accurate diagnosis. They can also recommend an appropriate treatment. But don't start spraying a fungicide until you are sure you have a fungal issue. That can often do more harm than good.

In our climate, rust hits every one of my HTs each Spring and Fall. Luckily, I only have 4 HTs (all mid 20th century). NONE of my other 100+ roses EVER get rust. So, my first advice is to grow OGRs or modern shrubs which do not get rust. Life is too short for me to grow fragile roses which get diseases all of the time (I only grow the 4 HTs because they were planted by my DH's grand father, and are family heirlooms). The same bushes also get blackspot & mildew. What I do about the rust is to cut off every affected leaf (and carefully drop it directly into a paper grocery bag, so the spores don't blow all over), then spray with Bayer Advanced Disease Control (NOT any of the other Bayer products like 2 in 1 or 3 in 1, which contain pesticides which kill bees). Usually the new foliage comes out clean. Jackie

guessing mancozeb isnt as broad spectrum as copper?? It's not so much that as that, since you're worried about your soil microbes, you should realize that mancozeb, too, has been shown to have significant negative effects on soil microbes. And unlike organic copper, you have to wait after spraying before harvest on most crops. Sometimes a long time, although the really long times are mostly for tree fruits, IIRC. In commercial use, mancozeb is often combined with copper to get a more effective fungicide. All fungicides will hurt soil flora to a certain extent. So the issue is weighing pros and cons of each. What are the actual diseases that are problems in your garden? Maybe you should start with the problem/s and find the best remedy/remedies for that and use in the lowest effective dose/schedule. Potassium bicarbonate can be good against powdery mildew, but it's not necessarily going to work on many other things. Personally, I've found sodium bicarb to be pretty useless for everything. I think anecdotal reports that it is slightly effective against powdery mildew comes down to the fact that wetting the spraying the leaves with any liquid will knock back powdery mildew a bit. Sulphur isn't really effective against most common tomato diseases. And remember that all remedies have their pros and cons. Trading copper for something that doesn't build up as easily in the soil could produce greater short-term problems, whereas using copper at the proper doses and schedule in a home setting could never produce soil problems in your lifetime. It's also a question of your soil in the first place. If it's alkaline, it's likely to accumulate copper more quickly, for example. Know what you're likely to be fighting and go from there. In gardening, everything is dynamic, so it's a matter of knowing what you're up against and weighing pros and cons on an individual basis. There is no way of making blanket declarations that remedy [x] is better or worse than remedy [y].