I use Phosphites (Alude, Nutrigro) every couple of weeks until late September as a syringe to give me another defense against Pythium. I just pinched and only have the 4-7 older leaves on the plant. Will those older leaves absorb the product now or should I wait until I have some shoot emergence? I am scheduled to apply now.

Thanks

The label on Alude states "translocation through the foliage" so you may be out of luck getting any absorbsion through the stems or mature older leaves. I would personally contact the manufacturer before throwing profits and time out the door expecting the chemical to do something it cannot perform. Better safe than sorry! ...Michael

Hi Greenthumb -

The makers of Alude say it is a true systemic fungicide and will enter the phloem and move up and down the plant. If that is the case that means you should be able to make an application to older foliage and the chemical will be absorbed, move to the new tissue after pinch, and offer some prevention. Now one problem with that is that in general most chemicals are not absorbed that will through the older tissue of poinsettias. The other problem is that you have no way of knowing how residual the activity is and whether or not it still be active by the time your new shoots form after pinch.

If you have not already made the application it might be a good idea to wait until after the pinch so you get better absorption by new tissue and more residual activity from the chemical.

Hope this helps!