Gardening Week with AG’s gardening expert Ruth Hayes Your
I am using GroGreen Feed & Shine Roses on our roses this year Lily beetles demolish lily plants
I have found Grazers G4 very efficient at deterring lily beetles
G4 tested
Removing blackfly by hand
Pest control, naturally Chemicals aren’t the only way tackle pests, says Ruth
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UMMERTIME, and the living is easy if you are a garden pest, merrily chomping your way through new plant growth. It is a constant battle to keep plants healthy and pest-free, but it can be won by consistent plant care and paying attention to what’s going on out there. I prefer to avoid chemical sprays, instead using careful husbandry and harnessing the power of natural predators (including birds, hedgehogs, ground beetles and hoverflies) to keep plants strong. On the rare occasions I do use chemicals I use organic sprays, such as the widely available Neudorff Bug Free or Vitax Plant Guard.
I also use some of the newly released plant invigorators, including rose and buxus sprays made by Westland and GroGreen. These supplement the feeding and watering regimes, and help keep plants robust and more able to fight off problems. Regular weeding is also important as it not only keeps borders tidy, but also removes hiding places where pests like to lurk. If you do prefer to use synthetic chemicals, such as Resolva Bug Killer or Provanto Ultimate, always follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully. Don’t spray plants indiscriminately and never use them on a windy day as the poison will be blown around the garden and will kill pollinators, which are
We put beetle deterrent to the test n Our two pots of lilies overwinter in the greenhouse and spend summer on the patio. n Each year they are beset by lily beetles, and each year I spray them with Grazers G4 deterrent to keep them safe. n I find it works excellently, while also keeping the beetles in the food chain for hungry birds. nThis year, to prove its efficacy, I plan to spray just one pot, leaving the other one unprotected. n It’s an unscientific test, but one that will hopefully prove conclusive. nIt will also hopefully demonstrate that you can protect plants by using something other than chemicals that not only remove pests, but also prove fatal to the insects we and the garden needs. These pollinators and predators include ladybirds, beetles, wasps and hoverflies. already under threat, and useful insect predators. Most importantly, never use any chemicals on flowering plants, which is where most insects are heading now.
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extent, protected from many pests, they have their own set of problems. Dry air encourages greenhouse red spider mites, which suck plant sap, create webs, cause mottled leaves and weaken plants. Whitefly also suck sap and can spread disease, while tomato moth caterpillars chomp away at plants and fruits, and often go unseen until you spot their trails of droppings. Biological controls work well under glass. They are parasites and predators that thrive in warmth and die off once
10 AMATEUR GARDENING 19 JUNE 2021
exhausted their food supply. Butterwort as a Encarsia formosa, a tiny wasp, will cull fly catcher! whitefly, and there are predatory mites that make short work of red spider mites. Check tomato plants for caterpillars and pick off any you find. Yellow sticky papers do a thorough Encarsia formosa keeps your job, but will also trap beneficial insects, greenhouse free of whitefly so I avoid them. I am, however, quite tempted by a carnivorous butterwort plant that ensnares small insects. in our houseplant compost! Visit Placed indoors, I am hoping it will greengardener.co.uk or call ✆ 01493 make a meal of the fungus gnats lurking 750061 for biological controls.
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Controlling pests under glass and indoors WHILE greenhouse plants are, to some the temperature drops or they have
