Suspended planter Transform

I N G F U F O R F O I L

Too much rain and humidity – most o en caused by weather but also by plant overcrowding – can cause powdery mildew and black spots on vegetable foliage. To stop them developing, mix 1 cup of milk with 10 cups of water, pour in a spray bo le and get trigger happy under a full sun. It’ s believed milk’ s protein has an antiseptic effect when exposed to strong light.

Roses are especially susceptible to black spot, rust and powdery mildew when not effectively pruned. But if you want a bushy shrub, mix 4 teaspoons

of bicarbonate of soda

(it stops germination of the fungi) with 2 litres of water, add a drop of vegetable oil (to fix the potion to the leaves) and

a drop of biodegradable

dishwashing liquid (to help mix spread on leaves). Then spray and leave on foliage.

FOR YOU TO NOTE These are preventative measures, not cures. If your leaves become diseased, it’ s best you remove them to stop the spread, and also destroy them.

Be vigilant and check the underside of leaves,

ROSE BUSHES NEED TO BE PRUNED TO ENSURE GOOD AIR FLOW SO FUNGI DON’T COME.

as that’ s where butterfly and moth eggs are laid P A T R O L S T P E

Shock and repel your destructive bugs by mixing

2 garlic bulbs

and 6 large chillies (both chopped) with 1 tablespoon

each of vegetable oil

and biodegradable

dishwashing liquid

and 7-8 cups of water. Leave the mix overnight, strain and spray, including under leaves where bugs lay eggs. Do it on a cool day so the oil doesn ’t fry the foliage.

Meanwhile, physical barriers work well with slugs and snails, which have an appetite for fresh, sweet seedlings. These include beer traps, pu ing cayenne pepper powder around seedlings or covering the soil with small, sharp gravel.

MELISSA kING Join me as I show you how to prepare natural potions on BHG TV on Friday, 22 July at 7pm on Channel 7.

(Apologies, may be subject to change)

Go to bhg.com.au for more garden tips and tricks.