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Blackfly


Benjamin
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I know that I'm a bit old fashioned, must be my age, but can't you just rub them of and squidge them at the same time, it works for me, stains your fingers a bit. I also find that I have a lot of success by having wild plants (weeds) growing near my veg that are more interesting to the aphids, so that's where they congregate.

Chris

 

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That sounds great, but my veg is ready now and the weeds would take to long to attract the black fly.  I'm all for organic farming, but at this rate I won't have any veg left to worry about.

I was so chuffed when all this stuff started to grow, never grown anything in my life before and was so thrilled to see everything take off, but now I'm on a real downer about it.

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[quote user="chris pp"]

I know that I'm a bit old fashioned, must be my age, but can't you just rub them of and squidge them at the same time, it works for me, stains your fingers a bit. I also find that I have a lot of success by having wild plants (weeds) growing near my veg that are more interesting to the aphids, so that's where they congregate.

Chris

[/quote]

Sounds like a great reason not to do any weeding !

 

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[quote user="chris pp"]

I know that I'm a bit old fashioned, must be my age, but can't you just rub them of and squidge them at the same time, it works for me, stains your fingers a bit.

[/quote]

That was my first suggestion, too!

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Chris, what sort of wild plants do you suggest so I can plan for next year?

 My plot is actually next to a bit of land that is covered in wild flowers and weeds but my broccoli and pumpkin plants are still covered in aphids, black fly and caterpillars. I've noticed a few ladybirds but not enough to contain the problem. This is my first year and I  almost successfully grew broccoli until the caterpillars beat me to it and ate it before I could pick it! [:(]

lynpy

 

ps I've tried the washing up liquid without success - but I'll give it another go!

 

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Of dear, where do I go from here?  My method of gardening is not for the faint hearted and wouldn't work as well in an urban setting, although I have practised it in the past in an urban setting with reasonable success, but it's not what everyone would call pretty. I suppose most people would call it untidy, I even leave quite a lot of "weeds" to grow among the vegetables, only pulling them out if they are overwhelming the crops, very little bare earth and neat straight lines for me, but it works!!! In most years I have no pests or problems and use zero controls, not even so called natural pesticides. This year the only black-fly that I have seen have been on thistles and a few, very late, on the broad beans, not enough to cause any damage and about a week before cropping. If I have any white-fly on brassicas, I simply leave them and they (the white-fly) soon die of without causing long term harm, only a few outer  leaves are damaged in the early stages. Most of my vegetables are grown with a deep straw mulch except carrots, onions and beetroot, this encourages a huge build up of predatory insects and a healthy snake population keeps down the mice and voles. Caterpillars are moved to a sacrificial plant or two if there are too many of them.

I'm obviously going to have to dedicate space on my site to this.

Chris

 

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I keep my veg patch tidier than Chrispy [;-)] but I haven't sprayed anything this year.  All I've done is put old lavender sprigs down the rows of carrots in order to fool root fly, buried my potatoes in straw as per Chrispy's recommended practice, and mulched heavily between rows of peas, raspberry canes, fava beans and haricot beans (straw and grass clippings).  Onions, shallots have just been hoed.  Beetroot, tomatoes, aubergines, courgettes have had no special attention other than nettle feed and spent mushroom compost at planting for the latter three.

Problems so far - one colorado beetle, squashed.  One colony of bean blackfly on the fava beans, squashed.  A bit of pea moth damage, but perfectly acceptable.

The caterpillars seem to confine their activity to the wild part of the garden next door to the veg patch.

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