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infestation of yuck
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Posted by jampolk MarrickvilleNSW (My Page) on Fri, Sep 23, 05 at 2:48
I have been growing cabbages and broccoli in my front yard in inner Sydney. Heaps of sun and air, and they were growing well.
The suddenly a mega invasion of some kinda disgusting colony of little bitty grey-ish bugs all over strems of the broccoli and then also invading the cabbage leaves.
What are they, how can i get rid of 'em and then make them stay away with out doing anything too poisonous to other living things? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: infestation of yuck
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| Sounds like aphids to me. You can wash them off, wipe them off, or get yourself a ton of ladybirds. :) There are also chemicals, of course. I think Pyrethrum would do the job. It is said to be the least harmful of the chemicals. But don't take my word for it. Good luck! |
RE: infestation of yuck
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| Yep, Spatz is right, cabbage aphids, common in Sydney. As an adjunct to a hard spray with water which will dislodge a lot of them, I wipe them off too. Plant lots of insectary plants as a home to ladybirds and hoverflies as the larval stages of both devour aphids at a great rate - most herbs (especially tansy) and most members of the Asteraceae family (cosmos and marigolds for example) work well, along with something like buckwheat which flowers very quickly. Plant in among the cabbages and broccoli. The adult ladybirds and hoverflies need pollen to be able to reproduce. A glue spray will help if the infestation is bad.
1 cup boiling water plus 1 cup white flour. Mix well. Add cold water till it's thin and sprayable. Strain well. Spray on thickly on infested areas. Repeat after five minutes if you think it's not quite thick enough. Wash sprayer well afterwards or you'll have to soak it for ages. Also, hose plants off after a couple of hours or so or they'll suffocate along with the aphids. This will not keep. (Recipe thanks to Jackie French) Another easy to make spray is white oil, which will also help. But only use one of the sprays.
1 cup of ordinary cooking oil, half a cup of water and a tiny amount of ordinary washing-up detergent. Mix well. Dilute to about 1 part white oil to 40 parts water (about one and a half tablespoons to one litre). Mix or shake well. Spray on liberally all over infected area. Avoid this on very hot days or you'll fry your vegies. (Recipe thanks to Peter Cundall) The sprays may need more than one application to be effective but remember, sprays are only temporary. They'll be back, so plant those herbs and flowers as a long term solution. Hope this helps. |
RE: infestation of yuck
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I tried the terror approach, ala Jane Edmonson. Squash a few of them, say 1000. The others understand and go away.
Sounds insane, worked for me. '
The year before that, I just let them have one plant, and i got the other three or so. |
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