Beating the garden bugs

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 323, 13 February 1990, Page 10

Beating the garden bugs

by

Bea

Barnes

Summer has arrived with a vengeance and the hot sunny days have had us all Teaching for the cold drinks. Our garden plants have been feeling much the same way and the garden hoses have been working overtime.

The roses are particularly under stress with the intense heat and a good supply of water is essential, best applied in the evening after the heat of the day has simmered down a little. We are fortunate in this area that we do not suffer from water restrictions which apply in so many places and can thus avoid the losses in gardens experienced by city dwellers. The warmth which helps our plants to flourish has the same effect on the insect life multiplying in their hundreds to attack and feed on the plants we have nurtured all year. Caterpillars, aphids, beetles and earwigs are out in force and^, overnight can do a great deal of damage.

There are a host of commercial sprays available which will get rid of practically every garden pest known to man but for the average gardener one or two good all round sprays have to suffice. A good rose spray will deal quite effectively with most biting and sucking insects on roses and ornamentals as well as dealing with some fungus diseases such as powdery and downy mildew, black spot and rust. The warm humid conditions have proved the ideal condition for fungal diseases to thrivc and prompt treatment will prevent them from getting a hold. jj'Orthene' is a good all round spray which will effectively deal with

leaf roller, caterpillar, white butterfly caterpillar, aphids, green vegetable bug.mealy bug, scale insects, white fly and thrips. Target' will control most of these pests and in addition will combat the adult grass grub beetle, weevil and earwigs. Mites bite Mites which can be a problem on fruit trees and some ornamentals are not an insect and cannot be controlled with insecticides. A

mite killer spray will help to control these pests in summer and a spray of Orchard Oil in winter will smother the eggs and prevent them from hatching in the spring. The spider mite which can cause yellowing of the leaves and premature leaf fall on silver birch trees among others thrive in dry hot conditions but cannot tolerate wet, so a good hosing of the trees when watering the garden may be a help in stopping these pests

getting a hold. All chemicals sprays should be used with caution and housed well out of 1 the reach of children. They all contain substances harmful to human beings as well as to the pests they are used to control. Avoid using any chemical spray in windy conditions and avoid inhaling the vapour while mixing or spraying. Wear rubber gloves while working as toxins can be absorbed through the skin, and wear a mask preferably one that is designed to be used for the purpose. If you stop for lunch or moming or afternoon tea wash both hands and face thoroughly before eating and drinking and when the work is finished,

thoroughly wash all equipment under running cold water and wash your hands and face again. Chemical alternative If you prefer not to use chemical sprays you can always try companion planting. Garlic planted among roses and ornamentals will help to keep aphids away. I experimented with this, planting garlic close to one climbing rose which was badly infested with aphids last season. This season there have been no aphids on that rose but on another one not far away the aphids were massed on all the new shoots. Garlic grown near tomatoes is said to control red spider mite but peas, beans, cabbages and strawberries don't like garlic as a bedmate.

A plant of Hyssop , will deter white butterfly and is a good insect repellent in the flower garden but keep it away from radishes. Hyssop will seed very prolifically so watch it doesn't take over. Marjoram is said to benefit your vegetables if planted among them while mint will repel the white cabbage butterfly as well as ants, fleas and mice. Never plant mint and Parsley close together, they are not on speaking terms.Horseradish will repel the potato bug but it is a very strong grower so watch that it doesn't take over. Chives grown in the, rose bed will help to deter aphids and the spore which causes black spot on roses. Lemon balm attracts bees and is said to improve the growth and the flavour of tomatoes.