Driven demented by greenfly and blackspot

Elle Collins

I have a lot of roses in my garden and have been fighting off the greenfly and blackspot with rose clear gun. A horticulturist told me this is the best treatment for both, but that I should occasionally give them a blast of something else just to keep the insects and bacteria from getting immune to it.

I've been doing this but to no avail. The greenfly are everywhere and the blackspot just keeps on coming back. (I am removing the infected leaves, as you're supposed to)

I'm up the walls with it and don't know what else to do. My elderly aunt tells me a drop of washing up liquid in water does the power of good. Anyone know anything about this? Any advice would be gratefully received.

bmaxi

Listen to your Aunt. A dash of Fairy liquid in a sprayer sprayed directly onto the greenfly will suffocate and kill them. Unlikely to have any effect on blackspot though, which is a fungal disease and IMO is best treated by good housekeeping, i.e. picking up and burning all infected leaves.

Nonmonotonic

+1 to bmaxi

Greenfly produce sticky residue which makes them difficult to dislodge. The washing up liquid will remove it and the fly. Put in a used spray bottle and shake well before use.

Leaves with Blackspot should be disposed of by burning or binned ( not composted or discarded as this causes reinfection )

Elle Collins

Thanks for the advice. I'll give the oul fairly liquid a go so. As for the blackspot, I think that'll be a tougher challange. I have always thrown the spotted leaves straight in the bin and washed my hands between moving from one rose bush to the next to avoid infecting them. I also make sure my rose pruner is spotless between prunings.

I think the blackspot is going to be a harder issue to solve and I'd appreciate any more advice on that.

bmaxi

Elle Collins wrote: »

Thanks for the advice. I'll give the oul fairly liquid a go so. As for the blackspot, I think that'll be a tougher challange. I have always thrown the spotted leaves straight in the bin and washed my hands between moving from one rose bush to the next to avoid infecting them. I also make sure my rose pruner is spotless between prunings.

I think the blackspot is going to be a harder issue to solve and I'd appreciate any more advice on that.

Do you also pick up fallen leaves? Blackspot will incubate on leaves over winter which is why it is important to remove all fallen leaves at leaf fall. Try also to water roses at their roots rather than just drenching them.
Another old home remedy was to spray with a 10:1 ratio of full cream milk to water. It has to be full cream milk, not skimmed or pasteurised, how available that is nowadays I don't know.

Scottie99

http://www.greengardener.co.uk/product.asp?id_pc=34&cat=75&id_product=366
These should take care of the green fly.

flutered

rust is my problem this year, it just appears, thankfully it is confined to just a few bushes, as i am at home 24/7 good husbandry is not a problem, the gardener in the local big house years ago used to spray the ground with a very diluted jeyes fluid, but as we have had no rain for some time this does not solve the problem, my next attempt at a cure is going to be one of the liquid see weed spray, have any one around here had any luck with a finding a cure.

bakerbhoy

Blackspot is treated similar to plyth in potatoes. Spray every fortnight with same product as for spuds. In winter when the roses are dormant treat the soil around the bushes with diluted jeyes fluid to kill the spores in the ground.

AirmidOg

I feel your pain on the greenfly front. I lost my crop of Chilli plants last year to greenfly infestation and yesterday I found the first ones on this years crop (which are doing well otherwise given the hot weather we've been having!). I read that washing up liquid mixed with a little olive oil and diluted well and sprayed onto the plants works well. I'm going to start that treatment tonight. Otherwise does anyone have any natural solutions to treating ants? My sunflowers are being attacked!!?

flutered

i have just removed a (sickly) potted rose from a 24 hour bath of dithane i will keep you folks informed.

oflynno

Greenfly-yep to the fairy liquid.also buy some chives and lavendar in pots and leave them near the roses.the greenfly hate them

Blackspot-i got sh1tsick of it and mixed up a strong batch of jeyes fluid and sprayed it under the leaves as well as the top
there was a stink of jeyes for ages but the rose leaves got glossy and the blackspot fecked off.i can see how a blight spray would work

Ants,i am told to follow them to the nest opening,get a tin can and put it partially over the top,the heat from the sun encourages the ants to bring the ant eggs up to the hottest point,you can then dispatch the next wave with a kettle of boiling water

looksee

I will say this very quietly, just in case they are listening, but so far this year I have seen almost no snails and only a couple of very small slugs. Did the winter get them? Young plants all over the place and no snails

Lol, sorry, intended to start another thread. oh well.

oflynno

looksee wrote: »

I will say this very quietly, just in case they are listening, but so far this year I have seen almost no snails and only a couple of very small slugs. Did the winter get them? Young plants all over the place and no snails

Lol, sorry, intended to start another thread. oh well.

you've gone and tipped them off,they have their own search engine when the word s.l.u.g hits the net

they are onto us,run,save your seedlings. . . . . . .

i leave loads of table salt around for them in a perimeter but the rain washes it away

again the roof slate or plastic works as a hide for them,and they can be put onto a bird table then...

i also saw a guy who put them into a plastic dustbin and puts in plants for composting in there,slugslave labour,they need plenty uisce though

simonj

Liquid Derris plus

bmaxi

oflynno wrote: »

you've gone and tipped them off,they have their own search engine when the word s.l.u.g hits the net

Actually, you may be right, apparently slugs emit some sort of hormone which can be detected by other slugs. If a dearth of this hormone is detected it tells the slugs that there are no others in the area and rich pickings are to be had.
I kid you not!

Igotadose

I returned from a vacation to find my indoor pepper plants awash in aphids & greenfly:( Fortunately, the peppers themselves are well on mature and tasty and harvestable, so I'm planning on harvesting them all, roasting, etc.
My question is the plants - if I dump them in the composter, will I risk re-infestation should I use that compost in a few months or so?

The plants are all indoors - no idea how the greenfly got in, but these things happen. I really need to eradicate the little b*stards from the house - herself is tired of the bugs as am I, I've been spending a fair bit of time washing windows and sill to get 'em all.

FWIW, an organic 'bug spray' I purchased didn't seem to slow them down much. Washing the leaves had some effect, but not enough. I kind of overdid it on the number of plants, I guess having a dozen-odd plants spread across 4 windows looked good, but looked great to the greenfly once it got in and we were gone.