Well its the middle of the summer and we hope everyone is enjoying their gardens. This is one of the busiest times in the garden though and one of the essential jobs is to keep a sharp eye on any potential pests and diseases! Remember, the secret is to try and catch the pest attack early, before it has had a chance to get a strangle hold on the plant. By attracting birds and insects into the garden, they can control the population of such pests as snails and greenfly. A ladybird will eat about 5,000 aphids in its one year lifetime. Sparrows, robins and blackbirds will also eat aphids from plants and Thrush love to eat snails.
Always examine young emerging plants and new shoots for the pest attack. Greenfly and blackfly will be attracted to the tender shoots and buds and this is where they will start their incursion. One difficult aphid to spot is the Red Spider Mite. They are extremely small and often difficult to see with the naked eye. They suck the sap from the plant and initially the plant will show some discoloration but as the attack continues the leaves will turn brown and looked almost scorched. Eventually the leaves will fall from the plant. Recently, on a grounds maintenance visit we noticed a mature Leyland Cypress under red spider mite attack. The pictuire shows the scorched and brown leaves and balding of the plant.
Leyland Cyprus, under Red Spider Mite attack
One remedy is to use a chemcial spary called SB Plant Invigorator. This liquid is both a foliar feed and pesticide, it is environmentally friendly, being biodegradable and safe for children and pats afteer application. It is available from NAD and 2ml of the liquid is diluted in 1 litre of water. It is best to spray weekly in the evening to see best results.
If you have any garden pest related queries, or have photos of a pest attack please send them on to us!
