plant protection

Keep foliage free from petal blight and geraniums safe from sap suckers with help from Yates gardening specialist, Judy Horton.

Autumn

Lots of pests cause trouble in the garden this season so be on the lookout for

caterpillars

attacking

lilies

,

impatiens

,

grape vines

,

fuchsias

and any other plant they can eat their way through. If caterpillar numbers get past the hand-picking stage, control with non-toxic Yates Dipel or the new, organically derived Success.

Sap suckers

, such as

leaf hoppers

and

white fly

, are best controlled with systemic, low toxic Confidor.

White fly

, a small insect that looks like a tiny white moth, is particularly attracted to plants with aromatic leaves such as

geraniums

(

pelargoniums

),

tomatoes

and

salvias

. The small insects hide beneath the leaves and fly away in a great cloud when disturbed.

White flies are sap suckers that can weaken plants to try to eliminate them or, at least, attempt to reduce their numbers. Confidor will help protect some vegetables and, because it gets into the plant’s system, it eventually breaks the insect’s life cycle. PestOil gives good contact control but it must be applied directly onto the flies, which can be a little difficult as they move quickly when disturbed.

Yellow sticky traps, made by smearing petroleum jelly onto a bright yellow board or piece of plastic, will attract and trap some of the white flies.

Winter

Spray azaleas with Bayleton fungicide to protect the blooms from

petal blight

. This fungal disease can completely ruin the appearance of

azalea flowers

. It’s important to begin spraying when the buds start to colour and to continue right through the flowering season.

Use Zero Glyphosate to spot-spray

bulb-forming oxalis

(sometimes called ‘

soursob

’). Zero Glyphosate breaks down quickly in the soil so it doesn’t control dormant underground oxalis bulbs. A follow up treatment next year will be required.

In August, remove

gall wasp lumps

in the branches of citrus by cutting off the affected parts. You only need to worry about the current season’s growth but it’s important to get rid of these by the end of August before the new generation of wasps emerges.

Mealybugs

are menaces and they’re some of the most problematic garden pests around. These fluffy-coated sap suckers love to hide in protected parts of the plant: between leaves, beneath shoots and on roots. Be especially alert with plants that are growing indoors or under cover.

Treat mealybugs with systemic Confidor (read the directions carefully as a stronger dose may be recommended) or with Yates Natrasoap insecticidal soap. Natrasoap, a contact spray, must be applied right onto the pests, which may require some extra commitment.

Pests and diseases

• Apply PestOil to control citrus leaf miner and many of the other insect pests that are active at this time of year
• Caterpillars are very busy in autumn. Yates naturally-derived success gives good control for long periods
• Use Baycor to control powdery mildew on ornamentals
• Clean up weeds with Zero low toxic glyphosate herbicide

 

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