Jen wrote:
I have nasturtiums growing under my roses. I love nasturtiums and it's the
only place I have left to grow them. A couple of months ago I noticed some
aphids on the roses, as of course they always get, but I hadn't got around
to spraying them yet. Yesterday the nasturtiums looked really sad and
seemed to be covered with aphids. Today I pulled the nasturtiums out, and I
was absolutely amazed at how many aphids were around. There were great
clumps of them. Looks like they were mainly under the leaves, but kept
breeding. There were also heaps of caterpillars. I don't know what I'm
going to be able to do with them when they grow back, it's just too many
nasturtiums to spray. Does anybody have any ideas?

Jen


Ant sand controls the ants that protect aphids- they fend off ladybirds
and other predators. Worth a try.

Confidor is very effective against aphids. It has low toxicity to
vertebrates, but will kill bees. However, if you have removed all the
plants, the winged aphids will leave, the rest will die. However, they
will come back for the next crop.

For caterpillars, try Dipel or a new organic insecticide called Spinosad
(sold as "Success".

Good luck!
Dave