GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post

andy_con · 02-09-2007, 11:52 AM

ok one good thing my banana plant is doing great

Quote:

Check out Googling on natural predators of these insects. We use them here
and they work. But they're not cheap and you must continue to use them
until the problem is cured and be prepared to use them again if it returns.

what is googling?

Quote:

First I'm absolutely sure that you don't have scale insects because
you'd have seen them (and so would I on your pictures), they're flat,
as big as my little finger's nail, brown, and are seriously stuck on
the bark of the branches. There's also lots of sticky white substance
associated with them. You haven't mentioned that. You have aphids and
plant lice, hence the curled leaves but also the ants. It's too late
to do anything once the leaves have curled up. I would keep hosing the
aphids out and let the ants do their stuff or introduce predators. Are
your plant in a greenhouse with other plants?. Also the big chunks out
of the leaves look like a catterpilar's doing. It has now flown
away ... )

the plants are lined up against my house at the moment, im buying a walk in green house from argos very soon for the winter. so are ants good or bad for the plants? theres not lots of ants but i do see 3-4 on each plant?

Quote:

Found the list I was thinking of:
Against ********** Red Spider Mites: *Phytosieulus persimilis
**³** **************** Whitefly: ************** Encarsia formosa
**³* ***************** Thrips: ***************** Amblyseius cucumeris
**³* ***************** Aphids:* *************** Aphidius
**³* ***************** Mealybug:************* Cryptolaemus montrouzieri
**³ ****************** Vine Weevil:**********Hortinem (Nematodes)
**³ ****************** Caterpillar:*************Bacillus thuringiensis
(Bacterial powder for spraying)
**³ ****************** Scale Insect:**********Metaphycus helvolus
http://tinyurl.com/2uazjv
There are several people who supply them and below is just one:
http://www.gardening-naturally.com/acatalog/shop.html

But if you're going to use these, you need to get on with it because they're
only really effective in the summer months unless they're used in a heated
greenhouse.

cheers i will check this out

Quote:

Not one we use here. ;-) Ours arrive in their various containers every
fortnight throughout the season and the little paper packages get hung up
around the greenhouses or the bottles are opened and scattered around.
Everyone takes a look at various plants as they're walking in and around the
nursery and the birds do a good job of picking up bits and pieces from
outside, too.

so i could use this hen i buy a walk in green house for the winter?