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Old 24-11-2007, 05:59 AM posted to aus.gardens
John Savage John Savage is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Aug 2006
Posts: 276
Default beware pyrethrum sprays

In early spring my Mum enjoyed the butterflies frolicing among the spires
of colourful blooms on her snapdragons. Then she realised it was not the
nectar they were coming for--the blossoms were being shredded by hundreds
of caterpillers! Not the leaves, just the delicate blooms.

So I sprayed the flower heads with a ready-to-go pyrethrum spray. Two
days later the blooms had turned brown, burnt by the spray! So she cut
off all the flower heads and hoped that more would develop. But ten
days later the spires of leaves showed severe burn and the plants had
to be cut back to near ground level. Maybe there is still a chance they
will reshoot this season.

I didn't see any warning on the pack label that plants could be burnt
by it. I did apply it generously hoping for a quick kill, but didn't
read any caution about being heavy handed. So be warned.

I've suggested Dipel or Success for future combat.
--
John Savage (my news address is not valid for email)