This is from the Crocus web site, on aphid control. I've read this a number
of times and I have finally concluded that I *really* do not understand what
it means. The first two sentences are clear enough- it's when they go on to
nettles and "a colony" (of what?) that I get lost. And then cutting back the
nettles- why? Nothing of the last two sentences seems to make sense. Maybe
I'm just having a very dense day, or possibly this is not explained as well
as it might be. Please- could anyone explain the last part to me?

Treatment
Organic - the best thing to do is encourage the predators of aphids, such as
ladybirds, lacewings and hoverflies, into your garden. This can be done by
planting nectar-rich flowering plants which attract them, such as buddleia,
calendula, sedum, stocks, sweet William and wallflowers. [That's clear
enough, but from here on I'm lost...] Get a head start on the aphids by
growing a patch of nettles with a small colony to help build up natural
predators in your garden. Cut back the nettles when aphids appear in other
parts of your garden to encourage the predators to seek them out.

--
VX (remove alcohol for email)

"VX" wrote in message
s.com...
This is from the Crocus web site, on aphid control. I've read
this a number of times and I have finally concluded that I
*really* do not understand what it means. The first two sentences
are clear enough- it's when they go on to
nettles and "a colony" (of what?) that I get lost. And then
cutting back the nettles- why? Nothing of the last two sentences
seems to make sense. Maybe I'm just having a very dense day, or
possibly this is not explained as well as it might be. Please-
could anyone explain the last part to me?

....

Nettles act as host to aphids in the Spring before other any
other plants, and when there is little other food around for
ladybirds. Without a steady supply of food throughout both
Spring and Summer ladybird numbers will be reduced. By Summer
when other aphid hosts are in full growth the netteles
can be cut back to encourage the ladybirds to move on to
those.


michael adams



Treatment
Organic - the best thing to do is encourage the predators of aphids, such
as
ladybirds, lacewings and hoverflies, into your garden. This can be done by
planting nectar-rich flowering plants which attract them, such as
buddleia,
calendula, sedum, stocks, sweet William and wallflowers. [That's clear
enough, but from here on I'm lost...] Get a head start on the aphids by
growing a patch of nettles with a small colony to help build up natural
predators in your garden. Cut back the nettles when aphids appear in other
parts of your garden to encourage the predators to seek them out.

--
VX (remove alcohol for email)

"Stewart Robert Hinsley" wrote in message
...
In message m, VX
writes
This is from the Crocus web site, on aphid control. I've read this a
number
of times and I have finally concluded that I *really* do not understand
what
it means. The first two sentences are clear enough- it's when they go on
to
nettles and "a colony" (of what?) that I get lost. And then cutting back
the
nettles- why? Nothing of the last two sentences seems to make sense.
Maybe
I'm just having a very dense day, or possibly this is not explained as
well
as it might be. Please- could anyone explain the last part to me?

Treatment
Organic - the best thing to do is encourage the predators of aphids, such
as
ladybirds, lacewings and hoverflies, into your garden. This can be done
by
planting nectar-rich flowering plants which attract them, such as
buddleia,
calendula, sedum, stocks, sweet William and wallflowers. [That's clear
enough, but from here on I'm lost...] Get a head start on the aphids by
growing a patch of nettles with a small colony to help build up natural
predators in your garden. Cut back the nettles when aphids appear in
other
parts of your garden to encourage the predators to seek them out.


I agree it's not very clear, but I would read this as suggesting growing
nettles for a crop of aphids (eating the nettles) to act as a food
source for aphid predators. When aphids appear on other plants chop down
the nettles, and the predators have lost their food supply, and will
have to look elsewhere (the other plants). (Different types of aphids
eat different types of plants.) What puzzles me is how one guarantees
the presence of aphids on the nettles.

changing the subject slightly, I have been spraying aphids and thrip on
roses for some weeks with a watered down liquid manure. It takes 2-3
applications to wipe the population out but seems very effective. Soapy
water may do the same job or the manure may contain something else a little
bit special. The roses also get a good foliar feed at the same time however.
Even better the smell of the liquid manure gives my wife something to
complain about.

rob

Some biocontrol companies sell 'Banker Plants Kits' which are basically aphid infested plants (usually oats), in which you can build up natural enemies for later release. The favoured option by many folk now is to use a safe foliar treatment (such as savona, sb plant invigorator or Just Bug Killer), when aphids first appear then add beneficials to keep future ingressions in check.

Thanks for the explanations- now I get it. All I need to do is choose
somewhere to grow some nettles where they won't be stinging myself and my
visitors too often, and then find the nettles to plant there. But it sounds
like a very clever way of dealing with this problem. I may order some
lacewing houses (I think that's what they called them) too. The organic
methods seem to be so much more FUN than spraying dodgy
toxic-to-most-lifeforms chemicals all over the place....

This weekend's amusing gardening screwup: I decided to make some soap
solution by paring away with a sharp knife and then dissolving some
Sainsbury's Pure Soap (bar) in warm water and I poured this into an empty
bottle. This was supposed to be the concentrated solution that i would then
dilute about 1:10 or 1:20 so before pouring into a sprayer. So I had about
1/2 of a bar of soap dissolved in something like 1 litre of water. I did this
yesterday and left it to cool. Today I went to look at my concentrated soap
solution and it has gone solid in the bottle! Not as solid as a bar of soap
but pretty solid nevertheless- about the consitency of set honey. Today will
no doubt be all about trying to dilute it again to make it pourable. I think
making working strength solution will be a better idea than concentrate in
future.

--
VX (remove alcohol for email)

On Sun, 7 May 2006 13:48:19 +0100, VX wrote
(in message m):

This was supposed to be the concentrated solution that i would then
dilute about 1:10 or 1:20 so before pouring into a sprayer.

Hmmm. After reading that people successfully use a squirt of washing-up
liquid in a bowl of water it's now obvious that I was massively overdoing it.
I think I will just use the squirt of washing-up liquid in future....

--
VX (remove alcohol for email)

VX writes
This is from the Crocus web site, on aphid control. I've read this a number
of times and I have finally concluded that I *really* do not understand what
it means. The first two sentences are clear enough- it's when they go on to
nettles and "a colony" (of what?) that I get lost. And then cutting back the
nettles- why? Nothing of the last two sentences seems to make sense. Maybe
I'm just having a very dense day, or possibly this is not explained as well
as it might be. Please- could anyone explain the last part to me?

Treatment
Organic - the best thing to do is encourage the predators of aphids, such as
ladybirds, lacewings and hoverflies, into your garden. This can be done by
planting nectar-rich flowering plants which attract them, such as buddleia,
calendula, sedum, stocks, sweet William and wallflowers. [That's clear
enough, but from here on I'm lost...] Get a head start on the aphids by
growing a patch of nettles with a small colony to help build up natural
predators in your garden. Cut back the nettles when aphids appear in other
parts of your garden to encourage the predators to seek them out.

I think it means - encourage a small patch of nettles with aphids to
build up the predator population, then when you have the predators, cut
down the nettles so the predators have to go and search out the aphids
on the rest of your plants.

It's the same principle as Janet B recommends - attract tits to your
aphid infested bush by hanging a fat ball in it, then the tits will
start on the aphids.

Why nettles, I don't know. I'd never thought of them as particularly
aphid prone.
--
Kay

"K" wrote in message
...
VX writes

Why nettles, I don't know. I'd never thought of them as particularly
aphid prone.


They're into growth earlier, and the aphids they host -
nettle aphids are only interested in nettles. And so can
be encouraged in the garden without problems, while being
just as palatable to ladybirds, lacewings, hoveflies
and their respective larvae.

michael adams

....


--
Kay

On Sun, 7 May 2006 13:59:29 +0100, VX
wrote:

On Sun, 7 May 2006 13:48:19 +0100, VX wrote
(in message m):

This was supposed to be the concentrated solution that i would then
dilute about 1:10 or 1:20 so before pouring into a sprayer.

Hmmm. After reading that people successfully use a squirt of washing-up
liquid in a bowl of water it's now obvious that I was massively overdoing it.
I think I will just use the squirt of washing-up liquid in future....

I don't use washing-up liquid any more. Some I used once damaged some
plants. Maybe it had some damaging ingredient, or maybe I had it too
strong but I stick to soap. Lux Soapflakes used to be the best to use
but I don't think it's around now.


Pam in Bristol

The message
from Pest Effects contains
these words:


Some biocontrol companies sell 'Banker Plants Kits' which are basically
aphid infested plants (usually oats), in which you can build up natural
enemies for later release. The favoured option by many folk now is to
use a safe foliar treatment (such as savona, sb plant invigorator or
Just Bug Killer), when aphids first appear then add beneficials to keep
future ingressions in check.

You sound as if you are posting about American circumstances, is
that right? What pertains or is available in the US often doesn't and
isn't here in the UK. This is, specifically, a UK gardening newsgroup.

Janet.

No this is all available in the UK.

The message
from Pest Effects contains
these words:


Janet Baraclough Wrote:
The message
from Pest Effects contains
these words:


Some biocontrol companies sell 'Banker Plants Kits' which are
basically
aphid infested plants (usually oats), in which you can build up
natural
enemies for later release. The favoured option by many folk now is
to
use a safe foliar treatment (such as savona, sb plant invigorator or
Just Bug Killer), when aphids first appear then add beneficials to
keep
future ingressions in check.

You sound as if you are posting about American circumstances, is
that right? What pertains or is available in the US often doesn't and
isn't here in the UK. This is, specifically, a UK gardening newsgroup.

Janet.

No this is all available in the UK.

A google search on "Banker Plant Kits" or "buying aphids" brought up
nothing, could you supply a reference to their sale in the UK please?

Janet

Hi Janet,

Koppert UK supply them http://www.koppert.nl/cgi-bin/x031.p...rcID=22&lang=e

Ian

For some reason, the link doesn't go to the right page! Try this one http://www.koppert.nl/cgi-bin/x031.p...rcID=22&lang=e

You may have to copy and paste the link in to the address bar It keps diverting dack to the Koppert Netherland home page!!

I'll try one more time http://www.koppert.nl/cgi-bin/x031.p...&retry=39 055