green fly cures

hi all can some one please help ive got this lovely rose bush that i planted about 5 weeks ago it was originaly my greatgrandads then passed down to my nan and grandad then was passed to me so its quite precious to me its growing really well but its coverd in greenfly and as a begginer in gardening im not to sure what to use on it so can some please help,the rose bush is about 60years old
thank you so much
pam

 

Hello, Pam, and welcome to GC! I suffered earlier this year with greenfly on my roses but eradicated them by spraying with the hose (if you're not under a ban!) and then misting with water with a squirt of washing up liquid in it! As there are no chemicals involved, you can do this daily till you are free of the little pests! :D

I'm now working on the whitefly by the same method ... it's a slow process but seems to be working!

Good luck!

[ 28. July 2006, 11:41 AM: Message edited by: Lady of Leisure ]

 

thankyou so much il try that

 

From American gardening sites there is a lot of talk about using Neem Oil soap solution but I think the EU is dragging its collective heels about approval as an insecticide. Been used for ages to get rid of nits though! :D

Health and beauty shops will probably stock it. Use a bar to wash your hands in a bucket of water then use the solution to spray on plants. Test first though as some plants are supposedly sensitive to it and keep them out of strong sunlight for a few days as the oil can block the leaf pores and reduce transpiration leading to stress.

 

There are 50% less house sparrows now than there were in the 1970's.
Question. What do sparrows feed their nestlings on?
Answer. Greenflies and other aphids.

Conclusion. When gardeners kill greenflies they starve baby sparrows. Think about the consequences of what you are doing.

 

Several American reports I read suggest the washing-up liquid / water spray theory but one suggested adding a little baking soda to the mixture and indicated it was a remedy for blackspot. However, I found it "burnt" the leaves of the roses and they've all dropped (on my miniatures) so I've cut that ingredient out! :(

 

I should add I rarely spray and tend to just use it in the greenhouse when I do. Carpet bombing of all the garden bugs isn't a good idea.

 

I appreciate what you say, but I don't want to lose all my plants either. I have a particularly bad case of them, perhaps because they spray the orchards all around me and I am a "haven". I don't use chemicals. In saying this, there is no shortage of sparrows here either ... and in hunting season they are shot to eat! (Not by me, I might add! I was served them once in Guinea, West Africa, but passed!) :eek:

 

Spraying with soap solutions inside the greenhouse is fine because that is an artificial environment anyway. I grow lots of roses and don't find it necessary to spray them with anything. Ladybirds, lacewings, hoverflies, wasps, blue tits etc etc all keep me free of aphids and all would suffer if I sprayed.



The shooting of small birds in Mediterranean countries has more to do with Latin machismo than food provision and it makes me so angry that I'd better say no more

 

Well said that man hornbeam, you do have a wonderful knowledge of nature and what is happening in this world.

I personally have not done anything this year in terms of spraying or the putting down of slug pellets and have found that I have a lot of ladybirds, hardly any green fly and slugs so i think it does work better to just let things be.

 

I appreciate what you say, folks, but the greenfly/whitefly/aphids arrived first ... destroying my plants ....

Just for what's it worth ...

I rest my case!

 

For me - aphids appeared on my roses, and echinops other than spraying once at the beginning of the year, mainly for blackspot - I decided to leave be. The birds during the hot spell have been magic - there is not an aphid to be found. Its a joy watching the sparrows and tits searching through the leaves.

 

Our fan trained plum is covered with green fly. Hardly a predator to be seen and the squadron of sparrows that visit the garden daily appears to be vegetarian!
Regret to say that I resorted to derris spray on the plum today
Insect netting and membrane on most of the veg garden is doing a fine job though, and I've not used any chemicals at all. Though yesterday found some big fat caterpillars in the flowers on the squash plants in the polytunnel. I've now put butterfly proof netting over the open doors (I'll do it sooner next year).

 

If in extremis you must spray, then soapy water is much better than chemicals. The soapy water is very effective because aphids are protected to a greater or lesser extent by a wax coat (Barbour? ) The soap penetrates the wax and kills the critters who breathe through their skins. The only adverse effect is that you will be reducing the number that can be eaten by birds and their young - more important consideration in spring and early summer. Using chemical sprays will kill pollinating insects like bees and friendly insects like hoverflies, ladybirds and lacewings too. It will also build up toxins in larger creatures like the birds that eat aphids.

Personally I don't spray at all, but that is because I have a lot of mature trees in and around the garden and a healthy insect and bird population who gobble up the aphids as fast as they breed :D .