I noticed a week or so ago that one of our nasturtium plants had started to get some little black flies on it. They have slowly been getting more numerous and I have been wondering what to do about it and thinking it a little odd that they were only on one plant but I have just this morning noticed them also on one of the oregano plants and so think that it is time to act before they take over the windowboxes! A quick Google suggests that nasturtiums attract these black fly and when plants get infested people just pull them out but now that they have spread to the oregano as well will that work or not?
How annoying. I'd typed up this comment once and it failed to post, here goes again...
ReplyDeleteSome arrangement involving chicken wire or similar bent into a U shape (with a flat top), the open end shoved into the soil and a square of horticultural fleece tied on top should provide some much needed partial shade for your salads. They'll get light but be spared the full heat of the sun.
That's the way I'll be doing it on my plot. Maybe bending a strip into a (portrait) rectangle with a double thickness bottom and putting it around the tub would be a better bet on the windowsill. Maybe even something as simple as a few bits of bamboo lashed together would be better. I dunno, some experiments are probably in order.
The tomatoes might appreciate a bit of extra light from a bit of tinfoil covered cardboard dropped between it and the wall to reflect a bit more light onto its leaves. I don't know if it will be "enough", but in such a shady spot the extra light would probably make a difference. If you wanted to get clever with it, some sort of curve to the board would focus even more light onto the plant.
Maybe worth a try anyway.
That sounds like a good plan for salads. Hope that it works on your plot! We decided that as the tomato plants that were indoors had started to take over the living room it was probably better to put them outside and give up on the salads for this year...
ReplyDeleteI had those blsck flies on one of my nastrutium plants last year (at home in a pot), and threw it away. Yesterday, whilst pottering in the garden, I did not some of these black flies around my brussel sprouts. I'm gonna burst some water on them with the hose, and hope that will do the trick. I don't really want to be pulling it out.
ReplyDeleteHi mangocheeks - yes, apparently nasturtiums are well known for attracting black flies, and people plant them on purpose to keep the flies away from their veggies. However, I didn't realise that and put them right in with the veggies. Still, you live and learn! Let me know if the hose treatment works...
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