Gardeners Tips

I have no photographs of fungus Gnats because they are very small, little critters like miniature flies.
Houseplants with wet compost attract and breed gnats and the more organic matter the greater the brood of little flies. Fungus gnats are the most common flying insects found in and around compost bins.

Problems with Fungus Gnats

• On their own they do no damage to your plants but their offspring will.
• The Gnats or flies lay eggs on the surface of damp houseplant compost.
• The eggs hatch into minute white maggots that burrow into the soil. Here they can bore there way into roots leaving them open to infection and bacterial diseases.
• Gnat maggots can eat feeder roots and weaken plants or generate chlorsis.
• I also find they are the sort of fly that ends up in your eye.
• Susceptible plants include Chrysanthemum, Cyclamen, Freesia and Pelagoniums.

Control of Fungus Gnats

• Allow soil to dry out completely before watering to kill the flies.
• Drown the maggots by leaving plants in a bucket of water over night but then drain throughly.
• For heavy infestations Malathion kills maggots and eggs.
• I rely on a fly paper with a sticky glue to catch the flies before they breed.
• Half fill a shallow container with ‘Sweet Almond Oil’ and place near an infested plant. Leave it and the flies find it irresistible and meet a sticky end. Another recipe is apple cider vinegar, a little water and a tiny dab of dish soap. the gnats love it and
  drown
• Venus fly traps would be fun but may not eat enough
• In the garden, wormwood is supposed to be an excellent deterrent
• Cover your indoor composting bin

See also Which Gardening pdf on fungus gnats

Yes you can rest happily with this organic treatment for your Aphids. It is called ‘spiders’ and they can be found in every garden and often in your own home.

Spiders

• There are over 100 families and nearly 50,000 known species of Spider.
• Spiders eat insects and not your plants although there is one vegetarian species of spider.
• Spiders typically catch their prey in a Spiders Web as depicted on the plant above

Spiders Webs in the Garden

• Orb webs are geometric in shape and often have gaps that any self respecting greenfly can get through.
• Tangle webs or cob webs are finer in structure and designed for smaller prey.
• Most spiders webs are more conspicuous when they hold dew drops or moisture.
• About half the potential prey that hit orb webs escape, so it isn’t a cure for Aphids after all.
• A web intercepts the prey, absorbs its momentum without breaking and traps the prey by entangling it or sticking to it.

Spiders are Good for Gardens

• Read more from Cornell University Dr Linda Rayor
• How to Increase the Number of Spiders in Your Garden

* Use mulch. It provides protection and humidity.
* Provide places for web attachment or homes eg. Crates, tall plants, bundles of hay.
* Leave areas uncultivated and leave plant stalks for overwintering habitats.
* Grow flowers that bring in prey.
* If spraying pesticides, spray when the spiders are less active or use a pesticide that has fewer effects on the spiders.

A spiders ‘evo devo’ and the silk they produce (that is Evolutionary Sevelopment to you and me) is hard science mixed with good writing. from amazon

Root Rot is a common fungus orientated disease caused by prolonged wet soil conditions. If you catch the problem early enough you may be able to treat the root rot and save the plant.

Root Rot Treatment

• Surgery may be required. Knock the plant out of its pot and gently remove the soil.
• Support the root ball so it doesn’t break off at the crown. If necessary wash off excess soil in wark running water.
• Examine the roots, any blackened or mushy brown root need removing.
• Cut off with a sharp, sterile knife well above the area of rot.
• Discard the rotten roots and pat remaining roots dry with a paper towel.
• Dust with a fungicide like flowers of sulphur.
• Dip into hormone rooting powder and repot in fresh soil.
• Put the plant in medium light, not full sun and be stingy with watering.
• If the plant is going to survive you will see good signs within  a week or two.

For mild problems of over watering take the plant out of the pot and leave it to drain and dry out.

Hormone rooting powder can also be used for cuttings and is available from Amazon

Root Rot Indoor Targets

• African Violets
• Aloe
• Begonia
• Cactus
• Gloxinia
• Palme
• Kalanchoe

Credits
Qargha Res Station – Pepper plants infected with Phytophthora Root and Crown Rot by IFDC Photography CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Ants can be an unsightly nuisance and inspire concern. However they do not directly damage plants but are more a sign that you have another pest problem.

Ants eat the honeydew secreted by aphids, scale insects and other pests. So ant go where there is food and are clever enough to farm aphids by carrying them from one plant to another to increase their food supply.

Ants can burrow into the soil of seedlings disturbing roots.

Prevention and Control

• Ant Killer Gel contain a specially formulated d-phenothrin gel to destroy both ants and ants nests. Ants carry this insecticidal gel deep into the nest to destroy it from within.
• Generic insects Killer sprays for Fleas, Bed Bugs, Moths, Ants, Wasps, Mosquitoes are available.
• micro-emulsion formulations  provide a fast and effective way to kill ants and other crawling insects.
• Amazon range of ant controls
• Remember no aphids, no food, no ants!
• Aphid killer and controls from amazon. or read organic control for aphids

Photo credit Martin LeBar creative commons license on flickr

Liverworts are primitive plants that can become a nuisance in plant pots and lawns. Liverworts are related to mosses and can look like slimy Algae.

Liverwort Varieties

• There are 300 species of Liverwort native to the UK and up to 10,000 worldwide.
• Thallose Liverworts have a flattened, plate like body, called the thalus, and no leaves.
• A common thallose is Marchantia which is topped with an umbrella like sexual organ.
• Leafy Liverworts have two ranks of flattened leaves growing out from a stem and a third under-layer.
• Instead of bearing regular roots, liverworts anchor themselves with simple appendages known as rhizoids

Liverwort Problems and Cures

• These plants are a nuisance because they colonise a pot plant and form a crusty surface layer.
• Liverworts like acidic, moist, shady  conditions so deny them these luxuries where practical.
• Use free drainage in pot plants especially at the top couple of inches.
• Liverworts can grow on hard surface and can be treated with acetic or pelargonic acid, (Doff Fast Acting Natural Weed Sprayor Finalsan moss killers)
• If they infest a damp lawn scrape off the excess and spike to improve drainage. Add lawn sand if desired.
• Some thallose Liverwort species are aquatic and grow on ponds like flecks of lettuce.
• Liverworts reproduce by spores or gammea often transferred by water. Water pots from the bottom.
• Glyphosate and several weed killers will work. Add a few drops of detergent in the water to try to penetrate the waxy surface of the Liverwort.

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