calling all gardeners

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mike77
mike77 Member Posts: 879
edited 3. Jun 2012, 06:07 in Community Chit-chat archive
I have a small weeping tree and I have found it is covered in small black insects, now I pruned the tree removing must of them and put them in the brown reycling bin and sprayed the tree with soap and water , can anyone tell me what they are ??and how they got there

mike R & Hazel&mike JR
Mike R & Hazel & MikeJR

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  • tkachev
    tkachev Member Posts: 8,332
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Never be bullied into silence.
    Never allow yourself to be made a victim.
    Accept no ones definition of your life

    Define yourself........

    Harvey Fierstein
  • mellman01
    mellman01 Member Posts: 5,306
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    It's not aphids is it mike?, they go for the tips and new leaf growth and leave sticky dew behind on the leaves their a real pain they hit our cherry tree every year, I've given up being nice to them and am just ready to use cehmical weapons on them as soapy water and Neem oil just wont shift them but I don't like chemicals normally. It's either that or the tree needs to go.
  • frogmorton
    frogmorton Member Posts: 29,417
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Hi Mike

    I would have done exactly the same as you as far as the soapy water is concerend.

    Fingesr crossed the poor tree recovers :?

    Love

    Toni xxx
  • julie47
    julie47 Member Posts: 6,041
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    can't help Mike but I hope your tree now recovers :)

    Love Julie PF x
  • coco67
    coco67 Member Posts: 2,374
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    what soap did you use in the water?

    i had trouble last year and by chance found that the antibacterial hand wash in water (lots of it) thrown over the rose bushes got rid of all the little blighters, have used it since on me willows and other bushes and so far so good,
  • mellman01
    mellman01 Member Posts: 5,306
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Same as you del I don't like or try not to use chemicals on me veg, you are what you eat, I don't use sticky pads now either they catch to many hover flies and lace wings so I stopped using them, I do however use Neem oil every few days, it's a natural plant extract and it stops the ahpids etc by making the leaves taste nasty, so far so good, I have a big sellection of sweet peppers and super hot broad leafed Chilli plants on the go in the greenhouse and so far so good, the only pest I've seen out there are a coulpe of slugs (who don't like Neeem oil either) but they've now fecked off, the other pest is mould flies, they're little black flies that hang around the soil, the grub lives on the roots so I've now started using Nil Gnat to get shot of them, you put a few drops of it in the watering can and soak the soil with it, it's harmless to us but the grubs eat it and swell up and pop.
    I get both Nil Gnat and Neem oil from the local "hydroponics" shop up in Oxford.