Sweet Revenge! Posted June 10, 2019 Report Share Posted June 10, 2019 I've been having far more trouble with greenfly in my greenhouse this year, especially on my Sarracenia leuco's. The tubes and even the flower stems are really twisted. In prevoius years I've used Provado and SB but it takes ages to take each one from the greenhouse, spray it all around and then replace it. I've been using one of those small pump up pressurised sprays. Plunging them in water takes even longer and the perlite floats. Can anyone suggest a method of efficiently spraying a fair number of plants in situ please? also would it prevent the little rotters getting a head start if I chopped the foliage right back in the very early spring rather than cutting away at the brown dead growth a little at a time? Many thanks. Triona Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Posted June 12, 2019 Report Share Posted June 12, 2019 When I had an outbreak of greenfly a short while ago I just sprayed everything with Provado in situ. Didn't take anything out of the greenhouse. The Provado is in a hand held spray bottle and it only took a few minutes to blast everything. The greenfly disappeared and haven't returned. Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet Revenge! Posted June 14, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2019 Thanks Guy Did you just spray the centres or the tubes as well? I've tried Provado the last few years but taking each one out to make sure I sprayed them all round but the tubes on a few still seem to come up malformed. I bought one of the little pressure sprays to make life easier but still have to refill several times. I'm wondering if I should try spraying much earlier before the new growth starts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Posted July 28, 2019 Report Share Posted July 28, 2019 Sorry not to have got back to you earlier. On holiday June 14th to 29th then didn't see your reply. I didn't do anything fancy. Just sprayed everything from a distance of about 12" using the ready made stuff from a garden centre. The pitchers seem OK. A few are a bit malformed, but that's the same with some others which live outside the greenhouse and didn't get sprayed. As to spraying earlier, I wouldn't spray until you can see greenfly. No point in using the spray if there's nothing for it to kill! Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet Revenge! Posted August 10, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2019 Likewise, sorry for the delay in replying! many thanks for your reply. I don't actually see the greenfly, I was just told that was what caused the grotesque distortions in the tubes when they grow.. Then later in the year I get sooty deposits as if from the 'juices' that the greenfly produce. It is quite noticeable that the Leoco's are the ones affected. It is obviously happening very early on in the tube growth so by spraying early just as they start growth, with a systemic, I am hoping to catch the little perishers before they can start reproducing. I'm not sure what stage greenfly over-winter in. I can't think what else could cause the problem other than greenfly, can you? 'Triona Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Posted August 12, 2019 Report Share Posted August 12, 2019 The sooty deposits are most likely a fungus growing as a result of some sort of insect feeding off the sap in the leaves. The Provado should kill any pest. It even claims to be effective against scale insect. It should be possible to see the insects, though, before the sooty mould appears. A magnifying glass might help. If you can't see any insects then it's possible the sooty deposits might be Botrytis mould. A fungus which loves damp air which is fairly stagnant. Not much can be done to get rid of this. Some advice is in the link. Hopefully the two links above will be helpful. One difference between the moulds is colour. Sooty mould is black (ish), Botrytis mould is grey. Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet Revenge! Posted August 17, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2019 Thanks again Guy. I've checked the curled up bits with a x8 magnifier, there are very tiny,( even under the magnifier) white spiky objects that look as if they might be shed skins from aphid young. I'll have to get my microscope out. Aphids are partially parthenogenic, they over winter as eggs and all hatch as females which give birth to live young without needing males. Later in the summer the males are born and then eggs are produced again to over winter. I think I need to concentrate spraying in late summer and early spring. Each year recently we've been getting about a fortnight of warm weather in May up here and I need to start spraying just before the new tubes form. It is deffinitely sooty mould not botritis as it is not furry like botritis and also it appears higher up on the tubes not where ventilation fails to reach. I'm very careful about botritis and cleaning up dead bits. I've very rarely seen any on my cp's luckily. Triona Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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