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Samstan
Super Member
805 Posts |
 Posted - 17/08/2009 : 07:25:31
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Thanks to this dismal damp summer I've lost all my tomatoes to blight and my Broad Beans are looking very sorry for themselves with what I think is Chocolate Spot fungal infection.
However, Cabbage Whites seem to be flourishing as do various moths as the rest of my garden is beinge eaten by Caterpillars!
Too late for this year but do any of the more experienced gardeners have any (organic friendly) tips for killing off these fungal spores? (Other than moving my garden to sunnier climbs!) |
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lilly
Advanced Member
United Kingdom
287 Posts |
Posted - 20/08/2009 : 17:03:34
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Sorry to read about your problems samstan. Chocolate spot on your broad beans is really awfull. Can I suggest that you take up all those broad beans before the problem spreads to your runner beans, asap I'm afraid !!
Runner Beans are very prone to getting chocolate spot, and once they do, I'm afraid there is no cure for the crop. About 5years ago we had chocolate spot on our runnerbeans, gutted I was, so I do know how sad you must be feeling about this.
Innocently we thought that it was a one off bad year, but we lost our beans to it again the next year too.
So on the 3rd year we baught all new sticks and grew the runners in big pots, and thankfully so far we haven't had the chocy rash back.
At the time we visited all the garden centres for advice and baught many a product------ none of which worked I'm sad to say.
I was told that choc spot is an air bourne desease, and that I was just unlucky that year. All I know for sure is that untill we replced all the sticks and got rid of all infected plants, it stuck around with us.
So please go and save them runners samstan.
CABBAGE WHITE BUTTERFLIES------ All of them should be banned from our gardens if ya ask me !!
Like yourself I dont like using pesticides either, but I have been winning the battle.
As you will probably know when the butterfly lands on the leaf it leaves behind a 'blow' , a cluster of yellowish colour eggs, stuck to the leaf, usually on the underside of the leaf. These harmless looking eggs will turn into whopping great, hungry catterpillers who eat like giants!
I go out looking for these blows and then i rub them off. I can find about 20 blows a day, so thats a lot less catterpillers to find.
When I see the leaves of a cabbage being eaten away I look for the telltale, green droppings made by the caterpiller, usually when persistant you will find the culprit, I just squash them then. I also use a big fishing net to catch the butterflies, a popular game with my grandchildren, I can tell ya !
The only friendly power I can suggest to you is BLACK PEPPER, I baught a large catering size pot, and I shake it over the suseptable plants. It works a treat many a time for me.
As for the tomatoes---- Well this is the poorest crop of toms I have ever had ! Just awfull. All I can do is join you in prayers for dry sunny weather.
Good luck samstan
kind regards lilly |
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pierre
Webmaster
United Kingdom
9977 Posts |
Posted - 20/08/2009 : 22:23:24
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Was planning to fix a fence and do a few other things this year, but with September knocking on the door, looks like another summer down the drain.....
Maybe I'll just go out and do the jobs anyway :o)
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aussiewelshman
Retired Webteam Member
New SOUTH WALES
23652 Posts |
Posted - 20/08/2009 : 22:27:13
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pierre
Webmaster
United Kingdom
9977 Posts |
Posted - 20/08/2009 : 22:35:31
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| No panic mate, I got Bob the builder living with me ;-) |
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Samstan
Super Member
805 Posts |
Posted - 21/08/2009 : 07:25:42
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Thanks Lilly. I did pull up the Broad beans as soon as I identified the problem and fortunately is doen't seem to have spread and we'd had a half decent crop off the Broad beans before they got infected. Still frustrating though! Next year we're putting the Brod beans slightly more spaced out and in the 2 small raised beds.
As for the butterflies - we're doing the same. Straight down the garden after work and scrapping eggs off and hunting for caterpillars. They seem to be on everything! Brassicas are taking the biggest hit obviously but I've even found caterpillars on the spikey leaves of my courgettes!
Pierre - stop making excuses ;-) Fixing and building jobs are better done when the weather isn't so good - you don't want to be fixing a fence when you could be having a BBQ and a beer do you! |
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