Grrr -Multiple Pests and Beasties! Advice?

frugalsar

HI there just looking for some advice as last year the only pest we had were the birds, well, this year it seems as though they have brought reinforcements in the form of slugs, snails, aphids, ants, caterpillers and mice- grrr!

Last friday we spent weeding, tidying up, spraying, ant powdering, laying bait boxes and came in thinking 'what good gardeners we are' the fruit and veg were all looking healthy and lush!

I've been in work all week and only had chance to go out today to a disaster zone!!

- My toms that are in a grow bag in my new plastic greenhouse - all the leaves are curling up?
What have I done, have they got too hot in the greenhouse? (I've tried growing toms every year for the past 4 years and I've never got further than the flowering stage before something happens to them )

-My courgettes leaves look yellowy in places, have been nibbled by the slugs, who seem to have negotiated around the slug pellets, and floppy? could this be because of the cold? I did spot a few yellow eggs under the leaves are these aphids or catterpillers and will spraying them with the Rubarb leaf mixture help and can I just spray the tops or do I have to spray underneath??

-My rubarb leaves have all been nibbled with no sign of the culprit and as I was walking towards them a load of black flies (like fly flies not aphids or midges) flew off them, and I mean loads!!!??? also I usually get thick pale pink sticks of rubarb but this year there seem to be a lot of thin very pink ones? can I still cook with these and whats the difference??

- My apple tree has fluffy white aphids on the blossoms, can I kill them with the rubarb leaf mixture and will I have to spray each and every blossom?

-My baby Raspberry has yellow patches on its leaves, has it got a disease as I cant see any bugs on it?

-My herb pots that are all in my plastic greenhouse all have little holes dug into the soil? is this mouse damage? they are on the top tier see and I was thinking could a mouse actually get up there?? and if it is a mouse why isnt he eating the bait box poison that is close by?

_ I had a hardy fushia that i bought last year but it hasn't grown back yet this year do you think the frost has killed it completely and should I get rid of it?

-The potatoes I asked my OH to top them up with compost the other day and he's completely covered the leaves! I've brushed them off a bit and the leave are just showing, will that be ok??


Sorry about all the questions!! but I'm clueless! also I have hardly any flowers in my garden do you think flowers help keep the beasties off the veg and fruits? if so which are the best? I know about marigolds and toms and have bought some seeds but what else would be good?

Thanks in advance for anyones help!!!

Lotus-eater

frugalsar wrote: »

- My toms that are in a grow bag in my new plastic greenhouse - all the leaves are curling up?
What have I done, have they got too hot in the greenhouse? (I've tried growing toms every year for the past 4 years and I've never got further than the flowering stage before something happens to them )

I'll make a start on your problems.
Tomatoes, what sort of greenhouse?

ANY sort of greenhouse, you should be out every morning and night at the least to check on them and open/close the door. They need to be watered, they need shading if the suns too hot, covering if it's too cold. It's been really cold the last few nights and mine have been inside the house, not in my cold greenhouse,
You need a max min thermometer to check on the temps the toms are subjected to. You need to watch the weather forecasts to see what needs doing to them.
Basically it does sound atm that your toms need more care.

frugalsar

ooh thanks, the greenhouse is one of those plastice zip up ones but the zip has bust so there is air flow during the day! I cant bring them inside the house so do I need a fleece thingy on the cold nights? I have a thermomiter but whats the max/min they should be at? I do check the forecasts daily with my iphone but it seems that during the day one min its hot and the sun is shining and the next its chilly and the clouds are out? I water them every evening after the suns gone down but I was thinking if I watered them in the morning without the rose on the watering can they would have water all day long too but the leaves wont scorch, do you think this is a good idea?
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff147/levenheyden/Garden%20Probs%20May%202010/GetAttachment-4aspx.jpg

Lotus-eater

I don't like those blow away greenhouses for tomatoes. They're either too hot, or too windy, or too cold.
A low cold frame is much better, will keep most of the wind off, you can open it in the morning and leave it open all day, close it at night and fleece if needed.

Your GH, you open and then the wind can get in all day, not good for toms. You have no choice but to leave it open, because as you say it gets too hot otherwise.
Lots of people have found to their cost, that if they don't open their blowaway, the tomatoes cook.
Check the weather forecast the night before and if you have to bring them in at night.
Tomato experts say they shouldn't get below 10c and to be perfect max 35c, but in reality down to 1c is ok, any less and it won't do them any good. They can go up much higher than 35c, but not for long and again, it won't do them any good.
Water them early morning and don't get the leaves wet, only onto the compost. Any leaf problem means something is going wrong.

Oh, I see you have them in growbags already, so you can't bring them in, on nights expected to be cold, cover them with something else, a blanket will do, just to give them some extra warmth, Of course it has to come off as early as poss next morning.
Hope that helps.

frugalsar

right,
Plan of action
-buy fleece and check temp at night
-water in the morning
-shade if too hot on sunny days

Cheers for the advice!

chrisaj

Hiya
the apple tree sounds as if you've got wooly aphid, try your rhubarb leaf mix on them.
the spuds should be ok, even if the compost has covered the leaves,
courgettes could be too wet, and the cold weather as well.
Leave the hardy fuchia, it may still be dormant, as the weather hasn't been very warm
Raspberry could be lack of nitrogen, use pelleted poultry manure or sulphate of amonia

frugalsar

ooh wooly aphid sounds bad! would I be better with washing up liquid mix then?
The spuds seem fine now!
I think the raspberry has some kind of illness, it's like yellow blotches!

Lotus-eater

Can you get a picture of the raspberries? Sounds like it could be a virus.

Google image raspberry virus and see if it looks anything like those.