Green Fly and Black Fly on Tomatoes & other edibles 4 June 2020 at 5:47PM in Greenfingered MoneySaving 7 replies 151 views

sallyTt

Does anyone have a safe way to keep green fly and black fly off edible plants? The sprays they sell that are suitable for edible crops don't seem to work at all. I don't really like using chemicals either. I have tried spraying diluted washing up liquid but it damaged the plant 

Farway

Safest way I find is just squish the beggars with your fingers, 100% MSE, organic free range solution

Davesnave

Grow something alongside that they like better, like nasturtiums, or maybe confuse them with strong smelling plants like onions nearby. I plant marigolds with my toms. Not 100% effective, but whitefly avoid them and, to be honest, I don't find greenfly like toms anyway. Peppers, yes, they'll have them, but a soap solution or just blasting them with water usually does enough.

Maybe your soap solution was too strong. It doesn't need more than a drop or two.

Silvertabby

Davesnave said:

Grow something alongside that they like better, like nasturtiums, or maybe confuse them with strong smelling plants like onions nearby. I plant marigolds with my toms. Not 100% effective, but whitefly avoid them and, to be honest, I don't find greenfly like toms anyway. Peppers, yes, they'll have them, but a soap solution or just blasting them with water usually does enough.

Maybe your soap solution was too strong. It doesn't need more than a drop or two.

As Dave says.  I grow my toms and chillies in a greenhouse, along with a couple of pots of marigolds.  Not 100%, but near enough not to need sprays. 

sallyTt

Thanks! I have been squashing them, blackflies have decimated most of my nasturtiums, they just keep coming. Apparently you can eat their leaves but i havent tried them

MovingForwards

I've sprayed own brand washing up liquid / water on my roses for the last few days, only a few bugs left on them now.

Farway

sallyTt said:

Thanks! I have been squashing them, blackflies have decimated most of my nasturtiums, they just keep coming. Apparently you can eat their leaves but i havent tried them

Sometimes nasturtiums are used as sacrificial plants.

As you found blackfly love them, as do cabbage white butterflies

I find my nasturtiums are quite robust until the bitter end in Autumn when just lacy stumps and fat pupating caterpillars are left

youngie

if using a washing up liquid spray do not use anti-bacterial liquid as it will kill the plants