Re: [CH] Growing chiles in the Alps - help needed.
Tara Deen (tara@es.usyd.edu.au)
Thu, 18 May 2000 08:49:24 +1000
Lawrence:
The flies you have on your plants are white fly and you really don't
want them there. They can devastate your crop. Check the bottom of the
plant's leaves carefully, especially the tender new leaves. If you see
pale, almost transparent round scales attached, then the flies have
begun laying their eggs. These eggs (or larvae, I'm not sure which) will
suck the sap from the leaves of your plants and weaken them. I try to
garden organically, but the only way I have found to remove these flies
is to kill the flies with pyrethrum, then sponge the bottoms of the
leaves to remove any eggs I can, otherwise you'll have further
infestations. A problem with pyrethrum is that it works by contact. If
the flies fly off the plant while you're spraying they can return. It's
not easy to get them all.
I went away for 6 weeks earlier this year, and my husband doesn't know
what white fly is. When I got back, they'd left the chiles alone, but
had devastated my fuschias!
Good luck,
Tara
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______________________________________________________
Tara Deen
School of Earth Sciences
Division of Geology and Geophysics
Building FO5
University of Sydney NSW 2006
Phone: 61-2-9351 4271
Fax: 61-2-9351 0184
email: tara@es.usyd.edu.au
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