Pest Control in the Vegie Patch

There have been a lot of questions on the Garden Clinic help line this week about Vegetable pests and Diseases. With all this wet weather, fungal diseases such as mildew are particularly rampant. Let’s take a look at some common problems at the moment and how they can be controlled.

Fungal Diseases

Powdery mildew/Downy mildew – These diseases will affect Cabbages, Cauliflowers, Cucurbits, lettuces, Peas, Rhubarb, Strawberries and various others. You can identify them by white or gray patches on the foliage which are usually round in shape. Spray with Eco-Fungicide to treat and prevent.

Fusarium Wilt – This is a kind of root rot like we spoke about last week. This particular fungi affects mainly Cucurbits and Tomatoes. It can be identified yellow and wilted foliage followed by death of foliage. Treat with Yates Anti-Rot.

Insect Pests

White Fly – There are plenty of white fly out at the moment, and they are easy to identify. Run your hand through the foliage in your vege patch and you will see numerous pure white specks flying around. On closer inspection the look like a tiny housefly. White fly feed on the sap of plants and can spread terrible viruses. Spray with Eco-Neem mixed with Eco-Oil.

Fruit Fly – If you haven’t already started a fruit fly control program, what are you waiting for? Get out those traps before your Tomatoes are full of larvae!

Tomato Grub - A small grub which eats Tomatoes from the inside out. You may notices holes appear in your tomatoes over night, this is the work of the pesky little grubs. Spray with Success, even if tomatoes are Green they may still be eaten.

Flowering Plants

Plant some flowers such as Alyssum, Calendula, Nasturtium and Marigolds to attract Bees and beneficial insects to your garden