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Issues this year seem to have grown exponentially

tony 31tony 31 Posts: 4
in Problem solving
Hi,

I need some help because im at my wits end this year. Everything seems to have all come about in really quick succession this year in what has usually been a very healthy garden and I need some advice on how to solve the problems.

I have a list of plants that seem to all have flies/mites on them this year along with ants helping them along. I have tried spraying with some organic spray from my local garden centre, but it seems to work short term and on some plants.

Roses - Flies
Red Currants - Flies/Ants and some leaf curl (Chopped this back hard, but doesnt seem to have done the trick)
Strawberries - Flies/Ants
Gooseberry - Flies and no fruit again this year
Pine Tree - Full of holes (See Pics) Removed as the roots died/turned to sponge
Everything else - Slugs

I have included some pictures of the various issues, but everything seems to be affected this year. 


Posts

  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    Hope you can get enough ants to eat all those green flies. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • tony 31tony 31 Posts: 4
    Lyn said:
    Hope you can get enough ants to eat all those green flies. 
    Pretty sure they are farming them and doing a brilliant job of it :smile:
  • hogweedhogweed Posts: 4,053
    I'm not great on pests and diseases but I would hose the strawberries to deal with those and use a systemic bug spray on the redcurrants to deal with the leaf curl. For roses I normally just use my fingers to get rid of the greenfly. Some years are worse than others for bugs and stuff so I wouldn't worry unduly. 
    Someone will be along shortly who is more knowledgeable I'm sure.
    'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    Don’t worry, you are not alone! This has been a great year for bugs, snails and slugs. Freak weather hasn’t helped either, a weakened plant is catnip for predators. I was at the point of dispair over my young garden...storms battering everything to death, blackspot on roses getting worse despite my best efforts, new bugs and flies everywhere, snails appearing as if by magi. WHERE DO THEY COME FROM? HOW DO THEY KNOW you have just planted their favourite food?! I’m getting over it though, things will get better.
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
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