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Can I save my Berberis?
Nollie
Posts: 7,529
We have a succession of guests throughout the summer, what with entertaining and feeding them the garden takes a backseat. Getting back into the border today, I was dismayed to see my lovely Berberis Orange Rocket plants being decimated by what I assume are Berberis Sawfly larvae!
I’m reluctant to wield chemicals at the best of times and the bees are still buzzing around nearby flowering plants, so I don’t want to use anything that will affect them. Any tips on how to deal with the munching critters? The leaves are covered with these little brown ‘poos’ plus this is what I picked off one plant today:
I’m reluctant to wield chemicals at the best of times and the bees are still buzzing around nearby flowering plants, so I don’t want to use anything that will affect them. Any tips on how to deal with the munching critters? The leaves are covered with these little brown ‘poos’ plus this is what I picked off one plant today:
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
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In the sticks near Peterborough
Try using a spray of diluted neem oil .... it is totally organic and is derived by pressing the seed kernels of the neem tree.
I use it for lily beetles and sawfly on gooseberries / solomons seal and aruncus. Also use it if the aphids get too bad on the roses.
See this link for further info.
http://www.discoverneem.com/neem-oil-insecticide.html
and this one for how to make it.
http://www.discoverneem.com/neem-insect-spray.html
I use it as soon as growth starts in April and I drench the foliage. Any spare solution goes onto the soil below as the earthworms are supposed to love it. I repeat spray every few weeks.
Neem is best used preventatively .... but will work on pests that have already arrived. It does not hurt beneficial insects. Only chewing and sucking insects are affected. The main reason is that insects need to ingest the neem oil to be affected, and beneficial insects don't eat your plants. However, you can still kill beneficial insects if you smother them with neem oil, so I tend to spray late evening to be safe.
It does stink a bit ... but is easy to mix up and apply.
I got mine off ebay .... wasn't expensive for a big bottle which will last ages. At room temperature it is solid, but goes liquid again within a couple of hours in the airing cupboard.
Worth a try.
Bee x
A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
Thanks @Bee witched, I currently have some neem oil which I bought for my roses, but unfortunately it totally fried their leaves - it seems its just too hot here for oil-based sprays. However, the sun is losing its intensity now its September and Berberis leaves may be tougher, so worth a try as you say, can’t look any worse than it does!
I think the trick for you might be to try a weak solution .... say 0.5% ... and see how that works out.
I don't think Berberis sawfly has reached here yet (Scotland) ... but aruncus sawfly is a problem. In addition to using the neem, this year I'm also going to put a thick mulch of chopped up comfrey leaves around the base of my aruncus plants in autumn. I'm hoping this might stop the final generation burrowing down and overwintering.
Good luck with it all,
Bee x
A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
They're looking good ..... keep up with the neem spraying next year (April onwards) and fingers crossed all should be well.
Bee x
A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime