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No more green fly on roses

rogerashley1rogerashley1 Posts: 1
in Problem solving
For several years I have cut garlic cloves horizontally to stop stop them growing. As my Rose bushes are under planted with mini daffodils I have drilled a hole 1 inch dia. down about 3 inches around the rose roots, placed the halves of garlic in the hole and I don't have any problems with any fly whatsoever. This year I tried the same with tomatoes, no white fly or other problems. They don't effect the flavour.  Pity is doesn't work on Black Spot. I don't know if it is the reason but it also seems to deter the foxes from digging.
On a separate subject I have a rack of inter-connected large water buts collecting from the roof, the last one is filled from the others by a small pump as needed. In this tank I mix liquid seaweed to supply feed for my plants. Easy and quick, no last minute mixing in a can.
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  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    No faffing about with garlic here. Rarely see a greenfly, worthy of remark if I do.
    Lots of blue tits and great tits  though, kestrels and sparrowhawks too. Other birds deal with the slugs for me :)
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I just wipe off anything on my tomatoes, but grown undercover, so very few flies of any kind, just the odd slug trail. All adds to the flavour if you miss any anyway  ;)
    Very few greenfly here too @Buttercupdays - the blue tits make short work of them. If I get a small infestation that they struggle to keep on top of [just the sweet peas usually]  I do the spray from the hose method.

    Joni was always ahead of her time @pansyface ;)   
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • nick615nick615 Posts: 1,487
    A man after my own heart, rogerashley1.  Devising ways and means is enormously satisfying.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    We feed the birds all year round ... they nest in our garden and feed their nestlings on aphids, a bit later along come the lacewings, hoverflies and ladybirds and they eat any aphids that are left. 

    We use our garlic for rubbing on our sourdough toast and flavouring salad dressings, ragus, casseroles, sauces and there’ll be cloves in the jars of pickled chillies I’m potting up this week too ... and I’ll need some to spray on the hostas too ... we eat loads of it ... there’s none left for the aphids and anyway, without the aphids we’d not have half as many birds in the garden. 🐞 😊 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601
    Does it work on lupin aphids? Birds don't seem to like them.
  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601
    Thanks, PF. I didn't know they were so recent, either. Unlovely things.
  • celcius_kkwcelcius_kkw Posts: 753
    @rogerashley1 That’s interesting.. so you basically bury these garlic halves around the base of the rose? My roses have suffered a fair bit from green flies this year (and aphids) and I sometimes just couldn’t keep up with it. I don’t like the idea of spraying garlic water on the roses as that will smell awful.. burying garlic sounds like a decent option if it works, as it shouldn’t make my plants stink of garlic.. I might be tempted to give it a go next season.
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    I like to leave the aphids to the insects and birds too but, instead of putting garlic cloves in the soil near roses or using a garlic spray, another option is just to plant ornamental alliums which deter aphids but whose flowers attract pollinators.   Win-win as they say.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • debs64debs64 Posts: 5,184
    I did hear that ladybirds 🐞 don’t eat lupin aphids. They do look very unappetising. 
  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601
    Disgusting to squish!
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