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marigolds infested with blackflies
pz
Posts: 2
ealier this year I got some marigolds (in France) as a natural pest control but by now they are covered (no exaggeration) with blackflies and visibly suffering despite my eventual intervention with a chemical pesticide (they are planted around fuchsias which are holding up much better). I noticed just after I got them that they don't smell like I remember marigolds to smell. they actually don't smell at all. is this some new breed? does anyone know what I dealing with? just curious as I can't seem to find much online aside from the fact that this should not be happening. many thanks!
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Do you live in France pz? I do. I grow French Marigolds from seed and they have never caught blackfly and they smell quite strong. Are yours really French Marigolds? Do you have a photo?
yes, I live in France at the moment. I got the ones I have as plants from a garden center. and I didn't pay attention to what kind they are, so they may only be French marigolds in the sense that they, like me, 'live' here. I attach a couple of pics. they were beautiful and in full bloom just a couple of months ago. they are in different boxes on my balcony and two are still ok-ish, one is nearly dead and may not recover, two are on the mend after using a chemical pesticide. I realized too late what it was, thinking that marigolds can't catch blackflies (and the fuchsias only have a few, nothing I would worry about too much). but cutting off the dying flowers I noticed that the undersides and stems were teeming with blackflies. the pesticide is working and as I said, most are recovering.
I don't really need a solution to this, I'm just really surprised and would like to know what this is so I can avoid it the next time. I'm not a huge fan of chemicals. especially not on the balcony with kids around...
so thanks a lot for your reply
Thanks for the photos. They are indeed French Marigolds, oeillets d'Inde. I am surprised too. Perhaps there weren't any other plants around for the blackfly to land on, apart from the fuschias. What a shame.
Why not use soapy water on the blackfly, that works