Chemical free control?

[porshiepoo]

I've come across what I assume are whitefly on my strawberries in the greenhouse and Greenfly on the same. What is the best chemical free control?

[ak1]

someone told me to have a couple of marigold plants in the green house and they wont come in past it, not sure if this true or not but i have not had any bother this year with white fly.

[gollach]

I'm interested in stopping the little so and sos getting my strawberries too!

Do you know is that this sort of marigold?
http://bp0.blogger.com/_SRJAqXNdv9c/R0w21kdolkI/AAAAAAAACYw/1Fpf3J5lbqg/s320/calendula,+Scotch+marigold+2.jpg

or this one
http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:j-NlyJk0JxhVBM:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/French_marigold_1.jpg/800px-French_marigold_1.jpg

or this one
http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:CvaZXJH9BnkFLM:http://ksbookshelf.com/DW/Flower/image/africanmarigoldO.jpg

or doesn't it matter?

[Scunner]

scotch marigold

french marigold

african marigold

[Kevin Milkins]

someone told me to have a couple of marigold plants in the green house and they wont come in past it, not sure if this true or not but i have not had any bother this year with white fly.

I used to grow Marigold in amongst my carrots to keep the carrot fly away.
It seemed to do the trick.

[pat]

don't know where I read this but it seems to be working at the moment - trial stages at present

Banana skins dug in around base of plants and left to rot down - trying it with a few large pots of lillies outside and the flies have disappeared, took a couple of days to get working but since then they have been clear.

[gardeninginagale]

I'm interested in stopping the little so and sos getting my strawberries too!

Do you know is that this sort of marigold?
http://bp0.blogger.com/_SRJAqXNdv9c/R0w21kdolkI/AAAAAAAACYw/1Fpf3J5lbqg/s320/calendula,+Scotch+marigold+2.jpg

or this one
http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:j-NlyJk0JxhVBM:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/French_marigold_1.jpg/800px-French_marigold_1.jpg

or this one
http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:CvaZXJH9BnkFLM:http://ksbookshelf.com/DW/Flower/image/africanmarigoldO.jpg

or doesn't it matter?


The middle one. The French marigold is the best companion plant.

[Ricco]

You can also spray them with a solution of soapy water - does something to their skins apparently.

[gollach]

The middle one. The French marigold is the best companion plant.

Brilliant, thanks! I have some of those in tubs and will move them round to where I have the strawberries.

Are French marigolds a good general plant to put amongst your fruit and veg to deter pests, then? Would they work well against perhaps cabbage white butterflies and carrot flies as well, for example?

[Kevin Milkins]

Brilliant, thanks! I have some of those in tubs and will move them round to where I have the strawberries.

Are French marigolds a good general plant to put amongst your fruit and veg to deter pests, then? Would they work well against perhaps cabbage white butterflies and carrot flies as well, for example?

They would help to keep the carrot fly at bay , but butterflys ? I think you are leg pulling now gollach .:D

[gollach]

They would help to keep the carrot fly at bay , but butterflys ? I think you are leg pulling now gollach .:D

I was asking, not telling ;)

There are 2 pests in my garden, aphids on soft fruit and the caterpillars that eat all the cabbages. I'd like a chemical free approach to both if possible?

[Kevin Milkins]

I was asking, not telling ;)

There are 2 pests in my garden, aphids on soft fruit and the caterpillars that eat all the cabbages. I'd like a chemical free approach to both if possible?

Okay
soapy water seems to do the trick ,as they find cabbage a lot less palatable if they taste soapy.
I have even used a very weak solution of jeyes fluid that as done the trick.
It is not sensible to use these close to harvesting though. Unless of course you like the taste of jeyes. good luck.

[porshiepoo]

The soapy water works because apparantly they breath through their skin and it suffocates them. I've used it before but my roses had a bad reaction to it (they're as allergic to Fairy as I am) lol, I think I may have made it too strong.

Anyway whilst hovering round Tescos the other day I found some kind of Bug Off spray for Whitefly / Greenfly etc that is for edible plants so I've tried that and it's worked. :)
I also got an Organic Bug spray for my outdoor Roses and i used it for the first time today and I've reacted to it already!!! :(

Whatever, my Greenhouse is now Aphid free. yay! Thanks for all the hints, tips and ideas.

[pat]

The plants have now been aphid free for about 2 weeks - two lots at the back of the house and 2 lots at the front of the house, all are aphid free, yes the lillies are outside in pots.
I will definitely be using banana skins to get rid of aphids - two of the pots I dug the skins into the surface, two I just left them on top to rot down, no difference, both worked.