Other Sensational Fellows 
Except for the plants, there are some sensational fellows. Here, some procedures to prevent the trouble caused by them are mentioned.
Slugs
Sensation score: ****
Though this balcony exists upstairs, the plants are occationally annoyed by slugs.
Some people say salt is effective for slugs, however giving salt does not work enough.
There is a more effective thing. You may be surprised, but it is Beer.
However, beer itself does not kill slugs. It just attracts slugs.
Then, to talk about how to wipe out slugs, prepare beer in a small saucer and mix some pesticide in it.
It does not mean slugs like alcohol, so wine or wisky is not expected to work. Non-alcohol beer may work.
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Aphids
Sensation score: *****
Do you see an aphid inside the red circle in the picture at the left?
It was a tragidy for the ranunculases, which was favored by aphids.
Aphids are such sansational fellows that they absorb the juice of the plant, and make the plant weaker moreover with their secresion.
To wipe out them, marketed pesticides can be used, however you can spray milk to them if you do not prefer using chemicals. The surfactant effect of milk affetcts the surface of aphids, and prevent them from breathing.
In nurseries, to control aphids, their enemies such as lacewings or ladybugsalso are sold. They must be worth trying as a method without using chemicals.
And, slow-release fertilizers may make their reproduction slower.
By the way, isn't it mysterious that they appear upstairs while they don't have wings? Actually, 10 to 20% of the whole population of aphids have wings, and they reproduce by itself. After all, we should fight with them until the plants end their life.
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Flys
Sensation score: ****
Plants attract small flys very often. Flys like moist soil, and we do not notice they have laid eggs until they hatch.
However, though small flys are just annoying and not so much harmful for plants, narcissus bulb flies are very troublesome. Adults look like two-wingd bees, and they lay eggs at the bottom of the stem of daffodils in Spring, and maggots eat inside the bulbs until Autumn and survive during Winter.
When I took an after-flowering daffodil indoor, bee-like flys were flying inside the room, however it was unclear if they were daffodil flies or not.
According to the gardening books, to prevent daffodil flies, we should observe the bulbs very well before purchace, and avoid buying soft and breakable ones.
By the way, though carnivorous plants may work to wipe them out, they are so difficult to keep that it is not recommended for beginners to try.
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Mites
Sensation score: Unrated
Mites like dry and hot climate in summer. They hide behind the leaves, and absorb the juice, and finally weaken the plants. Actually, our plants have not damaged by them yet, however I write about them because protecting your plants from them is very important.
They are so small that it is not easy to find them until the damage is already significant.
Because they like dry environment, spraying water to the plant, which may be favored by them is recommended to prevent them.
If you find the damage, spray some specified pesticide (kelthane or orthene) as soon as possible.
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Birds
Sensation score: *****
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The bird in this picture looks cute, but birds often can be enemies for plants. They can give lethal damages to the plants even at once.
The most troublesome thing about them is that they eat small sprouts, which just have germinated. Imagine how shocking it is when the sprouts are eaten, while you have been happy to see your plants just germinated. Beside it, the owner of this site sometimes find the plants broken or the surface of soil digged out in the morning. Though the owner of this site has never seen the scene, birds are likely to have done it. In Japan, eye-ball balloons are often used to protect plants from birds, because birds are scared of shiny multiple circle. However, they don't work anymore if birds get used to them, because birds are unexpectedly smart. Based on the same principle, CDs also might be used, however their effect must be temporal as well. After all, physical methods (ex. surround your dear plants with net) look the most effetive. |
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