Garden Checklist ...

Good Morning!
Here's a few things that you can be getting on with in the garden over the coming week ...

1. Spring Bulbs  -If you had any leftover bulbs from last Autumn that you potted up into small pots then now is the time to find a spot for them. You could simply put them together into a decorative pot as a focal point or use them to plug any gaps in your borders!

2. Herbs - Fresh herbs are important in the garden if you like to cook or simply love the scent. Right now Garden centres have small pots of herbs at an extremely low price so now is the time to get stocked up! I recently purchased some Apple & Chocolate Mint, Hot & Spicy Oregano, Marjoram and my favourite of them all ... Lemon Thyme. 

Pot them up into pots the next size up and finish with a layer of grit.

3. Soil - If your hoping to get started on sowing direct soon then it's worth helping your soil to warm up. You can use Cloches or if you don't have any a layer of fleece, I have kept mine in place with plant stakes.

4. Pests - This may be something I mention a lot but it really is worth checking daily for pests in a Greenhouse. As you can see here some Aphids have taken a liking to one of my Fuchsia's! The easiest way to deal with this is to squish them with your fingers!

5. Re Potting - If you have permanent containers featuring Shrubs / Evergreen it's worthwhile re potting them every 2 or 3 years into fresh compost. The easiest way to do this is to scrape away the top layer of compost and ease the plant out of the container. Pot them on into a pot slightly larger if the roots have filled the previous container, not forgetting a layer of crocks at the bottom. Use John Innes no.3 or Ericaceous compost if the plant prefers acidic conditions (such as Hydrangeas, Rhododendrons). 

I also like to add a little Fish, Blood and Bone into the mix to give the plants a bit of a boost! Water well and cover the surface with a layer of Horticultural Grit to prevent weed seedlings .... plus it's a nice finishing touch!

4. Borders - This time of year is also a good time to get any borders mulched that you didn't get the chance to do in Autumn. You can use good quality garden compost or composted bark. I always like to mix in a little Blood, Fish and Bone in too to give the plants a Spring feed. 

This also gives you a chance to see if there are any gaps that could be filled with Spring flowering bulbs instead of just having bare spaces of soil next Spring! You can also remove any plants that you're not overly happy with any more which is something I will be doing after looking at the below photo lol

NOTE - Always mulch when the soil is moist, never dry.

Thanks for stopping by, don't forget you can find all the previous Checklists on the page tab above.

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Problem Area - Plant Pests ... Aphids

Good Morning!

Welcome to my second post related to Problem Areas. 

Last week I started this off by focusing on Plant Pests that we all encounter in our gardens.

What exactly is a Plant Pest? 

A Plant Pest gains it's nutritional requirements from the host plant it feeds upon. 

There are various ways which it can gain it's sustenance but broadly speaking it either eats or sucks a plant's sap.

It's a good idea to take note of a pests life cycle as they are more vulnerable at certain stages.

APHIDS

I'm pretty sure that every gardener has encountered problems caused by Aphids.
These attack plants both outside and undercover. There are many types of Aphids which all have their preferred host plants and particular life cycles but today I am focusing on the one I find most common and encounter the most problems with them inside my Greenhouse. Green and Black aphids are the most common however you can also get them in orange, red and brown.

Photo from Google.

A LITTLE BIOLOGY 

As mentioned earlier each type of Aphid has it's own life cycle. Aphids can breed at an extremely quick rate with each Aphid being able to start breeding at just a week old. They usually spend the Summer on one host plant moving to another for the Winter and you can usually find them on young plant growth as this is what they favour.

SYMPTOMS

Aphids are sap sucking pests so any weakened or distorted growth can be a sign that a plant is undergoing an Aphid attack. This can lead to Virus Diseases being introduced to your plants as Aphids are carriers and help spread disease. Aphids are very common in nursery stock production so always check any new plants that you are considering buying for any signs of Aphids.

Photo from Google.

CONTROL

If like me you like to garden Organically there are a few things you can do -

* Check the undersides of plant foliage and if you find any, simply squash them with your fingers. You can wear gloves if your a little squeamish! 

* Encourage Natural Predators such as Ladybirds who will feed on many of the Aphids.

* Wash away the Aphids with a strong jet of water, however be careful doing this on delicate plants as you can end up blasting petals off!

* Avoid over feeding plants as this encourages soft growth with is particularly vulnerable to Aphids.

There is also Chemical control available.

I hope you have found this interesting and helpful if any of you come across this particular pest!

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX