Baz, our tree man has come today to inflict the chain saw massacre on our dying pear and apple trees. He tells us that the oak tree in a neighbour's garden will be receiving the final chop shortly. Although the canopy looked healthy adn verdant, the trunk has a huge split in it. The water is seeping in and gradually rotting the tree from the inside out. This is a danger sign - we have strong winds here and the tree could have easily crashed to the ground during the next winter. The oak tree is not a native specimen but it has done well and we have all enjoyed its spendour. RIP.
Despite the miserable weather, we have a reasonable crop of spinach. I fancy making a spinach roulade for tea. I have just popped down to see if there is any asparagus to go with it and there are creamy speckled beetles on the asparagus bed. The dreaded asparagus beetle!
I have picked off several of the critters and squished them but no doubt they have had fun laying their eggs everywhere. We never compost the ferns at the end of the season and always throw them on the bonfire, so we are bemused that the beetles have overwintered and multiplied to successfully. We have never encountered this problem before. The spears look characteristically bitten and unsightly, but some are edible.
Steps will have to be taken. Nematodes are not available to tackle this problem but apparently, Scotts Bug Clear Gun for Fruit and Vegetables (RHS advice) is a possible solution. It contains pyrethrum which is a natural insecticide made from the dried flower heads of chrysanthemums. We shall have to see if it works. I will choose a still day so the spray does not affect surrounding plants and the insects pollinating them.
Pests or food? It is a perenniel gardening and agricultural dilemma, isn't it? Feed the world but conserve the wildlife.
No comments:
Post a Comment