Re:Aphids & Welcome
Norma,
Welcome to the list. Don't be a stranger, With twenty years of experience you
probably have lots of good answers for those of us who are novices with
irises.
One of the easiest treatments for aphids is simply to srpay them off with the
hose in the morning. They are blind, and if you knock them off onto the ground
they won't be able to find their way back and die in the sun. If you want
something a little more scientific in nature, use a hose end sprayer with a
solution of Safer's Soap (or most any dish washing detergent).There are also
chemical sprays that you can buy from the local garden store, but I prefer
more natural ways.
I am a little surprised at the blooms looking blighted unless you had a really
bad infestation. Aphids are little sucking beasties and suck the juices from a
plant but don't really munch the plant like snails and other plant eating
things. Maybe there is something else going on?
--
John | "There be dragons here"
| Annotation used by ancient cartographers
| to indicate the edge of the known world.
John Jones, jijones@ix.netcom.com
Fremont CA, USDA zone 8 (coastal, bay)
