Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

Blackfly!

Last year there was barely a blackfly to be seen, this year I am fighting a losing battle especially on or around nasturtiums. I''ve all but given up on a decent nasturtium display this year, whereas last year I had them all around my front door and growing out of street planters all summer.

I'm doing all the usual stuff but any thoughts, gardeners, on what might be causing this or am I just unlucky this year?

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Permalink Reply by Joanna on September 6, 2012 at 18:42

Hallo! I'm new to Harringay online and I'm really pleased to find this rich vein of gardening chat going on!

I think the calendula connection may be key - the nasturtiums on my cold east facing calendula-free balcony were demolished by blackfly this year (and previous years come to think of it) but the ones on my sunny west facing balcony surrounded by lots of calendula were fine.

Permalink Reply by pamish on September 6, 2012 at 22:19

Well I went away for four days and came back to find my formerly pristine beans are covered in blackfly - just on the growing tips so far. I'm going out with the soap spray next, dont want to use insecticides as these have many growing beans.

We have some feral nasturtiums which seem clean. But that was two hours ago.