News — organic treatment of pests

The Lilly Pilly - versatile, tough, native beauty (Part Two)

Posted by John Zeaiter on

Two weeks ago we published a short article on our blog about the versatile native plant the Lilly Pilly. Today we'd like to continue with a discussion on the problems that you should look out for when growing this beautiful native. Two of the most common are psyllid and wax scale infestations. Psyllid damage Many lilly pilly varieties are subject to psyllid attack. The psyllid is a sap-sucking insect which damages the leaves of the lilly pilly, causing unsightly bumps in the surface of the leaves. The damage caused is a result of the insect laying its eggs on the...

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Protection from Cabbage Butterfly larvae the organic way

Posted by John Zeaiter on

The appearance of white butterflies around Spring in my garden signifies one thing: the quiet but deadly march (and munch) of the 's larvae. The first sign of an impending chomp fest are the orange-coloured egg sacks which you can find, carefully hidden on the underside of brassica leaves. Before you know it your brassicas are depleted or, if they are seedlings, completely destroyed except for the poor, denuded stalks which wave apologetically in the air. It's not their fault, the White Cabbage larvae is clearly a force to be reckoned with, but is there an organic way to prevent...

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