Thursday, July 23, 2009

Aphids on the potato...

...are partly responsible for the delay of this post. I've spent a lot of my free time squeesing the green buggers to death. It's the only effective cure I know, although it's a bit tedious. If I'd kept the potatoes outdoors I wouldn't care about it, but since it's indoors it's hard to get a natural balance between pest and predator, and the plant is stressed byt the indoor climate. That's why a pest easily can kill it comparably fast.

I have to admit I'm maltreating my gardens right now. They get boring when pests and diseases get a hold. On saturday I've wriggled some time from the family to clean the mess up. Taking the tour with a can and a mister will get much more fun when I have prospektive seedlings to wait for.

This time I need to make the gardens as selfgoing as possible. Our economy isn't at its best and I juggle two jobs beside my company. In one way that's good for this experiment - I want the result to work for a family where both adults work fulltime. I've already planned to use selfwatering containers and am now working on a 'selfmister' of some sorts. If I had money I'd just buy a humidifier, but now I need to find something that doesn't cost me a penny.

Back to work...

5 comments:

Kenneth Moore said...

My apartment is like a greenhouse, if I leave the windows closed, but a humidifier is a good idea!

It is sad to read about your potatoes--I only rarely run across an aphid and my fungus gnats are pretty much gone, too, now that I'm not so water-crazy. But there are tons of houseflies because I overfed my worms.

I am still enjoying the thrill of the hunt--looking at all my plants, trying to find those few bugs that are munching on my goodies, and then crushing them mercilessly!

Rosengeranium said...

I have to admit I sometimes supress a "Muahahahaaaa!" :)

Chicago Garden said...

I'd squeeze them except I don't have the fortitude for that kind of thing.

I prefer to (if the plant is small enough) to dip them in soapy water. I learned this gardening trick from Dick Cheney.

MrBrownThumb

Platform Bed said...

You can always transplant the potatoes outside. Might be better suited. Though doesn't sound like you care too much for it?

Rosengeranium said...

Chicago Garden: Well, I grew it in a tinbin with room for about three gallons of soil. It became rather heavy.

Platform Bed: Well, I have to admit I loose interest when a plant becomes too ill. In this case I tossed it. Will try something new when I reconstruct my gardens.