Houseplant pests and diseases

Types of Pest or Disease...

Aphids (Black, White or Green Fly)

Scale (Little brown "Army hats" found of the veins of leaves)

Thrips (Quick moving jumping black fly found on the top of compost)

Mealy Bug (White cotton wool like fluff)

Red Spider Mite (Very small webs with tiny red spider which can be seen through a magnifying glass)

Vine Weevil (Larvae like maggots in summer found in compost and turn into hard backed black Beatles in the Autumn.

Botrytis (Grey moulding of leaves and stems)

Oedema (Scabbed, split and crinkled leaves)

Due to recent EU regulations many chemicals have become unavailable for common use. However we still have a few products available which can help prevent or cure pests and disease.

Provado Ultimate Bug Killer is avaliable as a ready made spray or as a concentrate, this is highly recommended and will deal with all of the pest listed except Vine Weevil. For Vine Weevil there is a product called Provado Vine Weevil Killer which can be used.

Strawberry Plants

Planting and upkeep-Strawberries are an ideal fruit to grow in your garden as they do not take up a lot of room and can also provide your garden with pretty flowers as well as delicious ripe fruits. Strawberries can be grown in many soil conditions however they will thrive in well drained soil that is rich in humus. They also like to be in full sunlight and out of the wind. The ideal time to plant Strawberries outdoors is between June and September. It is best to prepare the soil before you plant, you can do this by digging over the soil and removing any weeds and then putting manure down on the soil. Plant the Strawberry plants about 35cm apart in rows, with the rows being about 75cm apart. To prevent Slugs getting at your crop put down pellets, grit or broken egg shells under each plant. To make sure you get the best Strawberries, hoe between the rows, also to stop pests such as Rabbits, Birds and Squirrels you may want to put a net over the top. You can also surround the area with Barley Straw to help prevent the growth of weeds.
Harvest- As soon as any fruit appears ripe it is a good idea to pick it to stop it from rotting, check the plant regularly for ripening fruit and when it turns red you know it is ripe. Then all you need to do is enjoy your fruit!

Tip- Strawberries can also be planted in a pop up Strawberry planter and placed on a patio or small garden. This eliminates the waste of space and the need for a lot of digging.

Planting tips for March

-Start to Mow your lawns

-Prune bush and shrub roses

-Plant climbers

-Plant early potaotes

-Reseed bare patches that have appeared on your lawn

-Put pumps in your ponds

-Move any evergreen shrubs that you wish

-Time to start planting summer flowering bulbs

-Sow sweet peas outdoors and plant young plants in the garden

-Start to protect your plants from slugs

-Cut down old growth left over from winter

Care of your Oncidium (Golden Shower Orchid)

Oncidiums originate from places in the Americas, right from Florida to Argentina. They are epiphytic, which means they grown on the bark of trees and have pseudobulbs producing lengthy flowering spikes. Their flowers are small and curiously shaped with the dominating lip well defined and decorative. The egg shaped flat pseudobulbs grow closely together and carry one or two star shaped pointed leaves. The slender flower stems stand erect with six to twelve flowers which generally appear in the autumn and can last into early spring!

When the flowers are finished, cut the stem down at its growing point in the leaves. Keep your Oncidium in a good light but protect from direct bright sunlight in the summer. During the winter never let the temperature drop below 12 degrees C. Humidity is essential for these plants, stand the pot on some gravel with water added but not allowing the water to rise above the gravel. This houseplant needs to be watered weekly in the summer and fortnightly in the winter. To maintain the plant, refresh the compost in the spring after flowering has finished. By doing all of these things your Orchid should remain healthy and lively.

Grow Your Own - Onions

Onion Sets -You can raise an onion from a seed or a small bulb called a set. Seeds can be cheaper and have more varieties available and have more flexible sowing times however there is more labour involved in raising onions from seeds and there is more risk of pest and disease attack. Sets are already started and so therefore make it easier to grow, are ready to harvest earlier and are stronger so are less prone to disease and pests. Even if your soil is less than perfect, sets will give you a good crop however they do not have such a wide spectrum of varieties.
Planting
To plant your onions seeds or sets you should never sow them in cold or wet soil, sow thinly about 30cm apart. The ideal time to plant is March, just push the set into the soil so that the tip is just below the surface. Once the crop becomes established you can water them. The end product needs to be dry and hard so little watering is required once they are established unless there are signs of wilting. Make sure you keep the bed weed free to prevent bolting.
Harvesting
When the green stems above the ground collapse your onions are ready to be harvested! Ease the bulbs out of the ground with a garden fork being pushed under the bulb and eased up and then pull it out.

Whitehall`s Plant of the Month- Hebe

Whitehall's Plant of the month this month is the Hebe. We have three varieties of Hebe's in particular that are sure to catch your eye and brighten up your garden.
The first one is Hebe "First Light", this is a spreading evergreen shrub which can grow up to 12in (30cm) high and 36in (90cm) wide. It boasts bronze-green coloured leaves that are shaped in a spear which can grow up to 1in (2.5cm) long. Short racemes of pink flowers are borne over a long time in the summer and remain fairly hardy in the UK winter.
Hebe "Pearl of Paradise" is a small, compact evergreen shrub which may grow upto 30in (75cm high within the space of 4 years. This plant also bears spear shaped leaves in a green colour. Spikes of lilac flowers are produced in May and June and can often flower again in the late summer and autumn if it has been pruned properly. It enjoys full sunlight and moist soil.
The final Hebe is a "Purple Pixie", a pretty, low growing shrub that grows up to about 20in (50cm) in height. It is a sturdy specimen with short, rounded, matt green leaves which are held onto ruddy brown stems. It blooms freely producing lilac blue flowering spikes that are conical and appear for around two months in the summer.

Prune Overgrown Evergreens

Now is the time to start pruning your evergreens, provided that they are hardy. More tender shrubs such as Choisya Ternata ( Mexican orange blossom) should not be pruned until later on in the year when the weather is a little bit warmer. You can prune back any shoots that have become crowded or have grown awkwardly to maintain your plants shape and keep it healthy. If you have a plant such as Prunus Laurocerasus, Aucuba Japonica (Spotted Laurel) or Viburnum tinus, you may need to prune these to ground level as these can require quite drastic pruning. This method of pruning may encourage strong growth from the base of the plant. After you have pruned, feed the plant with an organic fertiliser and then mulch with organic matter to ensure a healthy beautiful plant!