Tackle aphids in the greenhouse before they get to plague proportions and do some serious damage to your plants.
Gardeners usually rely on the winter weather to kill off any aphids lurking in the greenhouse. The last few winters have been relatively mild and many of the gardening enemies have survived – so you'll need to be on your guard from the word go.
Whatever you grow in your greenhouse, from edibles like sweet peppers and tomatoes to summer bedding seedlings, geraniums or even orchids, they're all martyrs to aphids. You'll find their soft green bodies clustered on the undersides of leaves, particularly near shoot tips where they suck sap and excrete honeydew attracting secondary infections of black sooty mold. They also transmit viruses, so always tackle the problem straight away.
A small infestation can be picked off and squashed – though you'll need to patrol every day. If you really get overrun, insecticidal soft soap sprays that we sell at our centre in Woking, can be very effective. And remember to encourage natural predators into the greenhouse by opening up windows and doors wherever possible and sowing brightly-coloured annual flowers such as nasturtiums and marigolds - it looks pretty, too!
