Property News · August 28, 2016

Gardens: living flypaper


Carnivorous plants to take down insect pestsMy houseplant collection is ever-expanding. Pots of cacti jostle for space on the windowsills of my tiny flat with scented tropical herbs like lemongrass, kaffir limes and curry leaves. That’s before we get on to the gardenias, little eucalypts and a collection of hanging air plants that is frankly getting out of hand.If, like me, you are a houseplant addict, you might have noticed that little pests can be a real pain – surprisingly more so than in the great outdoors. Once these pests get into the confined spaces of a greenhouse, conservatory or living room they are shielded from the predators of the wider world and in the coddled conditions of year-round warmth their numbers can explode. Scale insects, whitefly and the dreaded red spider mite have all caused me headaches, sapping the life out of my indoor jungle and causing yellowing, mottled leaves and sticky resinous secretions. The latter are a nightmare to keep wiping up (let’s hope my landlord isn’t reading). Continue reading…

Source : theguardian.com
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