Shaip TONGUED:Ruud Kleinpaste ponders an ever-present plague that, quite simply, sucks

摘要

Here's a typical letter from a Canterbury gardener John Ewen complains about a 23-year-olcl hibiscus he keeps in a pot because of the climate This poor plant is continually infested with aphids and whitefly "We've taken it outside and hosed it clean,sptayed it with insecticide, scraped off the top layei of soil and replaced it But nothing works - they come back within a short time The large pot the plant is in is getting too heavy for us oldies to wheel outside Have you any ideas on how to combat them It just goes to show, Auckland may be the City of Snails, but Chi istchurch is undoubtedly the City of Suckers' It's incredible to see that each plant species practically has its own private aphid vanety, all complete with stiletto tongues.