Stagonospora infection - collected threads

[Hans J]

Yes Hans it does seem a little deep.

I usually plant large bulbed snowdrops 10- 13cms deep, that is the base of the bulb being 10-13cms down in well prepared soil & the small bulbed tiny types about 5-7cms.

Mike

Hi Mike ,

I make it similar like you with the planting deep .
Many of my snowdrops are in lattice pots ...and they are only 10 - 11 cm deep
From friends I know that R.Mackenzie grows also a lot of his plants in lattice pots ...

Hans

[mark smyth]

3. When do the Narcissus Fly begin to lay their eggs? 

The adults are active from the start of May and depending on the weather they can be active until July. Cold wet weather extends the season. If April is very warm they can be active from the last week.

It's not true that they only lay eggs on Narcissus and Galanthus, and many more, that are in sunny positions. I have seen them at the back of my house in places where the sun never gets to.

It isnt true that they only fly low. I have seen many fly over my house

Scroll down to Genera to see a list of bulbs in the same family as Galanthus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaryllidaceae

[Hans J]

I can confirm the problems with Narcissus fly on my Amaryllidacae collection !!!

I have not so big problem with them by my Galanthus ....but I have lost many other (big ) bulbs ( mostly Hippeastrum ) with this beasties .....

 

Hans

[Brian Ellis]

Just dug up a pot which should have Pride o'the Mill in it.  One enormous swift moth caterpillar which found it's way under my foot, no sign of any bulbs whatsoever, the greedy blighter

[Maggi Young]

This saga of chewed bulbs is gruesome..... would it be possible, in pots at least, to make a gauze cloche to cover the plants to keep the pests from laying their egss? I realise it wouldn't look very nice, but perhaps it would only be needed for a specific period  and at least such a cover could be removed for "viewing".
I have visions of whole gardens covered in gauze and the owners frantically having to be the pollinators but with the value, whether monetary or sentimental, of some of these bulbs, desperate measures may be called for.

[steve owen]

My washing,immersing and spraying routine is concentrated on fungicide and disinfecting, but won't spraying the leaves with a systemic insecticide at the appropriate times put paid to both swift moth and narcissus fly? 
Why do I have the feeling that someone is going to post that life isn't that simple? Hopefully they will also explain why.

[Alan_b]

... won't spraying the leaves with a systemic insecticide at the appropriate times put paid to both swift moth and narcissus fly? 

Well, suppose you sprayed the leaves with a systemic insecticide in April.  Would this insecticide still be active in the bulb in July?  Or in October? 

[steve owen]

No, of course not, it would have to be done at intervals during the periods the moth and fly were active - but regular applications of either systemic bugkiller or plant food are part and parcel of every gardener's regular routine, aren't they?  Surely having to repeat the treatment isn't the only reason people aren't spraying?   ::)Let us spray.

[Alan_b]

I think, you missed my point, Steve.  I cannot speak for the fly, but for a lot of the time when the moth is active the snowdrop has no leaves so you cannot apply a systemic insecticide.

[daveyp1970]

are not the systematics drawn in and held with in the plants tissues?and if they are they should stay there shouldn't they.I'm going to spray and drench around my plants this year,which i have to my dactylorhiza because thrips damage the tubers so i spray and drench with Provado Ultimate Bug Killer and it has worked for me,so i might as well do it to the drops as well.

[mark smyth]

some info on the moth and the caterpillar
http://www.gardenseeker.com/plant_pests_problems/plant-pests/swift_moth_caterpillar.htm

The adult moth is about when the Narcisus fly is out

[daveyp1970]

what about trying this http://www.diatomx.co.uk/

[kentish_lass]

I am beginning to get the horrible feeling that I had when I discovered daylilies (Hemerocallis) suffered badly with gall midge in the early part of the season.  I had never heard of gall midge as no-one really spoke about it - it was almost a guarded secret.  I was beside myself.  Then I discovered slugs and snails loved eating the foliage and flowers - more to worry about as I refuse to put down slug pellets.  However, neither of these pests can actually kill the plant so I have learned to live with them (but you would not want to be around me during gall midge time)

Now with the Galanthus I feel I should be drenching and spraying - or possibly lose my precious bulbs.  I have spent the last couple of days looking into the contents of various products I 'may' decide to use.  The drench (not sure if I am allowed to mention product names) contains imidacloprid.  Imidacloprid is a highly toxic systemic insecticide which is suspected to be killing off the bee population and other useful insects in the garden.  It could possibly be killing birds too.

The chemical I add to my potting compost contains chiorpyrifos which is also deadly for bees collecting pollen, earthworms etc.   This leaves me in a dilemma as I really want to garden as organically as I can.  I have been using chiorpyrifos based products in potting compost in order to kill vine weevil for years and I never realised quite how bad it is for bees, hoverflies and other good guys.

Oh, I wish there was an organic way to deal with these new pests I am faced with    I may have been losing snowdrops for years but never noticed as I have the older cultivars in numbers and would not have noticed if a few died out.  I am beginning to think along the lines of making some kind of cloche with guaze covering to stand over and peg down - over new and treasured bulbs until they get established or just laying fleece over them for a month or two.  It will not look too good in the garden though!

Also the diatomaceous earth is something I looked into a few years back for slugs and discovered it cuts worms and earth dwelling creatures into pieces as it is like tiny shards of razor sharp glass.  I did not fancy that    I like to do my bit to look after the wildlife in my garden.

I am rambling....
Jennie

[kentish_lass]

Would it not suffice to use bark mulch around the crown of the dying foliage of snowdrops and narcissus and pressing it down around the crown of the plant to try and stop the Narcissus Fly gain entry?  Or put soil or potting compost over the top leaving some dying leaves exposed?
Jennie

[Alan_b]

I've had an idea for a while, that I have not yet realised, to mix up some sort of temporary paste (say flour and water) and use it to apply something sharp to the exterior of the snowdrop bulb.  I was thinking about using fine grit; maybe diamatacous earth would be better, maybe it would be too good.  The idea is to discourage swift moth larvae eating their way into a bulb by making the process too uncomfortable.  Obviously, this would work best if applied when the bulb is dormant so it can be completely covered.  But I would want the paste/glue to dissolve away over a period of a few weeks just leaving the sharp grit behind once the bulb is planted.

I'm not sure if this is a good idea and I'm not sure if it is, what to use as my paste/glue.  Any thoughts?