As summer's humidity wears off, colder weather garden pests creep out. Here's what to look out for during winter.
Aphids – these little nasties love sucking the sap from young plants or freshly planted flowers like pansies, viola or bougainvillaea. Black aphids will appear soon after pruning or following infrequent winter showers.
Slugs and snails – these slimy pests thrive in the dark, prefer cool, damp places and run amok during autumn and winter. They devour flower buds, ripe fruit, root and bulbs, strip away young tree barks and eat holes in plant leaves.
Caterpillars – be watchful for the cabbage-loving cabbage moth caterpillars. They are fond of cabbages but won't stop eating tender veggies, broccoli or cauliflower and usually appear after rain.
Black spot – this fungal disease doesn't just attack roses but loves it loves an assortment of leaves and fleshy stems. Watch out for leaves that go yellow or black splodges on the upper part of the leaves.
Powdery mildew – the cool weather go-getter, powdery mildew prey on flowering blooms, leaving them with minor pale or brown marks on petals.
Plant rust – this disease thrives in mild, cold, and damp weather, spreading its spores by wind and water. They are fond of canna lilies, snapdragons, geraniums and marigolds.
Not everyone is comfortable spraying or sprinkling pest repellent in their yard, so turn to the following plants to keep some bugs at bay:
- Lavender which repels fleas, mosquitoes and moths.
- Marigolds that drive away nasty bugs and whiteflies and kill roundworms.
- Petunias that repel leafhoppers, aphids, tomato worms and asparagus beetles.
- Garlic which repels aphids and deters codling moths, beetles, root maggots, snails and carrot root flies.
Give your garden a winter head start with GuanoBoost 100% organic liquid and granular fertiliser full of nutrients for higher-quality growth, healthier plants and a thriving garden during cooler months.