Almost never spray - am I just lucky ? - Page 2

Vespertino · May 12, 2013

I'm starting to run into problems with pests, and my plants are on a small apartment patio/terrace 1 floor up from the ground. This is my first year gardening so I don't know if I'm having some unusually bad luck. But I've had one horrible aphid infestation (resolved) followed by a horrible case of black spot on my ducher rose, a leafcutter worm AND more aphids AND leafminers on my borage plants. In early April the groundskeepers for my apartment complex must have sprayed herbicide because 2 of my 4 sungold tomatoes sustained 2-4d damage.

For the insect pests I have a multi-purpose insecticide oil with neem and pyrethrin, it worked but I find myself re-applying it a lot more than I'd like to keep the aphids from coming back. Sadly there's very few beneficial insects that are interested in keeping my terrace clean. The most I've seen are a few spiders, and I'm leaving them alone so they can trap whatever flies by.

I suppose it was wrong for me to hope that being 1 floor above the ground, without any outside plants in contact with my patch of concrete, would protect me from pests. Oh well!

May 12, 2013	#16
Vespertino Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Southlake, TX Posts: 743	I'm starting to run into problems with pests, and my plants are on a small apartment patio/terrace 1 floor up from the ground. This is my first year gardening so I don't know if I'm having some unusually bad luck. But I've had one horrible aphid infestation (resolved) followed by a horrible case of black spot on my ducher rose, a leafcutter worm AND more aphids AND leafminers on my borage plants. In early April the groundskeepers for my apartment complex must have sprayed herbicide because 2 of my 4 sungold tomatoes sustained 2-4d damage. For the insect pests I have a multi-purpose insecticide oil with neem and pyrethrin, it worked but I find myself re-applying it a lot more than I'd like to keep the aphids from coming back. Sadly there's very few beneficial insects that are interested in keeping my terrace clean. The most I've seen are a few spiders, and I'm leaving them alone so they can trap whatever flies by. I suppose it was wrong for me to hope that being 1 floor above the ground, without any outside plants in contact with my patch of concrete, would protect me from pests. Oh well!