Whitefly - What you can do

Whiteflies insects are hemipterans that feed on the undersides of plant leaves. 

Whiteflies rapidly grow in population when they find a good garden. They can suck the life out of a plants leaves leaving the plant stressed and disease prone. They spread viruses and disease and cause havoc in food production which can cost hundreds of millions of dollars. 

You can stop them from landing on your plant by misting the underside of the leaves of the plant several times a day.

But who has the time to do that?

They rapidly grow resistance to chemical pesticides. Obviously these chemicals will detour good insects that you want in your garden. 

They are too small to squash or swat. However whitefly is very attracted to the colour yellow. 

You can see the whitefly attached to my yellow card in less than 5 minutes. 

You can make your own yellow trap with some Vaseline on yellow card, or purchase a set. 

If you bought one, remove the backing paper so the sticky yellow card is reviled.

Hang in a spot near where the whitefly are, but so it won't stick to anything. Either suspended above the area or level with the infected plant. I like to hang it out of the rain if possible. 

Place the cards approximately 2 metres apart from each other. 

Shake the plant every so often so the whitefly will fly. You will be amazed at how they fly directly to the yellow card. 

The card will last about 6-8 weeks when the temperature is below 28 degrees Celsius. You may need to replace more often if it is hotter or they are full.

Any leaves that have been eaten by whitefly should be removed and sealed so re-infestation doesn't happen.

Another method is to grow plants that help reduce whitefly. Nasturtiums are thought to detour whitefly. Zinnias attract predictors that enjoy eating whitefly. 

Whitefly can cause great damage to your vegetables and garden plants such as hollyhocks. But at least they don't bite you. 

Kangaroo Paw

Kangaroo Paw thrives in full sun in well drained soil enriched with organic matter.

They are drought tolerant, however they enjoy a drink every few days during their growing season as it will keep them healthy.

They resemble the paw of a kangaroo, the flowers will light up the garden in spring and summer in vivid shades of red, green, pink, yellow and brown. You can cut them for flesh flowers and then dry for arrangements. 

You can mass plant Kangaroo Paw to attract native birds to your garden. Birds love the nectar rich flowers.  

The above picture is a council traffic island that doesn't get a lot of attention, yet the Kangaroo Paw has done well. The above Kangaroo Paw has finished flowering and needs to be cut back. 

It is easy to increase plant numbers by carefully dividing them after flowering. Try dwarf forms in pots. 

Ink disease, a fungus that appears as black blotches on leaves, is a problem with Kangaroo Paw. Remove diseased clumps and replace them with disease resistant cultivars.

Sunflowers

This flower is guaranteed to put a smile on a child's face, especially if you let them plant them. 

There are over 70 species in the family which are native to southern and central America. 

Early summer and spring is sunflower planting time. They like compost enriched, well drained soil. They need to be protected against slugs and snails until they start to grow. Their young trunks are susceptible to these pests until they get older with brown stems. 

You may need to stake them or protect them if your in a windy position. Don't shade them while protecting them. Keep them happy in full summer sun. 

Watering is important and keep the weeds away. You can add liquid fertiliser every two or three weeks, but I didn't to mine as pictured. 

If you wish to collect the seeds, protect the flowers from birds by putting a stocking over the head until the seeds are mature. Your children may not let you do this though. Might be easier to get one when it has been damaged by the wind, birds or old age.