Amateur Gardening – 21 May 2019

11 MAY 2019AMATEURGARDENING 37

Writetous:AskJohn,AmateurGardeningmagazine,

Pinehurst 2, Pinehurst Road,FarnboroughBusinessPark,

Farnborough,Hants,GU147BF.

Email us:[email protected]

Q

Wehavesomeladybirdswith

unusualblotchesin ourgarden,

socouldtheybeharlequinladybirds?

Terry Barnslade, Colchester, Essex

A

Apparently,harlequinladybirds

havemorethan 100 colourpattern

varieties,butit seemssignificantthatthe

markingsyousawwereblotches rather

thanneatlydefineddots.

Also,wastheladybirdconsiderably

largerthana ‘normal’ladybird? This is

another way to identify it.

Harlequinladybirds,although

ostensiblylikeournativespecies,are

actuallya greatcauseforconcern

becausetheycanquicklyoutcompete

thenativeonesforfoodandhabitats.

Likeournativespeciestheyeat

aphids,butwhenfoodis in shortsupply

theycanturntheirattentionstouseful

gardencreaturessuchladybirdlarvae

andbutterflyeggsandcaterpillars.

Visitthewebsiteharlequin-survey.

orgformoredetails,and also to add your

own to the survey.

Are these the ‘right’ ladybirds?

Q

Whatis thebestwaytotreatand

preventsootymould developing

onplantleaves?

Terry Jackson, Warrington, Cheshire

A

Regrettably,therearenofungicides

tocontrolthisdisease.

Whensporesalightuponleavesthey

feedonstickyhoneydewsecretedby

sap-feedingpests,suchasaphidsand

scaleinsects,whichhave taken up

residencenearby.

Allyoucandois tacklesapfeeders

withaninsecticide,suchasBugClear

Ultra,thatguardsagainstaninfestation

foraroundthreeweeks.Whenthe

creatureshavebeeneradicatedandthe

honeydewsourceceases,thesooty

mouldwill,eventually,disappear.

Sometimes it develops on badly

How do I prevent sooty mould?

Harlequinladybirdsarelargerthan

native species (pictured inset)

Q

Does

adding

eggshellstoa

composthelp

togrow

healthier

tomatoes?

MiriamThoma

Scunthorpe, Lincs

A

Thisis a newonetome,but

eggshellscontaincalciumthat

benefitshealthygrowth.A lackof

calciumcancauseblossomendrot

in tomatoes,so eggshells may help

reduce it.

Quickquestions

& answers

Q

Whatis thisgrowing through

mysedum?

JamesCouling,

Portsmouth,

Hants

A

This

plantis

a wildflower,

probably

cleavers(Galium

aparine) orhedge

bedstraw(G.mollugo).

Removeit fromyoursedumto

stopit fromovercrowdingit.

Thisscrambler,whichis usually

foundonroadsideverges,has

white flowers in summer.

Alamy

pest-infestedindoorplantsaswell.Small

patchesof sootymouldcanalsobe

wipedoffwithlukewarmwateranda

cloth before you treat the insects.

Treatsap-suckersandsootymould

should be a thing of the past

Q

Thisappearedin mygarden

lastyear– whatis it?

Sally Howells, via email

A

Themysteryplantis a

belladonnalily(Amaryllis

belladonna), a nativeof South

Africa’ssouth-westernCape.

Happiestin a greenhouse,it can

alsobegrownoutdoors in free-

drainingsoil,ideally

closetoa warm,

sunnyand

shelteredwall.

Fleshy,

strap-shaped

leaves

appearwhen

blooms fade.