Creepy crawlies plague gardens thanks to recent wet weather
GREEN thumbs and gardening enthusiasts have seen a number of unwelcome additions to their garden beds during the recent wet weather, with fungus and pests plaguing plants across the Central West.
Petrie’s Mitre 10 in Dubbo has seen an influx of locals seeking out remedies for the unseasonably wet and mild weather.
Garden centre manager Chris Bray said instead of hot, dry weather, the region has been receiving more humidity and milder temperatures, leading to a number of issues.
“February is one of the hottest months of the year in our climate. Normally we’d be watering more and using wetting agents to retain moisture in the soil, and using mulch to retain moisture in the soil,” he said.
“Because the moisture is readily available due to rainfall, we haven’t had to use a lot of those things. But on the flip side, there’s an issue with fungus and insects.
“Insects are a big one this year. Insect numbers are higher... we’re seeing aphids, and some grasshopper activity, as well as a bit of caterpillar activity.”
The Macquarie St hardware store offers specific and suitable insecticides and fungicides to treat these issues.
“They can be applied to plants to basically keep those two issues under control. It may not wholly fix the problem or eliminate the problem, but it will lessen the effects,” Mr Bray said.
“With fungal control, you really do need a change in weather – a drier climate to eradicate the fungal issues. But these fungicides will keep it under control.
“It’s basically for the general health of your plants. A lot of our customers who have come into the store this summer are growing leafy type vegetables and fruit – watermelons, rockmelons, zucchinis – and a lot of those vegetables and fruits are susceptible to fungal problems in wet seasons.
“The health of the plant can be impacted and they can be not getting as big a crop as they normally would and not only that, the yield of the crop as well.”
In the beginning of Covid, the store saw a huge increase in the garden centre as locals chose to begin growing their own produce due to supermarket shortages.
“Our seed stands got virtually wiped out. I’ve been here nearly 21 years and I’ve never seen our seeds look so bad,” Mr Bray said.
“On the flipside, a lot of customers regained an interest in gardening because they were spending more time at home and wanting something to occupy themselves with. A lot of customers have continued that hobby.”