grease bands on fruit tress

I'd leave it on a while yet as there are other critters anxious to climb fruit trees now that they're growing again. If the band is getting tight or needs replacing, do so.

I just tied a broad strip of black plastic around the trunk & slapped a load of grease on, the same  stuff as I use to grease the hinges on my car doors - needs must as the devil drives and all that.  I figured one grease is a s good as another.

After washing masses of greenfly and aphid out of the plum tree with soapy water i wondered how many would climb back  up the tree trunk. I wound some 2"wide sellotape around the trunk for 9" sticky side out.
Two days later it was completely smothered in the things so it proved they do climb back up.

I tied the plastic on pretty tight top and bottom so it's bound to have deterred some of them right? TBH I was just in a hurry so grabbed whatever came to hand.  If it works cool, if it doesn't, I won't be in a sweat about it, there's always next season.  I used to work in commercial orchards and have to say they were never bothered with there but I guess there were enough trees to cope with the damage.  My trees have been neglected for a good long while so any attention must be a plus for them    Don't think I would bother washing aphids off them, & definitely wouldn't bother spraying them with pesticides, it seems a hell of a lot of work, it must be easier to procure some ladybirds.

Quote from: 8doubles on April 10, 2009, 20:30

Two days later it was completely smothered in the things so it proved they do climb back up.

It could have been new arrivals just flown in

The sticky band was only 18" off the ground and all the branches and leaves were at least 36" higher than the band which was about 100sq " in area and covered in greenfly, we`re talking thousands, the clear tape was now green. I reckon they were walking back not flying in as the leaves were fairly clean after.

I tied the plastic on pretty tight top and bottom so it's bound to have deterred some of them right? TBH I was just in a hurry so grabbed whatever came to hand.  If it works cool, if it doesn't, I won't be in a sweat about it, there's always next season.  I used to work in commercial orchards and have to say they were never bothered with there but I guess there were enough trees to cope with the damage.  My trees have been neglected for a good long while so any attention must be a plus for them    Don't think I would bother washing aphids off them, & definitely wouldn't bother spraying them with pesticides, it seems a hell of a lot of work, it must be easier to procure some ladybirds.

The trouble with aphid/greenfly on plum trees is they don`t just tap into the leaves they attack the unripe fruit which makes it vunerable to brown rot. The ladybirds were about but not enough and i`m far too tightfisted to buy reinforcements  at 50p* each. 

Ps *Now 60p +p&p Might farm ladybirds on the tree and buy plums