[Aunt Sally]

Oh... I thought you had a small garden.  How many foxglove plants do you have ?

[hubballi]

A few have seeded themselves around. Just because it's small doesn't mean I can't grow foxgloves, they are my favorite plant. You can see them growing on my garden bench photo. I thought you would have spotted that 

Going back to the gooseberrys, I keep finding more every time I look when I think I have got all of them. Pretty much impossible to do I am coming to realize but surely if they climb up the stem there must be a way of creating a sticky barrier ? I was only thinking the other day if all else fails I have had a good crop of gooseberrys on a healthy bush. Sure enough, it has to happen.  I get every pest in my garden. How ? its walled.

[mumofstig]

Butterflies fly, gooseberry sawfly, aphid fly, carrot root fly - etc. and slugs and snails are in the soil everywhere.

[aelf]

.  I get every pest in my garden. How ? its walled.

In fact, that may be part of the problem! A lot of your insects will be blown in on the wind and your garden, being walled, will be a 'dead spot' where the wind eddies around and the wind speed drops. This allows the insects to fall out of the sky onto your crops. Not much you can do about that!

[Aunt Sally]

A few have seeded themselves around. Just because it's small doesn't mean I can't grow foxgloves, they are my favorite plant. You can see them growing on my garden bench photo. I thought you would have spotted that 

I get every pest in my garden. How ? its walled.

Yes, I have spotted a few small foxglove by your bench, Hubballi.  But you would need to decimate them for enough leaves to make that (illegal) concoction to kill the sawfly. 

Walls are no defence against pests and diseases.  They, in fact, give them a wonderful environment to live in.

[blackberryjam]

Nemasys is good, but  it can work out expensive depending on which one you buy. i use  the grow your own which covers a lot of pests including sawfly.

[hubballi]

Why would boiling my own foxglove leaves be illegal ? I only need 2 or 3 with some boiling water for a small spray gun 

[Aunt Sally]

EU laws, me dear    Unless a pesticide is licensed it is illegal. 

No debate on this please everyone, it's been debated on these forums time enough.  Hubballi doesn't want his topic locked because of it.

[Aunt Sally]

Foxgloves contain the toxin Digitalis, Hubballi. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digoxin_toxicity

I don't think I'd want to spray it on my food 

[compostqueen]

People spray chemicals willy nilly, over everything, without a thought of the consequences, killing beneficial insects at the same time.

If you don't use chemicals though you have to get up close and personal with your plants and practice good husbandry.  I spent an hour this morning washing my chilli plants with soapy water 

Because they're worth it   

[willp]

Not always the case CQ.

Many users of chemicals do not spray willy nilly with no thought of the consequenses.

It is often an informed decision based on quite a bit of thought and research, and arrived at with due consideration of alternatives and their implications in terms of time, skill required and availability.

Good husbandry is always required and yes they are worth it

[hubballi]

Well just been out again and there are more. I thought I got them all. So depressing   

Again, there must be some way to make a barrier on the stem to stop them climbing ?

[Aunt Sally]

Well just been out again and there are more. I thought I got them all. So depressing   

Again, there must be some way to make a barrier on the stem to stop them climbing ?

I don't think so.  The fly lays the eggs on the leaves.

http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?pid=517

[hubballi]

Well as they are now stripping my white current I have taken drastic action and sprayed with foxglove leaves. It's a natural chemical free solution I like (if it works) The beggers are just impossible to get rid of by sight, even on just one bush. You never find them all. As soon as the leaves on the goosberrys and currants show next season out will come the foxglove spray for sure.

[aelf]

Well as they are now stripping my white current I have taken drastic action and sprayed with foxglove leaves. It's a natural chemical free solution I like (if it works) The beggers are just impossible to get rid of by sight, even on just one bush. You never find them all. As soon as the leaves on the goosberrys and currants show next season out will come the foxglove spray for sure.

There is no telling some people