| January 24, 2009 |
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Sooty mould tough customer
REGARDING “KE” of Gonubie‘s letter about the black substance on her Myoporum tree, it is sooty mould, caused by the secretion of honeydew by aphids. The problem will keep returning and continue to spread onto other plants. The only option is to remove all the affected plants. – JW, Jeffreys Bay. Thanks for your letter. It made me focus on the cause of the mould. The initial culprits are ants, which cause scale on the plants, and with the scale comes honeydew. It is on this sticky substance that the sooty mould develops. Gardening expert Heather Hutchings says the first step is to eradicate the ants and then the scale (with the relevant insecticides). This will at least prevent further growth of sooty mould and protect other plants from infestation. Getting rid of the sooty mould is virtually a manual job – physically wiping it off. Heather is a great believer in regular, vigorous dousing of shrubs with a hosepipe, to keep them clean. This goes a long way to keeping them healthy. In addition, dig in a circle of insecticidal granules around the tree – about 50cm from the trunk – and water in thoroughly. Meanwhile, ‘‘KE‘‘ writes that when she mentioned the Jeyes Fluid treatment I‘d advised to a friend, he said he‘d found lots of uses for Jeyes Fluid – all garden-related. Jeye‘s Fluid, incidentally, can be used against the ants. Find the holes, pour in neat Jeyes Fluid and wash down with water. Repeat frequently. But note that neat Jeyes Fluid will stain cement. Incidentally, the Myoporum shrub is on the list of ‘‘undesirable‘‘ alien plants. How should I remove black shoe polish from a light beige carpet which is probably synthetic? – RM, Port Elizabeth. This is a dreadfully difficult stain to get rid of. Apart from its greasy content, the colourant is dye-like in its tenacity. Start by covering the stain with an absorbent, such as bicarbonate of soda. Rub it lightly into the pile and leave for at least an hour before brushing off, trying not to spread the mark. Next, we need a solvent and mineral turpentine is the best bet. Dab and mop with a kitchen towel, using a clean part of the towel each time. You probably won‘t get rid of all the stain. If so, sponge with dishwashing liquid to which you have added a dash of household ammonia. Be careful not to saturate. Wipe off thoroughly in a cloth wrung out in clean water to remove all traces of soapiness. I have tried bottling vegetables for the first time.Now I notice some little black spots in the bottles. Is there something wrong? – FR, Uitenhage. I have a pamphlet on preserving vegetables, published by Consol Glass. It says black spots which sometimes appear are harmless and are ‘‘sulphur hydrogen‘‘ caused by the heat on sulphur compounds in the vegetables. Bottled vegetables or fruit sometimes change colour, mainly because enzymes in the food are activated by oxygen. To avoid this, fruit and vegetables prepared for bottling should be exposed to the air as briefly as possible. The easiest way to protect fruit is to dip it in a solution of salt or vinegar as soon as it has been peeled, and then to process it right away. Use 50ml of salt, vinegar or lemon juice to every five litres of water.
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