Do you remember that classic advert from the 1980s with the two young Liverpool lads? Well this post is dedicated to the power of milk! Yes we all know it’s good for us, nutritious, loads of calcium etc, but do you know how good it can be for your plants? If not read on.
So I’ve just moved my tomatoes from the windowsill to the greenhouse and like any doting father I’m worried for them as they take their first tentative steps into the big, wide world. I know there’s danger lurking round the corner, it won’t be long before the hordes of whitefly are out to prey on my young and innocent tomato offspring. What can I do to protect them when I first see signs of trouble?
A word with the local milkman or a trip down to the supermarket will do. I’m after some full-fat (6%) non-homogenised milk, you know the stuff they used to call Gold Top, or Jersey milk where the cream separates out from the milk. I mentioned milk in a previous post and last night I attended another talk by expert Ray Broughton this time courtesy of the Laverstock Gardening Club. The talk was on Pests and Diseases and was great timing as the recent temperatures means the risk of attack gets greater day-by-day. Milk is a perfect weapon against any soft bodied pest like whitefly, aphids or mealy bugs as the fatty acid attacks their bodies and kills them in about an hour. Just syphon off the creamy milk part of the bottle into one of those mist sprays and blast the blighters as soon as you spot them (don’t wait until the plant is covered in the things as with all pest control it needs to be done at the first sign of trouble).
If you’re worried about the smell if spraying indoors just follow on by spraying some tepid water after three hours to wash away the milk spray before it has time to go off but out in the greenhouse or garden this will not be as big an issue.
I will definitely be trying milk spray as soon as I see any aphids or whitefly. It also works on mildew as well. Why not give it a go?