flippin' aphids everywhere!

[retropants]

please help! my beautiful purple sprouting broccoli is absolutely smothered in horrid grey aphids. Is there any way to get rid of them? I have picked it and stored it in the fridge, but they seem to have multiplied. Yikes
all suggestions welcome!! (easy there!)
thankyou, Emma.

[alan refail]

OMIGOD
Mealy cabbage aphids - used to be the bane of my life in spring till we moved to Wales. Now we don't see them at all - can't speak the language
Seriously, though, if you've picked the broccoli, there's not much you can do except give it a good wash in salty water.
For other advice:-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/advice/p ... bage_aphid

Alan

[John]

That's an excellent reference source of info. on veg and fruit nasties, Alan.
Thanks.

John

[retropants]

thanks Alan, very interesting indeed! as for the broccoli, it may have to be binned, as I have washed it and jet washed it and there are still hundreds coming off in the water. ho hum! what a shame, it was the last of it too.

[Colin_M]

I don't know about grey aphids, but I suffer from greenfly every Spring. Trouble is, I don't like putting man-made chemicals on stuff I'm then going to eat.

The only "organic" thing I've found that works on aphids is Derris. This appears to be natural (derived from plants) and, unlike the soapy solution approach, actually gets rid of aphids.

http://www.organiccatalog.com/catalog/p ... cts_id=525



Colin

[madasafish]

I spray with a solution of soap and water (decorators soap solution works well). Kills mamy and is organic (and cheap)

[retropants]

maybe I should move to Wales then ?

[richard p]

whats the problem?, they are only brocolli processed into protein after all, serve smothered in cheese sauce nobody will notice

[retropants]

LOL!!!
har har......!! although I would know they are there, and the sauce would look like it had been heavily seasoned!!!

[cevenol jardin]

Got the same problem on my late purple sprouting - our little aphids are a very pretty shade of grey purple - the early sprouting managed to escape almost scot free but they have found the late sprouters. I have tried Derris in the polytunnel where the green aphids had run amock(it is currently classed as organic)and it does work but i only use it in desperation.

The other thing that seems to work once you've harvested is to put the broccoli in a sink full of cold water- weight it down and leave in the water for a few hours (6 i think it was) it seems to drown them off. Other than that i have to agree with Richard and just think of it as protein. You could also try scalding them off before you cook the broc if your not too keen on the additional protein.
P.S i did not salt the water but i'll try that next time.

[retropants]

Phew! thanks for all that info! I have to say, I've tried most of those, and the last option was going to be to dunk the heads in a pan of boiling water to get them all off. Unfortunately, broccoli is very good at repelling water, and little air pockets keep the blighters safe from drowning in amongst the flower buds.
Oh well, I did get a fair bit before these fellas took hold, so the last little bit wasted, I'll just have to put up with! And, my calabrese from last year has produced wee mini florets almost continuously since last summer!
I suppose you can't have everything .....