Nonchemical Control of Aphids; Buying Bay Plants
Answered by: Inge Poot
Question from: Paul Lauziere
Posted on: April 4, 1998

How large a bay tree can I buy?

If you shop in person at our Goodwood greenhouses, you can choose various sizes of bay laurel, but a phone call to the greenhouse before you arrive would be a good idea to make sure we are not sold out of the size you had your heart set on.

If you live too far away to make a personal shopping expedition practical, you can do your shopping by mail (or email for the ordering). Our shipping season is about April to October. We ship plants in special shipping cartons that prevent the soil from being shaken out of the pots in transit. To fit into the box, the plants all have to be about 6 inches tall or less. Therefore we cannot ship our taller plants. Also, the minimum order is 6 plants (they can be 6 different plants) and handling and shipping charges may apply.

Sometimes I have aphids in the house. What is the best "non-chemical" way of getting rid of them? Can it be done without chemicals?

The best organic method to get rid of aphids is to saturate the affected plants with ladybeetles. We sell them by the pint (about 4500) or by the gallon (about 72,000). We ship them only in early June in Canada. In the USA they are available anytime.

Pyrethrum soap spray also works well. It contains natural pyrethrum and soap spray and is therefore safe to use. We sell the concentrate which you mix with water before spraying. Another choice would be Fossil dust, made from the fossilized diatoms. Fossil dust works by puncturing the exoskeletons of the aphids, leaving them to dry out and die. It is harmless to warmblooded animals. Both the pyethrum spray and fossil dust need to be applied several times 3-5 days apart to ensure that the aphid infestation is stopped completely.

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