Hello there
I have got a few vegetables growing in my back garden which at the moment seem to be pest free... however I do have a hedge that I planted a couple of years ago and the tips of it seem to be covered in what look likes black aphids?? and some of the leaves have got a white covering on them too.
The hedge is just not looking as good as it should... and if there is a not chemical way to get rid of them that would be great
Thanks
If you don't want to use chemicals on your hedge, you can try just rubbing the aphids off between thumb and finger. If your hedge is quite long, you could try blasting them off with a hose - if you get them early enough you'll break the life cycle and they won't return in such large numbers.
Ladybirds will help too, you might want to check first to see of they've started doing a job for you before you start blasting away with a hosepipe.
You don't say what hedge it is, but I guess the white stuff could be some sort of mildew.
Again if you don't want to use chemicals, some folk on here have recommended spraying with a milk and water solution.
You might want to try a level teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda per litre of a half milk/ half water mix, this seems to work for me on fungal diseases.