Windowsill Disaster!

[shivvy]

I have been starting a lot of plants on my kitchen windowsill but tonight I have spotted that some if not all have become infested with ?greenfly.
It seems to be affecting the chilli and pepper plants as well as the coriander, parsley and cucumber.
I remember reading somewhere to spray them with a fairy liquid solution but I obviously don't want to do this with the herbs that I am going to eat.
What can I do? The pepper plants are particularly bad :o(

Thanks.

[woofgang]

I know this isn’t what you want to hear but I had to dump my pepper plants last year because they came with greenfly and started to infect every other plant I had. I was soooo cross. If anything you have is really covered then trash it. put the rest outside and put the hose on them with as much power as the plants will stand. I’d leave them outdoors if you can. the drop in temperature will help kill the greenfly, also it will allow natural predators to get at them.

[woofgang]

Oh and give your windowsill and the window surround a thorough washing with hot soapy water

[alavahalf]

When you use a solution of Fairy liquid, you dont put a squirt of it in the solution as Fairy is too strong. Get a cheap weak detergent and add a drip to a 1/2 litre of water in a spray bottle. When this is sprayed onto the plants it will shift the green fly and you wont notice it when you eat the herbs as they will have been well and truely rinsed as there is plenty watering to do between now and the time you harvest them.

[shivvy]

Someone told me that squirting them with a lemon and water mix will kill the bugs off but still leave the plants edible?

[Old_Geezer]

Put a sign in the window saying, "Offer ! Ladybirds Eat Free", and then leave the window open for customers.

[Buenchico]

I can't see what you've got against using a Fairy Liquid solution.

You wash your cups, mugs and glasses in a Fairy Liquid solution and then happily drink from them, without any worries about nasty tastes in your mouth, don't you?

As long as you wash your herbs properly before eating them (which is akin to rinsing your mugs and glasses after washing them), I can't see why there should be a problem.

[alavahalf]

The reason I said dont use Fairy is when you add a squirt of it in a bottle and shake it, you will need to wait half an hour for the suds to settle before you can use it.
Personally I use a weak solution of Stergene for that very reason and I have not yet foamed at the mouth. ;-)

[shivvy]

I would never think about washing my herbs Buenchico! They get cut off the plant, chopped and chucked into the recipe!

[Buenchico]

I take it that you, and your neighbours, don't have any cats, Shivvy ;-)

[shivvy]

2 terriers Buenchico!!!

[shivvy]

Off to google Stergene alavahalf!

[woofgang]

Stergene is clothes washing liquid and quite strongly scented IIRC :(

[shivvy]

Off to google IIRC woofgang!!

[woofgang]

If I recall correctly!