How do you control whitefly/greenfly

[rary]

Last year I had a bit of a problem with whitefly on my tomatoes and I tried both a soap spray and a garlic spray without success so I had to live withe them, but this year I underplanted with marigolds and so far the tomatoes have stayed clean how do you control pests on you tomatoes

[bramble]

Rary, just like you said.
I grow my tomatoes in buckets in the greenhouse.
I plant a marigold in each bucket with the tomato plants.
I havnt had any pests in the greenhouse for years now.
I leave the door and windows open as much as possible.
I also damp down the greenhouse when it's hot.

[Penellype]

I've never had whitefly on tomatoes but I've had dreadful infestations of the things on my brassicas in the tunnel at the allotment. In some cases the undersides of the leaves are completely covered with the nymphs. Someone, somewhere suggested spraying them with potato water (ie water that you have boiled potatoes in), obviously cooled first. When the whitefly appeared in numbers this year I tried this, using a large syringe of the type that vets supply for administering oral medicine to horses. The water appears to run straight off and the adult whitefly fly away. However, when I went back a week or so later, the nymphs had gone and there were very few adults on the leaves I had sprayed. They were colonizing the younger unsprayed leaves, so I sprayed these again. An inspection on Friday showed far fewer whitefly, but I sprayed the ones that remained again. I am beginning to be really impressed with this.

The thinking behind it is that the potato starch sticks to the insects and dries out their soft bodies. If this is the case I don't see why it shouldn't work for aphids too, although I haven't tried it yet.

[peanut]

Marigolds, basil and dill everywhere!
I love planting flowers amongst veg and vice versa so I have a variety of french marigolds and basil planted in my greenhouse and in my mixed veg and my brassica bed, I've also planted leeks in the brassica bed to mask the brassicas scent.
I had a few whitefly on my brassicas while they were waiting to be planted out, but none now they're planted with their smelly friends

[burnie]

I use diluted washing up liquid for white fly in the greenhouse and on the roses outside on greenfly, seems to work. I also have quite a lot of spiders webs in the greenhouse, they catch a lot of small flies, I clear them out when I was the greenhouse in the winter.

[Jungle Jane]

It’s nice you won’t have to worry about the whitefly now,I’ve never had a greenfly problem what plants are they affecting Rary,if it’s on tomatoes it’s nothing to worry about,they get trapped,immobilised in the hairs on the stem. I haven't noticed any whitefly this month I wonder where they are. Earlier on around April or May, I saw about three whiteflies amongst the potato leaves,I managed to squash a couple they’re so quick but I stuck a pot of French marigold into the top of the potato bag & the problem went away,they’re good companion plants aren’t they

[peanut]

Marigolds are definitely a gardener's friend. I plan on growing Mexican Marigolds next year to try and get rid of a patch of ground elder.

[greenishfing]

I don't worry about green fly. If they appear I find the ladybird larvae aren't far behind. White fly however can be a nightmare. I end up lifting all the leaves on the brassicas and blasting them with the hose. I have various marigolds in the vicinity.

[rary]

JJ I don't have a problem with greenfly at present though I have some nettles growing in the greenhouse to help encourage ladybirds