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Tracydr · April 7, 2013

My artichoke is infested with aphids. It was last year, too. I haven't fertilized it, although it looks like it could use some, from the leaves getting a bit pale. I'm just worried about adding fertilizer, since the aphids are so bad. I've sprayed a few times with spinosad, lots with plain water and now the baby lady bugs are all over so I'm afraid to do much else.
Any ideas what I can do without hurting the good guys? It's still producing pretty well but I'm sure it could do better.
I think artichokes have become my favorite garden plant. At least I can count on them when tomatoes are so fickle in AZ. And, I love eating them! Plus, they are really cool looking!

April 7, 2013	#1
Tracydr Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: Laurinburg, North Carolina, zone 7 Posts: 3,207	Artichokes-aphids My artichoke is infested with aphids. It was last year, too. I haven't fertilized it, although it looks like it could use some, from the leaves getting a bit pale. I'm just worried about adding fertilizer, since the aphids are so bad. I've sprayed a few times with spinosad, lots with plain water and now the baby lady bugs are all over so I'm afraid to do much else. Any ideas what I can do without hurting the good guys? It's still producing pretty well but I'm sure it could do better. I think artichokes have become my favorite garden plant. At least I can count on them when tomatoes are so fickle in AZ. And, I love eating them! Plus, they are really cool looking!