What is algae lime and what is it used for?
First of all: Algae lime is a natural one fertilizer, which is obtained from the deposits of red algae and is not only rich in lime, but also of valuable minerals and trace elements. The powder is used for plant nutrition, but also to improve garden soils. In addition, algae lime is intended to contribute to plant protection, for example fighting fungal infections such as shoot death or pest infestation - for example with the box tree moth.
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- Point the boxwood against the boxwood moth
Does algae lime help against shoot death and the box tree moth?
In fact, algae lime seems to help against the above-mentioned plagues in the short term and to stimulate the infested box trees to grow again healthily. To achieve this effect, however, infested and endangered plants often have to be dusted with the powder so that the leaves are covered with the fine dust. This, however, brings with it other problems that can also end badly for the troubled Buchs:
- Hardly any sunlight reaches the dusty leaves, which makes photosynthesis more difficult.
- The fine powder blocks the so-called stomata so that no new shoots can grow from it.
- As a result, the growth of the shoots is greatly slowed.
- Frequent use brings the soil pH out of balance.
- This increases so that, as a result, there is no or only insufficient absorption of nutrients.
Furthermore, the effects on the local bird and insect world have not yet been adequately researched - especially during the blossom pollinating the boxwoods must be viewed critically, as insects foraging also ingest the fine dust.
What action should you take instead?
Is the book from Cylindrocladium buxicola infected, no effective agents are currently known. You can only try to save the infected plant by pruning it courageously. Targeted prevention is therefore the method of choice: the fungus can only penetrate the leaves if they have been wet for several hours. So keep the leaves as dry as possible. make sure that they dry off quickly, for example in an airy location and with sufficient distance to the neighboring plants.
Tips
Until a short time ago, the caterpillars of the boxwood moth were considered to be poisonous to birdsbecause they have not yet worked on it. In the meantime, however, it has already been observed how some garden birds and wasps also used the pests. If you keep your garden bird and insect-friendly, then hopefully the borer will soon no longer have a chance.
