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J
2997 days ago

HYDRANGEA PEST PROBLEMS

John from Woolston

I have been selling some hydrangea plants, some of which have had small white woolly blobs attached under the leaves - these have been pointed out to buyers. I have now found out what this insect problem is - it is called PULVINARIA HYDRANGEAE (Cottony Hydrangea Scale) this is the juvenile stage of the scale. It can be controlled/eradicated by spraying with Yates CONFIDOR or Kiwi Care INSECT HIT. Both of these sprays are what are called 'systemic' - the spray is absorbed by the plant and the problem insect absorbs it when it sucks on the plant, thereby killing it.

PLEASE FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS OF USE CAREFULLY.

These products can be used on other plants for similar problems like those found on Phormium types (flax)

Full information on these products and the insect pests can be found online .

More messages from your neighbours
5 days ago

Poll: 🤖 What skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

The Reserve Bank has shared some pretty blunt advice: there’s no such thing as a “safe” job anymore 🛟😑

Robots are stepping into repetitive roles in factories, plants and warehouses. AI is taking care of the admin tasks that once filled many mid-level office jobs.

We want to know: As the world evolves, what skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?

Want to read more? The Press has you covered!

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🤖 What skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
  • 52.7% Human-centred experience and communication
    52.7% Complete
  • 14.6% Critical thinking
    14.6% Complete
  • 30% Resilience and adaptability
    30% Complete
  • 2.7% Other - I will share below!
    2.7% Complete
554 votes
1 day ago

Share your favourite main crop potato recipe and win a copy of our mag!

William Hansby Reporter from NZ Gardener & Get Growing

Love potatoes? We will give away free copies of the May 2026 issue to readers whose potato recipes are used in our magazine. To be in the running, make sure you email your family's favourite way to enjoy potatoes: mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, by March 1, 2026.

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10 hours ago

Some Choice News!

Kia pai from Sharing the Good Stuff

DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.

Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.

For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.

Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?

We hope this brings a smile!

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