Page 64 - ALG Issue 3 2019

West Midlands
Shropshire, Staffordshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Warkwickshire
REPRESENTATIVE
Mr Tom Terrence
17 Stonefield Close, Walsgrave Keep, Walsgrave, Warks CV2 2PZ 02476 621350 tterrence@btinternet.com
MENTOR
Colin Bedford
West Midlands
0845 261 3672 cbedford.nas@gmail.com
Going round the Wrekin... to Telford
The West Midlands’ May meeting took place in Telford, only about five miles east of the Wrekin, a hill with a lot of history, being 677million years old, and with many myths regarding its creation by fighting giants or, if you prefer, the tail (or should it be tale?) of a mermaid in a local pool.
Anyway, back to the present. The meeting began with a talk by John Scrace on "Bugs, slugs, spots and rots". We were taken on a journey through the primary pests and diseases in the United Kingdom. Starting with the scarlet lily beetle, whose larva are covered in their own excrement as camouflage, we learnt how to dispose of them in a variety of ways. Next was the viburnum beetle, followed by potato blight and its near neighbour tomato blight. Praying for dry weather was recommended as the best solution
to blight, as was using early varieties and blight resistant plants. The all-female vine weevil, producing a thousand eggs in a lifetime, will attack pot-grown foliage especially. Whilst the home-grown ladybird is good, the harlequin has disadvantages; it is in competition for food, is cannibalistic, and eats butterflies and moths and their eggs. Diseases followed; honey fungus was discussed at length, with the recommendation being to destroy any affected plants and replacing with disease resistant plants. A useful source of help is the RHS website's Advice Profile, which is available to all.
After an interval with some splendid cake, the Business Section of
the meeting began. Regional Representative Tom Terrence welcomed everyone to Brookside Central, a community meeting place, and thanked Stirchley Allotment Society who hosted the meeting, and John Scrace for his informative and entertaining talk.
The Secretary's Report referred to the fact that the latest magazine should
now be with site secretaries and he emphasised the importance of getting the magazine out to all plotholders. He described an article entitled “Watch your Back” focusing on the problem
of gardeners being vulnerable to problems from excess sun exposure. There is a great need to cover up with clothing and the use of sunscreen. Further details are available on the www.watchyourback website.
He reminded the meeting that metaldehyde slug pellets are going out of circulation in June 2020 and the need to explore more organic methods to control these pests.
The NSALG website was available to site secretaries and members. Anyone who had not got access to this was asked to contact Karen Maher at Corby, and she would issue the necessary passwords.
The Treasurer reported that an additional sum of money had been made by Corby to the normal annual grant to cover the West Midlands Stand at Gardeners' World Live. The stand has grown in size and importance,
with the encouragement of the Show's organisers.
Both Tom Terrence and John Outhwaite, the Regional Deputy, are more actively involved with sites, as is Colin Bedford, the Regional Mentor. As well as this, John Outhwaite has, over the last two years, been heavily involved in project managing the NAS stand at Gardeners' World Live. This year a great deal more work had been undertaken including a detailed programme of speakers throughout the four-day event.
Date and location of next meeting: Saturday 10th August 2019 at 2pm
Venue: Townsend Memorial Hall, Clifton upon Dunsmore, Rugby CV2 30 BD
The Treasurer reported that an additional sum of money had been made by Corby to the normal annual grant
to cover the West Midlands Stand at Gardeners' World Live
64 Allotment and Leisure Gardener