Contents
Editorial .....................................Fuchsiarama 1986
Whitefly ....................................President's Profile

Editorial (excerpts)

"Herewith our pilot edition of "National Link", the newsletter - bulletin -- magazine -- journal of your National Society. We have given it this name because we feel that it gives the aim of the National Society; tolink fuchsia lovers and fuchsia societies in both islands of our lovely country and to promote friendship and understanding, along with ideas and suggestions as to get better results from growing this beautiful flower.

Our thanks to Edwin Wright of the Wellington Society who has drawn up our cover...............

Please remember it is your journal to enjoy, but we will need your input too. The Link will only succeed if you help the editor by sending in articles of interest, news about your society, comments about your own fuchsias or garden or items about people................ If you have questions about fuchsiasor problems associated with growing, or the occasional garden pests which attack your plants or flowers -- again write and tell us about them or how you stopped the problems. .......................

Let's make National Link a true link for all friendly fuchsia folk."

The Sweetmans
Acting Editors

Perhaps this is food for thought in 2009

Fuchsiarama 1986

A report from our hosts, Motueka Fuchsia Society
For four days 86 people from around New Zealand stayed at Whakarewa Boys Home to share in their love of fuchsias.
After registration and a get-to-know-you tea on Thursday, the inter-club entertainment started. A feature of the weekend, it ranged from skits to literal plays, song and dance, to clowns and dancing dolls. Motueka took the prize with an adaptation of "Hello Mother Hello Father".
Friday was a big day for Motueka with their display in the Memorial Hall. Visiting clubs had stalls along with local craftspeople in a village fair atmosphere. Well patronised by local people, the display was set out as a fuchsia walk, with a wide variety of fuchsias and complimenting plants. Credit for the planning of the display goes to Mrs. J. Winter.
A mystery tour of Weingut Siegried's winery, Allensmore packing shed and Burnay pottery gave the visitors a quick look at the many and varied activities going on in our district.
A buffet dinner at the Swan Hotel, followed by more items and a sing-along, brought Friday to an exhausting close.
Saturday dawned sunny, an ideal day for garden visits. First a seminar on the growing of fuchsias where we found our pests and diseases are common throughout New Zealand, although our growing problems are different. A storm two weeks previously did not detract from the gardens visited. Bright and colourful, they were a credit to the owners.
A barbecue and barn dance at night had everyone hopping; very few could keep still to the music of the country band. A fun auction disposed of any items not raffled or won with a lucky number. Everyone slept well but not for long, as North Islanders were away to their plane by 8.00 a.m. South Islanders drifted away during the morning, reluctant to go, but keen to attend the next Fuchsiarama in two years' time. A tired but happy Motueka Group tidied up, pleased that the first Fuchsiarama held in New Zealand was enjoyed by all.

WHITEFLY

Adult whiteflies are small, white winged insects which sometimes occur in vast numbers in gardens during hot dry summers. Whiteflies can be a problem in glasshouses.
Life cycle
Eggs are attached to the leaf's undersurface and usually hatch after 10-14 days.
Nymphs
When nymphs emerge, at first they move about freely, but after the first moult their legs degenerate and they remain stationary on the underside of the leaf, feeding by piercing the leaf and sucking its sap. This stage, which lasts about three weeks, is well protected against insecticidal sprays.
Adult greenhouse whiteflies, Trialeurodes vaporariorum, usually remain on the undersides of leaves unless disturbed, feeding on the plant sap.
Damage
The host plant may appear disfigured when black moulds grow on the honey dew excreted by the nymphs and adults but this is not an indication of plant damage. Although whiteflies may be obvious on plants with stunted growth and yellow leaves, they are not usually the major cause of these symptoms.
Control
Whiteflies thrive best at warm temperatures. Hot, dry summers with mild winters allow them to reproduce continually, and so gardeners in the northern North Island experience the biggest problems with this insect. Control is difficult, but strong, healthy, well-fertilised plants with an adequate water supply are able to support large whitefly populations without any significant reduction in yield. It has been estimated that at least 20 nymphs per disc of leaf must be present before there is any noticeable adverse effect on the plant, so complete elimination is not necessary.
Control by Spraying
In the home garden, build-up of whitefly populations becomes noticeable towards the end of the growing season, and little is gained by trying insecticidal control at this time.
There is no effective insecticide available to the home gardener for control of this insect. Previously, maldison emulsion spray has been recommended, applied every 5-7 days, but it is not very effective as it kills only the winged adults, and reports suggest that whiteflies are becoming resistant to this chemical. Possible alternative is a garden formulation pyrethrin spray, but this too will only kill adult whiteflies and repeated applications are required at 5-7 day intervals. (Continued in right hand column)

WHITEFLY--Continued from left hand column

The black blotches caused by sooty mould feeding on the honey dew produced by whiteflies are unsightly but are not an indication of plant damage. In many cases, although whiteflies are obvious on crops or flowering plants, the only control measure required is to use a fine water spray to hose down the plants and wash away the honey dew which encourages the growth of sooty mould. This should be done every 5-6 days as soon as whitefly are noticed. During this spraying the number of nymphs and adults will also be reduced.
Sticky Traps
Whiteflies are attracted to bright yellow and can be trapped by coating a bright yellow surface with petroleum jelly. Use yellow plastic or painted boards about 36 cm square and hang up one or more in the glasshouse. The jelly can be wiped off and renewed as required.
Garden and glasshouse hygiene
Prevention of build-up of whitefly populations is a key factor in their control. Because whiteflies can overwinter on garden plants and weeds, any old crop plants or weeds which are suspected of harbouring these insects should be destroyed. Periodic cleaning is needed, especially in spring and winter when outdoor whitefly populations are low and before new seed beds are planted out.
In the glasshouse, all shelves should be cleared of old plants and any weeds removed. Unwanted plants should be burnt. Whiteflies enter glasshouses from the garden or from infected nursery plants. All plants should be examined and given a soap spray if whitefly nymphs or pupae are seen. Adults can be knocked off with a fine water spray.
Natural enemies
A parasitic wasp,
Encarsia formosa, which has proved very effective in control of the greenhouse whitefly in Europe, has been introduced into New Zealand. Parasitised whitefly pupae are black instead of white. The parasite operates most efficiently at high temperatures and so is much more effective in glasshouses than outdoors. It will not survive under a regular pesticide spray programme.
(This article courtesy Aglink MAF)