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An insect that looks like a wood louse, but which is coated in a pale, waxy substance. It feeds on plant sap, and is best controlled by systemic insecticide.

Slimy molluscs that feed by night on tender plants and some root crops. They can cause considerable destruction, and control takes many forms, from salting to the use of chemical pesticides.

A gastropod that has a coiled shell, and feeds on plants. It wreaks similar damage to slugs, and can be controlled in the same way too.

An organism that grows and feeds on another. Completely parasitic plants have no leaves or chlorophyll, relying entirely upon the host for nourishment. Semi-parasitic plants have leaves and are able to produce some of their own food.

A green or brown leaf-eating bug that feeds on the sap of young growth, causing damage to flowers and leaves. It commonly affects outdoor ornamental plants, such as caryopteris, chrysanthemum, clematis, dahlia, forsythia, fuchsia, hydrangea

is not a problem, but in excess the plants will suffer and could even die.Smudges of white, waxy deposits appear at the base of phormium leaves, deposited by sap-feeding insects. The mealybug can cause loss of vigour in the plant and, in extreme cases

Regularly water crops in pots and growing bags, daily if needed in warm weather Plant trailing tomatoes in hanging basketsFeed young plants weekly with a solution of liquid fertiliserVentilate the greenhouse during the day, but close vents

An automatic watering and feeding system will take the strain out of watering plants and crops for you this summer. Simply set it up and top up the reservoir every few weeks - adding some liquid feed at the same time - and you can sit back and watch

Tie greenhouse tomatoes to their supports as they growFeed plants with full-strength fertiliser solution once a week, or apply a more diluted feed every few daysApply shading paint or put up shade netting or blindsOpen doors and vents daily

Pick bulbils from lily stems and pot them up to raise new plantsGive shrubs and perennial plants a liquid feedCut down delphiniums once flower spikes fadeTake cuttings from non-flowering shoots on hydrangeasPick sweet peas regularly and remove any