Aphids are small but mighty, and will damage your plants. This easy DIY Aphid spray will help to keep those tiny pests at bay. Keep it on hand all summer long to help protect your garden.
What are Aphids?
Every year in the spring Aphids appear. First they show up on my lilies, but if they are left unchecked, they’ll spread all around the garden.
Aphids are usually found on the leaves of the plant. However, on plants like lilies they sometimes appear on the base of the plant. Aphids are tiny little bugs that can be a range of different colors.
The ones around my yard are usually green, but they can also be black, brown, red, yellow, or gray. They’re soft-bodied and usually don’t have wings. A telltale sign that you have an Aphid infestation is the tiny exoskeletons they shed on the plant. They look like tiny white flakes usually found on the stem of the plant.
Plant Damage From Aphids
The Aphid damages the plant by extracting the juices from the plant. This will cause the leaves to yellow, and eventually curl. The damage will also stunt the plant’s growth. An Aphid infestation can also produce a sugary substance called honeydew. This will increase the chance of having fungal growth on the leaves, and can attract ants and other harmful insects to the plant. Here are some signs that you may have an aphid infestation:
- Curled, yellow, damaged leaves.
- Mold or a sticky substance on the plants
- Ants or other insects are attracted to the plants honeydew
- Tiny bugs on the leaves or at the base of the plant.
- Stunted plant growth
- tiny white flakes (exoskeletons) on the plant
When to Kill Aphids
Aphids are good food source for other beneficial insects. If they aren’t harming your plant, you might consider leaving them alone. However, if you decide to rid your plant of the pests, be sure not to use harmful pesticides. These will also kill your beneficial insects making infestations worse in the future.
DIY Aphid Spray and Treatment
- Start by rinsing the plant really well with water. This will remove a lot of the honeydew waste.
- Create an Aphid spray by adding 1 tablespoon of dish soap to a 1 quart spray bottle of water. Shake it well to combine.
- Spray the plant generously with the soap solution.
- Repeat the process every 2 days until the Aphids are gone.
The soap solution damages the soft bodied insects killing them, but it doesn’t harm your plant.
Companion Planting to Prevent Aphids
Planting things like oregano, garlic, or marigolds near your plants will also help to repel Aphids. Aphids don’t like plants with strong odors and will often avoid areas where these plants are planted. Companion planting has often been used to deter pests from the garden. Almanac.com has great information on companion planting.
Conclusion
While Aphids can harm the plant and its appearance, they will rarely kill a healthy plant. They attract many beneficial insects as well. However, if you choose to get rid of the Aphids, they are easy to treat with a simple soap solution and monitoring. You’ll have healthy plants again in no time!
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[…] are small but mighty and will damage your plants. This easy DIY Aphid spray will help to keep those tiny pests at bay. Keep it on hand all summer long to help protect your […]