Remove aphids from your plants:
We all enjoy our gardens. However, one day you might notice the leaves of your plants turning yellow or a black substance appearing on the plant. If this happens, you probably have aphids (or plant lice).
Aphids feed on many different plants and can infect the plant with a virus that will eventually kill it. It’s vital to control the aphids before you have an infestation in your garden and are required to take more drastic measures.
How to Remove Aphids from Plants
The following some of the necessary steps you can take for repelling aphids:
Row Covers
Using row covers while you begin growing your plants will help keep aphids off of your young plants.
Aluminum Foil and Reflective Mulch
Reflective mulch, usually made from silver polyethylene and aluminum foil, is an effective deterrent for aphids.
Place it beneath the plants to increase the light they receive, allowing them to survive longer against the viruses which aphids spread.
Just make sure to only use this for your vegetable garden, and not your flower garden.
Water
Something as simple as spraying your plants with water will remove the aphids from the plant, impede their ability to return, and wash off the honeydew.
Repeat this every day, and eventually, the aphids will be gone entirely.
Lure Aphids Away
Grow some of these plants in a different location than your garden, and the aphids will prefer to go for these plants instead.
Try planting:
- Sunflowers
- Chrysanthemum
- Hollyhocks
- Larkspur
- Vervain
- Aster Flowers
- Dahlia Plants
- Nasturtium
Also plant some garlic and onions close to your garden, since the smell of both onions and garlic repels aphids.
Killing Aphids Organically Attracts Natural Enemies of Aphids
Aphids are resistant to many kinds of insecticides, so the most effective and eco-friendly option is to kill aphids naturally. They have several natural weaknesses, and all that you have to do is slightly alter the way you garden.
First, plant some mint, dill, and fennel, and don’t remove dandelions growing near your garden.
These will attract some of the aphids many natural enemies, such as Coccinellidae (ladybugs/ladybird beetles) and green lacewings. A single ladybug can eat as many as 60 aphids per day. Green lacewing larvae have earned the name aphid lions due to their ability to consume up to 1000 aphids in just one day. They’ll even eat some of your other common garden pests.
This is yet another reason you shouldn’t use insecticide since it will more likely kill their predators without killing the aphids.
The natural method ensures your garden is too hostile for aphids.
Unfortunately, aphids do have one ally in your garden: ants. They have a symbiotic relationship since the ants eat the substance aphids produce, which is sometimes called honeydew.
You need to remove the ants so the aphids’ enemies can kill the aphids to preserve your natural aphid control program.
Make sure there are no parts of the plants touching the ground by trimming your plants. This hinders the ants’ access to them. Furthermore, apply an adhesive substance to the lower stem to stop the ants’ ability to climb it.
You will want to wrap the stem with tape first before applying the substance, just as a safety precaution.
Alternatively, consider using neem oil as an organic way to kill the aphids.
If all else fails, contact a Tulsa pest control service near you for assistance.
