Occasionally a tip comes to us that we have not tried for various reasons. Here are a few of examples:

Organic Aphid Treatments

• Boil orange peel, lemon and or lime in water & use the solution as an aphid control. Aphids should hate citrus oil.
• On the same theme steep garlic cloves and chilli left overs as a ‘toxic bug blaster’. (The Oldie summer 2010)
• When the leaves of tomato plants are chopped, they release   alkaloids. When the alkaloids are suspended and diluted with water, they make an easy to use spray that is toxic to aphids.
• A simple soap spray, water and some liquid soap can work wonders by dissolving the aphids wax coating
• Teas made from elderberry or rhubarb leaves can act as a deterrent assuming you use it as a spray.
• Place banana peels at the base of infested plant. The peels give them a shot of potassium too.

With all homemade sprays, strain out the residue before spraying.

 

General Aphid Tips

Aphids can do a lot of damage to plants. Firstly they weaken it by drinking the sap. Secondly they can spread disease such as powdery mildew. Aphid action also often attracts ants, who enjoy the sticky residue left by aphids. Ants are not directly a problem, but, they can damage the base of plants and look unsightly.

If you have some prize specimens, keep a close eye for first sign of infestation in April, May. At first sign you can try squeezing them with your fingers or blowing them off with water.

If you are going for organic control, you will want to be encouraging natural predators such as hoverflies and ladybirds. This can be done by using plants which attract the hoverflies. For example stinging nettles and marigolds.

I use proprietary chemicals and spray on a still day

Spray in the evening or early before the adults take flight.
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